Lighten Up Chili (i.e. Even in the Midst of Teenage Chaos There is Something to be Learned)

There I was in organizing bliss. Well, actually, scratch that. I was hyperventilating and covered in perspiration as I surveyed the boxes of games and puzzles with missing pieces and cried out in desperation, "Someone get me an Old Fashioned!" even though I don't drink Old Fashioneds but my Granny always used to ask for them and so I thought I would too. However, regardless of all that, I was actually organizing. And I wanted to continue organizing. Mother Nature had cancelled our plans for skiing and a commitment-free 3-day weekend lay before me. Since I had announced publicly on this here blog that I would be organizing weekly, I was feeling the pressure. People would be asking me how it was going. I had to have something to report back.

Deep in concentration assembling a Madeline puzzle, (I can't in good conscience donate a puzzle with missing parts, now can I?) my daughter flits by and says, "So, I'm having two people spend the night Sunday and we're making cookies for Ronald McDonald house for our community service project." To which I respond, "Yes, that's what we agreed on." "Okay," she says back and then adds on, "Oh, and some of us are talking about going to a movie. I don't know, like, tomorrow or something." "Oh, okay," I say non-chalantly to her while silently cursing this puzzle with its odd shaped pieces.

A few hours later, I am beside myself with frustration. "Where is the humongous fungus?! Nobody in their right mind will want to play Shrek Operation with a missing body part." Coming through a bin of random toy parts, I search for the humongous fungus. Seemingly out of nowhere, I detect my daughter's legs just outside the bin. She speaks to me saying, "Okay, so the 1:50 pm movie on Sunday works best but we might change it to Monday. We thought cookies from 4-6p on Sunday would be good but if the movie happens we'll do cookies on Monday. (pause) Oh, and Betty is coming too." To this last bit I pop my head up, "Wait a minute. I said two people. That's it." "But, Mom, Betty needs her community service too and we were already talking about it at school and I forgot." Overwhelmed with the amount of details coming at me and around me, I sigh and say, "Fine...but that's it. And who's taking you to the movies?" "Probably one of the other Moms."

Still perspiring but making progress, I had different piles going. One labeled, "Ready to Donate." Another labeled, "Missing pieces." And a final one, "Too far gone." Isn't it interesting how not one child has touched these items in years, but the minute I pull them out and spruce them up, it's like Christmas all over again? Out of the corner of my eye, I see the 5-year old taking apart the car carrier with all of its car pieces I had diligently located and before I could begin to address that situation, my daughter appears again saying something like, "Okay, Mom. So here's the plan. Betty, Barbara, Missy and Cindy are going to the movies with me. Dad is dropping us off. You can pick us up after you pick-up my dear brother from the party. Then, Cindy, Barbara and Betty will be arriving at 6pm for the sleepover. Linda will be coming at 8pm. We'll make cookies in the morning. Oh, but Betty has to leave early so you can just take me, Cindy, Barbara and Linda to drop off the cookies later that afternoon." I sat there...stunned. All I could manage to do was look at her and say, "Wait...what?" Somehow I knew I was being scammed but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Mid-weekend, I moved my unfinished organizing project to a corner of the room, knowing that the floor space would need to be available later that evening for sleeping teenage girls. At least, I hoped they would be sleeping. I called my daughter down to the room and asked her to sit down. "Now, here's the deal. I said two people. Somehow it's now four people which is fine...but here are the rules. I'm not okay with 5 in the morning bedtime. Look in my eyes. Right here." "I'm looking." "All lights and screens must be off by 1am which means if you want to watch a movie by what time do you need to start it?" "I know Mom." "No tell me, what is the latest time you can start the movie?" "11pm" "Right. And no kitchen raids after midnight. Say it, no kitchen raids after...?" "Midnight." "Lights and screens off by....?" "I know, Mom." "Tell me." With a giant exhale, she says, "1am." "I'm trusting you to be in charge of your friends." "I know." And with that I start up the stairs. "Uh...Mom?" my daughter calls up to me. "What?" "Well, I'm just asking you because they were asking me and I told them I would ask you but would it be okay if Louisa came too?" "No."

The evening progressed like any teenage slumber party would. They were polite at dinner. Ate their chili. Said please and thank you. Cleared their dishes. But once my sweetie and I had retired to our bedroom, they raided the kitchen after midnight. Ran around the house whispering and giggling until 2am. At 4am, my sweetie finally went downstairs to remind them that five hours of cookie baking lay ahead of them and it would be best if they got some sleep.

Bleary-eyed the next morning (or should I say a few hours later?) they reluctantly started mixing up cookie dough. "How many cookies do we need? Four dozen cooked plus dough for the freezer. Why do they need dough for the freezer? I don't know. Just do it." They mixed. They rolled. They baked. They asked if they could take a break and walk down to Starbucks. I said no but pointed to the pile of dishes they could do and continued chatting with my neighbor who had kindly come over for moral support. They sighed. They washed. They dried. They decorated. They sprinkled. They packaged. And finally, they loaded up and we headed to the Ronald McDonald house. Driving there, exhausted, I thought to myself, "Never again."

The house was quiet but warm. The girls presented their goods to the manager on site. She asked them if they knew what purpose the Ronald Mcdonald house served. They nodded yes. She gave them statistics about how many families lived there at one time. What kind of patients they usually had there. The girls listened to her attentively. She explained to them that the house was quiet now because the children were out getting their chemo treatments. It was in that moment that I saw a softening of their faces. She took them to a bulletin board with photos of all the families currently living there. Names and faces made these unknown patients become real for them. Finally, she said to them, "I bet you're wondering why we asked for the unbaked cookie dough?" Again, they nodded yes. "Because within an hour of arriving at the hospital they take on the smell of the hospital. It's in their hair. Their clothes. Their skin. The smell of baking cookies helps mask that smell and makes this place feel more like...a home for them. And then, of course, the cookies themselves are a nice treat." I looked over at the girls. All of the "teenageresque" attitude had disappeared and they stood there with genuine interest and concern at what they were being told. Perhaps realizing that what had seemed like a chore for them, meant so much to someone else.

"They just want to smell cookies baking," I kept thinking to myself as I dropped each girl off at her home. All of the anxiety about organizing and teenage slumber parties and the chore of baking cookies suddenly seemed so trivial when compared to simply wanting the smell of freshly baked cookies to mask the smell of sickness. And it was in that moment that I knew I should never have said never because I would absolutely do it all again just to fulfill that one simple request.




Tying up a few loose ends from my last post....

And the winner of the Seattle's Best Coffee Curiosity Pack, as chosen by the 5-year old, is:

I know where to find you. I will hand deliver it to you. Enjoy.....



I've had a few of you stop me in my tracks to let me know you made the White Bean and Kale Soup Peppered with Pancetta and you couldn't believe it, your family loved it, "green stuff and all." For a live version of how to make that soup, here's a video of yours truly whipping it up with Helen on AM Northwest.


If a video screen does not appear above this line, click here to be taken directly to the site.




Lighten Up Chili

This is a chili recipe that I go back to time and time again. Everyone loves it. It's easy to make. And with snow rain and Super Bowl season upon us, it's a good one to have on hand. I usually make this with 2 pounds of ground beef but because our family isn't eating as much beef as we used to, I decided to lighten it up with half ground turkey, half ground beef and you know....I liked it even better. I will give those of you with a delicate system sensitive to the ways of beans fair warning to perhaps discreetly take a beano or two before consuming this Chili....not that I would have any personal experience with that or anything. And, of course, this dish is always a hit with the teenager bunch. You can see that I had to scrape the pot just to have a couple tablespoons to photograph for you sweet people.


Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 c celery, diced, about 2-3 stalks
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can diced or whole tomatoes with juice
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it
optional: 1 tsp of granulated sugar
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained

Toppings: grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onions

Directions:

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat your olive oil. Brown your ground beef and turkey over medium heat. Drain grease if necessary but remember that a little bit of grease can add a lot of flavor.

Add your onion, celery and red pepper to the pot with the meat and saute 5 minutes of so. Add your garlic and saute another minute or two.

Add your tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Taste. Depending on the canned tomatoes you used, you may find you need to add a teaspoon of granulated sugar to sweeten it up just a bit.

Bring to a boil, then reduce your heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Add your beans and simmer 30 more minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated cheese and green onions. Enjoy.

(For the teenager set, I also put out a bowl of Cowboy Caviar, homemade guacamole, tortillas chips and a plate of sliced apples. They devoured it all.)

Yield: One big pot full.




Organizing Project:
Jan 10-16: Only made it halfway through dreaded toy/game closet before I had to step out for oxygen.
Jan 17-23: Finish dreaded toy/game closet.

How are you all doing with your organizing? I've heard from more than a few of you who originally said you weren't joining me in the insanity and now..... while I'm still trying to get through one closet, you've sorted through multiple rooms, entire wardrobes and even laid down beautiful new contact paper in kitchen cupboards. "Sigh..." I'm so proud of you. (Or, do I detect a little competition going on here? Game on!)


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Mexican Soup...the Perfect Meal at the End of a Long Ride Down the Highway

On a highway. In the middle of Mt. Hood National Forest. Our car was in park. The engine off. And even though there was a line of cars behind us, as far as I could see, in the same predicament, it was strangely quiet. Dark. The snow gently falling all around us. Those big luscious feather-like flakes. I thought about how a little over 10 years ago I was parked here as well. Going the other direction. My 11-year old was a baby and we had just rung in the 2000 New Year. I was in a panic about whether to take him out of his car seat to nurse him. Never sure when the line of cars would start moving again. I sang Raffi songs for the hours we were parked on the highway to entertain his sister because that was back when I was even more of a glutton for punishment than I am now. Back when I thought children should not have electronic devices in the car but instead, should gaze out the window and let their imaginations run wild. As I looked at my three children, now, lit up by the glow of the movie they were watching...with headphones...in the quiet, quiet car, I thought, "Thank goodness, I came to my senses."

We were headed to Sunriver in Central Oregon. Our yearly destination for Thanksgiving. Nana and Papa, aunts and uncles and a gaggle of cousins were waiting for our arrival. But here we were, stopped on this oft-traveled highway. A highway that was a means to an end. A highway I'd traveled on my entire life. A highway that was like an old-time movie. Little bits of memory from my life flickered by in my mind as we made our way down the road. The spot I handed off the baton on my one and only Hood to Coast race. The little church in which I sang "One Hand, One Heart" at the bride's request. (Poor thing should have had me stick to just playing the piano.) The end of the Glade trail. Our back door way to get off the mountain from all-night New Year's Eve skiing. The turn-off for Timothy Lake where we survived the Dust Bowl '03 camping trip which rendered our children so covered in dirt, they looked like extras from the set of Grapes of Wrath.

A few hours later, a few more miles down the road, we're stopped again. I'm under the car dealing with chains and cursing myself for not taking the forecast for snow more seriously. My hands are covered in grease. I think of the times, as a teenager, I had to put chains on our Toyota and how often I had put them on the wrong tires....front instead of back. Or was it back instead of front? Not far from here was the road marker I somehow backed into and blew out the back window of our car in 100 degree weather. Not sure what to do about it in the middle of nowhere, I kept driving. The cat howling. The eldest children, preschoolers at the time, crying. My sweetie still raises an eyebrow no matter how many times I say to him, "Cross my heart, hope to die, I never saw a road marker. It came out of nowhere."

Moving again, we pass the turn-off for the short-cut into Maupin. Where I hit a rabbit. At 1 in the morning. In my '73 VW Bug. Back when my sweetie and I were newlyweds. I'm still sad about that rabbit.

On and on down the road we go, and on and on plays the grainy film of my life.

A week later, the 10 hour drive and Thanksgiving behind us, we strike out onto the highway again. Headed for home. This time we opt for the more southern pass but the same grainy movie plays as we drive. Sisters Coffee Company we stumbled upon last summer. Camping under the stars and fly-fishing in Camp Sherman back in college. Driving a golf cart around Black Butte Ranch back in high school. Wondering if that rope swing stills hangs there on the edge of Suttle Lake all these years later?

I felt as if I was in an old silent movie house as these little scenes played out. Only the sound of the clicking of the film, as it went round and round the reel, could be heard. It made me think that this is how life works. We keep driving down the highway and life happens. Scenes are filmed.

The snow gave way to rain signaling that we were almost home. We pull into our driveway, just in time for me to make dinner, and go inside. It takes me awhile to shake the feeling that I'd just left a dark movie house and stepped out into bright light. The film wound down. The clicks coming more and more slowly, as I pulled ingredients from the pantry to whip up a quick Tomato and Red Pepper soup. By the time I sat the bowls down, sprinkled with sharp cheddar, tortilla chips and cilantro, the movie was over. I was back to creating new scenes. Scenes that would eventually be sliced into the grainy film of my life played out again on some long, snowy drive down a highway.


Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Mexican Soup
Passed on to me by my sis

This recipe is so so fast. A great one to keep handy as you're getting ready for the holidays and don't have much time to cook. The salsa you decide to use can really change the flavor of this soup. The last time I made this soup, I found a tub of salsa in the back of my fridge crying to be used. It happened to be a fresh, medium salsa made by Whole Foods. Was perfect. I served it with some homemade guacamole and sliced pears because that's what I had in the house, but you could also whip up a little green salad or just serve it as is. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the chicken.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 boxes (32 oz.) of Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (I've found this at Trader Joe's and my local grocery store.)
1 can of corn or 1 small bag of frozen corn
2 c salsa
2 c (approx) chicken breasts, grilled, poached*, leftover from a roasted chicken OR 1 lg can of white chicken

Possible toppings:
grated, sharp cheddar cheese
tortillas strips or crushed tortilla chips
chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat your olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add your onions and garlic and saute for about 5-10 minutes or until your onions soften and start to become translucent. Pour in your roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Add your corn, salsa and chicken. Bring to a boil. Then, turn down the heat, simmer, serve.

Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, chips and cilantro, if you'd like. Enjoy.

*The last time I made this soup, I poached a couple of boneless skinless breasts and they were delicious in this soup. Basically, I sprinkled my chicken with salt and pepper and put them in a small pan. I covered them with some chicken stock that I needed to use up but you could use water or a combo of the two. Sprinkled in a teaspoon or so of Herbes de Provence. Tossed in a bay leaf. Put the lid on. Brought it to a boil. Then, lowered the heat and simmered with the lid on for 15 minutes. The chicken was cooking while I put together the rest of the soup. The timing came out perfectly.

Yield: One big pot-full


Conclusion to the Turkey Saga.....
In case you were curious about my turkey dilemma, I thought I would let you know that I survived. I ended up going my own route and had the turkey cut up into pieces before we left town. I gave it a salt rub the night before. Then, pulled it out of the fridge for 45 min before roasting. Rubbed it with butter, more salt and pepper. Surrounded it with herbs from my garden (rosemary, sage, Italian parsely, oregano) and garlic cloves still in their "paper". Then, put it in the oven at 425 degrees for an hour and a half. Smelled delicious and tasted delicious. The only thing I would do differently next time is check the temperature of the meat at about the one hour mark since the breast were done a little more than I prefer. All in all, I'd say it was a success. But, if I may be completely honest with you....here's what I learned through this entire process: Call me crazy but I don't even really like roasted turkey. Where's the grilled salmon? I just don't feel the turkey love.


Calendar Update....
My Etsy shop where you will be able to purchase the 2011 La Pomme de Portland calendar, should be up and running later today. I will send out an official announcement tomorrow. Thank you so much to those of you who have sent emails and so forth letting me know you'll be ordering one or two or...six. I am so excited about this project and the thought of helping out two great organizations. Cheers!



All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Zesty Salsa...and a Gift For One of You

"This may quite possibly be, the craziest thing you've ever done before leaving on a trip." (pause) "No...this IS the craziest thing you've ever done before leaving on a trip considering you need to be up by 4 am and you still haven't packed."

I was listening to my handsome guy as I lowered my jars of "zesty salsa" into their water bath and I knew he spoke the truth...but I couldn't help myself. No. This is how I operate. Sometimes I need a serious "fire lit" to get anything done and a few hours before leaving on a trip for 4 days without my family seemed like the perfect time to can salsa.

Ever since I had generously been invited to watch Chef Clark of Wildwood give a canning demonstration this summer, while at the same time dining on his fine cuisine, I have been intrigued to can. Canning is not my "department". The first (and last) time I canned anything was when I was a shiny, new bride. (A long, long time ago.) Interestingly, I canned salsa then too. The recipe called for worcestershire sauce. (Need I say more.) I never actually tasted that salsa but somehow felt confident enough to give it away to family and friends for Christmas. Curiously, no one ever said anything to me about it, especially things like, "I loved your salsa. It is to die for."

I've always left the canning up to my lovely, lovely mother. Upon arriving at our home for Christmas, she and my father will unload their boxes full of gifts. One of those boxes is always filled with gift bags. Sometimes they are homemade. Sewn from soft, Christmas-red fabric. Other times, they arrive in humble paper bags with ribbons cascading from their handles. Either way, those on the receiving end of this thoughtful gift can't help but reach into the bag, pull away the tissue paper and admire the gift she beholds. A jar of deep plum Blueberry Jam. Possibly a jar of downy, pale green Dilly Beans. And always, a jar of luminescent orange Pepper Jelly. The colors...so enchanting. The gift...so generous.

I had inspected the Heirloom tomatoes I had bought the week before at our farmer's market and I knew it was now or never. Not yesterday. Or two days ago. (That would be much too civilized and orderly.) No, it was right now. Now, when I should be making dinner. Now, when I should be packing. Now, when I should be printing out an excel spreadsheet with the who, what, where, when and why of "The Lives of Our Children" and a menu of dinner suggestions for the four days I would be gone in the hopes that they would eat more than pizza. Somehow I managed to pull my three jars out of their warm bath, set them on the counter, pack, get a healthy 4 hours of sleep, kiss my chickens good-bye while they slept and be whisked off in the middle of the night just in time to catch my plane to San Francisco.

Upon arriving home after my trip, hugs were given out all around. The loot I came home with was inspected. And then, I headed straight into the kitchen to check on my 11th hour project. There they were. Still sitting right where I had left them. Looking at those jars, they made me smile. I don't know. There was something so, so...wholesome about them. So...motherly. So..."hand-crafted." So...simple. And with their kaleidoscope of colors...so lovely. I pulled my little guy up on my lap, having desperately missed his hugs while I was gone, and admired my handiwork. There were only 3 of them. Not quite enough to go around to everyone for the holidays but even so, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. A minute or two went by before my littlest one motioned for me to come closer. Under the assumption that he, himself, was going to comment on the pretty jars, I had to quickly choke back the immediate rush of tears when he whispered in my ear, "Please don't move to China." (His small way of saying he missed me.)

Zesty Salsa...and a Gift for One of You, My Dear Friends

Now, I don't make it a habit to endorse anything that I haven't stumbled upon on my own. Or that I don't regularly use but the kind folks at Jarden Home Brands have generously offered to send one of you, my kind friends, a Ball Canning Discovery Kit...for free. And since technically, I have actually tried it out and found it to be quite the slick little kit, (especially for novice canners like me) who am I to turn down their thoughtful offer. I know that you all are a bit comment-shy which is fine, really...but in this instance, should you be interested in possibly receiving this gift, you'll need to leave me a comment below by Friday, October 15, with your name and email address. Recognizing that the comment feature here on blogger is not exactly "user friendly" here's a little tip: If you do not have a google account and have no desire to obtain one, choose the "anonymous" identity and then, in the body of your comment leave your name and email address. Sometimes the comment doesn't post right away and you'll need to hit "preview" first. I'll then put your names in a hat and have my littlest guy pull one out to determine the benefactor of this here gift.

One last request, since I'm new to canning, should you happen to be leaving me a comment below, I'm curious what you might be canning. If you've been canning for a long time, what is your favorite food to can? If you're just trying it out for the first time, what are you anxious to try?

If you're a canning pro and simply want the recipe, I've typed it up below. I did actually taste this salsa and "Yum!" So delicious. I think "Zesty" is the perfect name for this salsa with it's bright and lively mingling of flavors. The only change I made to the original recipe was to switch out green peppers for red. Other than that I stayed with the "tried and true" recipe to avoid a little thing called...botulism.

Ingredients:

5 c chopped, cored, peeled tomatoes (approx 10 medium)

2 1/2 cups chopped seeded green bell peppers (I used red.)

2 1/2 c chopped onions (approx 1 lg or 2 med)

1 1/4 c chopped, seeded chili peppers (hot banana, Hungarian, etc.)

2/3 c cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional

Directions:

Prepare your gear by washing you jars, lids and bands in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Keep jars warm until ready to use to reduce risk of jars breaking when filled with hot food. You can heat them in a pot of simmering water or in a heated dishwasher.

Fill a stockpot that is at least 7 1/2 inches tall and 9 1/2 inches in diameter with enough water to cover jars with at least 1 inch of water and heat to a simmer.

Combine tomatoes, green (red) peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce (optional), in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Ladle hot salsa into jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace between the food and the rim of the jar. Remove air bubbles by sliding a small, non-metallic spatula inside the jar and gently pressing food against the opposite side of the jar. Re-measure headspace. If needed, add more salsa to meet the 1/2 inch headspace recommendation. Wipe rim; center lid on jar. Screw band until fingertip-tight.

Place filled jars into canning rack, then lower into stockpot of simmering water, ensuring jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Put lid on pot. Heat to steady boil and boil for 20 minutes. Remove stockpot lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars and allow to cool for at least 12 hours. Press on center of cooled lid. If jar is sealed, the lid will NOT flex up or down. Whoo! Hoo! You've just canned. You can store your jars of zesty salsa in a pantry for up to 1 year.

Enjoy...

Yield: 3 pint-sized jars of salsa

PS: Truth be told...you could also bag the whole canning aspect of this recipe and simply enjoy this "zesty salsa" fresh from the pot. (Well, maybe let it cool down a bit, but you know what I mean.)

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

A Grill, My Man and Some Caribbean Halibut

I glanced out at him. Sitting there on the back deck. So calmly. iPad in one hand. Tazo lightly sweetened iced tea in the other. And I thought to myself, "What is it about guys and grilling? Is it primal?" On any other night, should he be asked to come up with dinner, my sweetie will ask for the phone and call 1-800-Got-Pizza but give him something to grill and....Wow! Furthermore, he could go for weeks, months, years even, without grilling but you call him back to his rightful position and he's whipping out "4-star" salmon, New York steaks and halibut like he's been doing it everyday. And so it was this particular summer evening as he patiently attended our halibut steaks.

I fear I must confess to you that I tend to be a bit bossy. Some of you may have already figured this out. Others of you may have been the victim of my bossiness. (Sorry dear brother and sister, but I was and still am the eldest.) It's not that I have a need to control everything as much as I need my life to have a certain order to it. I have a particular threshold for chaos, noise, clutter and non-premeditated events and once we go past that threshold, well...I become the "Boss Lady" as my sweetie refers to me when I'm in that state of mind. And the same applies to cooking. I am constantly thinking about the order in which each dish needs to be prepared. When this dish needs to come off the stove. Or the fish off the grill. Or the drinks poured. Or the salad dressed so that everything, more or less, is ready at the same time.

A few years back, when my big kids were little and the chaos was at its peak, my sweetie and I became disjointed in our efforts to get his grilled dish and my non-grilled dishes on the table at the same time. So one night, in a "Boss Lady" fit, I said, "Just let me do it from now on." And being the wise, patient man that he is, he stepped aside knowing, "And this too...shall pass."

Which brings us up to this particular summer evening. Maybe it's that the chaos is not so great now that the children are getting older. Maybe it's because I'm getting older. Maybe I'm just plumb tired and I'm loosing my "Boss Lady" edge. Or perhaps, down deep, I've realized that while I can grill, I don't really love it. Not like my guy. But whatever it is, I'm learning...a little bit...to Let Go and embrace some of the chaos, noise and unscheduled events.

Seeing my daughter already in the kitchen making cupcakes, I was struck by the unprecedented notion to call the boys in and give them each a job as well. Which I did. And while they were all working away...my daughter folding berries and mint chocolate chips into her buttercream frosting and me not saying a thing. Nope. Not one word about that combination of ingredients. The 10-year old chop, chop, chopping up the veggies for our salsa with chopping bits flying here and there and me not making one comment about the little bits creating a colorful pattern on the floor. And the 5-year old dipping his fingers into the guacamole, licking it off and dipping again to make sure it tasted just right and me not saying anything about germs or the green streaks appearing on his shirt which he was using as a napkin...yes, while all of this was going on, I was overcome by the feeling that despite the mess, I was truly delighted that we were all in there. There was something so, so...comforting about it. And then, not wanting him to feel left out, I went over to where my handsome man was relaxing and said, "Hey sweetie, I'd really appreciate it if you could grill the halibut. The last time I did it, we ended up with blackened fish bits all over the place." He looked up at me and without questioning the request said, "Sure."

And so it was that he was reinstated to his rightful position as "Grill Master." (Although, we never can be too sure what might happen the next time "Boss Lady" shows up but for now...) And what's more, when it was all said and done, thanks to the extra help, I was left with an unscheduled half hour. A non-premeditated half hour. I faltered for a minute not knowing what to do with myself this was so unheard of...but then, I picked up my camera and headed outside and walked to where the sun was just slipping behind the hills. Without that bit of unencumbered time, I would have missed....

The final moments in a work day.

The last bits of light before the sun slipped behind the hills.

Our own coastal range putting forth its best, yet humble, effort to embody the spirit of the original Blue Ridge mountains.



Caribbean Halibut with Tropical Salsa
Adapted from Weber's On the Grill

This is a recipe my sweetie found, purchased all of the ingredients for and declared we should have it for dinner. Perhaps he realized, subconsciously that he had been patient long enough and the time had come for him to take the "Grill Master" position back over from the "Boss Lady." Whatever it was, I'm so glad he did because this dish is amazing. So fresh. So easy. So "summery." The most time consuming part is chopping up the ingredients for the salsa but if you happen to have an offspring handy that is obsessed with weaponry, hand him a Chef's knife and tell him to have at it. And truly, if you were completely short on time, but still wanted to try this out, you could skip marinating the fish and just season it with some olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling. But don't skip the salsa. It "completes" the dish.

Ingredients:

4 halibut fillets, about 6 oz each
canola oil

Marinade:
1 c orange juice
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Salsa:
1 c finely diced ripe pineapple
1/2 c finely diced ripe banana
1/2 c finely diced cucumber
1/4 c finely chopped red bell pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Start by whisking all the of the ingredients for the marinade together in a medium bowl. Add your halibut and turn to coat them evenly. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, put them in the fridge and let them marinate for 1 hour, turning once or twice.

Meanwhile, make your salsa by simply combining all of the salsa ingredients above in a medium bowl and setting aside.

Once the fish is ready, prepare your grill for cooking over medium to medium-high heat. (350-450 degrees.) Remove your halibut from the bowl and discard the marinade. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and then brush both sides with canola oil. Make sure your grates are clean and then grill the halibut for 8-10 minutes, turning once or until the halibut just begins to flake when you poke it with the tip of a knife.

Slide your heavenly fish onto a plate. Top with the salsa and perhaps a side of rice and some tossed greens and enjoy. You can almost feel the Caribbean calling as you bite into this medley of tropical flavors. Now where's my umbrella drink??


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Une Petite Pomme: The First Ever La Pomme de Portland Dinner Party

I simply must tell you about one of my dear, dear friends and an entertaining endeavor she took on. She recently had a dinner party. For three families. Including all offspring. Before I go any farther into her story, let me stop and ask you, "Aren't you impressed with just these details I've given you?!" Three families! Including kids! For dinner! I find that we seem to be at an age where nobody is doing much entertaining. Remember all those Christmas parties, "wine club" parties, block parties, progressive dinners, Birthday dinners, drinks on the deck, kick-off to camping barbecues?? Nope. No one's doin' them anymore. We're all just too dang tired. So the fact that my dear friend actually threw a dinner party, during this frenetic stage of life, leaves me duly impressed.

But wait, there's more. She didn't serve frozen lasagna and a Caesar salad from Costco. No. She made everything. From scratch. And to top it off, each and every recipe was from right here. From La Pomme. I feel quite honored and thank goodness I didn't exactly know what she was doing ahead of time or I would have felt a tad bit stressed out, worrying about the caliber of my recipes I've posted here and whether or not they are dinner party worthy. When I hooked up with her afterwards, she flashed me one of her beautiful, infectious smiles (the fact that she was still smiling is saying quite a bit) and shared with me that the party had been a huge success. The dishes had been so simple to prepare, so delicious to eat and....quite healthy to boot. Even the kids had enjoyed the offerings.

So you can share in the astonishment OR perhaps throw a dinner party of your own, I give you her La Pomme de Portland Dinner Menu:

Herbes de Provence Goat Cheese Spread

A Simple Salad

String Beans and Caramelized Shallots

Braised Pacific Halibut with Mushrooms and Leeks

Cinnamon Apple Crostata

I also feel compelled to share with you that another friend let me know that she made the Ginger and Garlic Stir Fry and her kids ate some particular veggies in that dish for the first time. Veggies they had not been willing to try before...and loved them.

And then, just the other day, another friend told me that she made the Pasta e Fagioli Soup I recently posted but instead of pasta, she used cheese tortellini. Her kids lapped it up. And another friend's husband proclaimed after she made him this same soup, "Well, we're never going to have that again, are we?" "Why not?", she asked. "Because I really liked that." She and I have the same problem of making things that the whole family loves but then, never making them again simply because we can't remember what we made. And so the hubbies, much to their dismay, never see that tasty dish again.

Thank you Kim, Laura, Suzi and Tammy for sharing your culinary adventures with me. I love hearing about them but then again, I love food....actually it's more than love. A small obsession is more like it...

Happy Weekend to All....wherever you may be!!



All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Ginger & Garlic Stir-Fry to Mark a Moment in Time

I flip open the familiar sheet music, time and time again, pounding out the theme from The Young and The Restless Nadia's Theme on the piano. Having recently watched Nadia score the first perfect 10 ever in gymnastics at the Montreal Olympics, I am just sure that will be me one day. As I play the music, I can see myself accepting the gold medal. Weeping. For my country. My fans. Nevermind that when I did finally manage to land a back handspring a few years later, I broke my arm and that was the end of my gymnastic career.

My father arranges us just perfectly. Taller ones in back. Smaller in front. The handmade Noel sign as part of the background. My sister and I in matching cream colored dresses and matching Dorothy Hamill hairdos, posing for the yearly Christmas picture. Even my sweet little brother's blond hair gives a nod to the famous "doo". Each night I ever so carefully wrap my brown locks up in the pink foam curlers to keep the "undercurl" going day after day. I never could figure out how to get rid of that dratted kink that preceded each curl. Dorothy never seemed to have that problem. But, kinks and all, I smile proudly.

Starving, we dash anonymously across the street for some Chinese take-out. We chuckle that only minutes ago we had entered the hotel with all eyes upon us. He, ever so handsome in his black tuxedo, and me, in the infamous white dress. The one my mother wore on her wedding day. The one with the beautiful fitted lace (or at least, fitted for her.) The one that cried out desperately for some type of support in the brassiere department and yet, not a single "fyi" from dear friends and family before walking down the aisle and so....the sagging will be forever documented. We hop up on the bed with our take-out boxes and watch as Kristi Yamaguchi skates into history with her gold medal in Albertville, France.

We make the hour-long drive from Lake Annecy twice, determined to make it to the top of Mont Blanc. The first day it's covered in clouds and all rides to the top are closed. The second go around, the mountain is out in all her glory. We leave Nana and the baby at the bottom. No children under 3 are allowed. The air is too thin at the top. We hop on the gondola with a nervous glance toward my father-in-law. Up, up, up we ride. Paragliders sail past us. We leave the timberline behind in our gentle wake. Alighting on the platform, we take in the ominous view of the jagged, powerful alps. I watch as my father-in-law looks down at Chamonix - the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924 - so far below us. We snap photo after photo of what was to be our last big trip with him...and for that, I am so grateful.

I stand at the stove, quickly stir-frying my carrots, my broccoli, my peppers. I ask myself if this is a proper dinner to mark 18-years together. I ponder on what it means to be married this long and how we arrived here so quickly. "Mom, come on! The Olympics are on!" Breaking my own steadfast rule of "No eating in the living room.", we each balance a plate of nutty brown rice topped with crisply, stir-fried vegetables on our laps, watching the TV in anticipation of who will forever mark a moment in time for us. My sweetie happily eating his most requested dish from my repertoire. The one he always wolfs down and remarks afterwards, "Mmm, that was a good batch, wasn't it?" The one in which I can never cheat and try to use a bottled sauce. He always knows it wasn't mine. And, just to see him, enjoying his dinner, surrounded by his family, with the 2010 Winter Olympics on the television, I decide that it's the perfect dinner to celebrate our years together.

Ginger & Garlic Stir-Fry to Mark a Moment in Time

This truly is my guy's most requested dish. The one he would eat over and over again, night after night, if I didn't find stir-fry to sometimes be a little too much work for a weeknight. But, this weeknight, in honor of 18 years together, I happily fix him his favorite. Now, if you haven't made the switch to brown rice, let me just give it a little plug. Yes, it takes a little bit longer to cook...but, it leaves you so much more satisfied. It's much more fulfilling, in the literal sense, and when you are trying to feed teens and pre-teens who seem to have a never-ending appetite, you want them as full as possible, as often as possible. As for the veggies, I tend to mix-it-up with whatever is in-season. Sometimes I may only use two vegetables and sometimes I go all out and use 4 or so....everything from broccoli to peppers to carrots to celery to snow peas to bean sprouts to bok choy to green onions to Chinese cabbage...really the list is endless. I mean, what vegetable doesn't taste scrumptious with a bit of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a quick turn in a hot pan?

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil or canola oil

1 tsp soy sauce

salt & pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized strips

3 tbsp cooking sherry

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp water

1 tsp corn starch

1 sm red onion, peeled, halved from "pole to pole" and then cut into wedges

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tbsp ginger root, peeled & minced or finely grated

2 med carrots, peeled and julienned

1 red pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets (I pop mine in the microwave with a bit of water for 2 minutes to "parboil" them. They seem to work out better in a stir-fry this way.)

more olive oil or canola oil for cooking

brown rice

Let your brown rice cook as listed on the package while you make the stir-fry.

Slice your chicken breasts up and toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp soy sauce and pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Whisk together the sherry, the soy sauce, the water and the corn starch in a small bowl. Set aside, keeping your whisk handy for later.

Mince the ginger and the garlic. Place in a small bowl and set aside.

Place a heavy bottomed skillet over low heat while you chop up your vegetables. A few minutes before stir-frying, turn up the heat to high and turn your exhaust fan on.

Prepare all of your vegetables as listed above. Put them on a large plate, keeping them separate.

When you are ready to start cooking, make sure you have everything else taken care of - drinks, utensils and homework questions out of the way - because you cannot leave your post once you start stir-frying or your veggies will have burned bits on them and I don't know about you but my children won't eat burned bits...not even microscopic ones.

When you are ready, heat a tbsp of oil in your skillet, swirling it around to coat the pan. Add 1/2 of your chicken and stir-fry until seared and just cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl and tent with foil. Add the second half of your chicken to the skillet, adding to the bowl when cooked.

Add another 1-2 tbsp of oil to your hot skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry until browned but still crisp, about 1 minute. Add your garlic and ginger, stir to combine with onions. Then, add your carrots and stir-fry 1 -2 minutes. Add your red peppers and continue stir-frying for another 1-2 minutes. Add your "parboiled" broccoli and saute until all the vegetables are tender crisp, 1-2 minutes longer. Return the chicken to the skillet.

Push the veggies and chicken to the sides of the pan creating a circle in the center. Grab your bowl of sauce, giving it a quick whisk, and then, pour into your circle. Let the sauce just start to bubble and then, mix it together with your chicken and your vegetables. Serve immediately with warm, nutty brown rice. Enjoy.

NOTE 1: For a vegetarian version, simply omit the first four ingredients.

NOTE 2: A long time ago I read somewhere about keeping your ginger root in the freezer. It lasts longer this way. It's easy to peel and can be grated up on a fine grater in a snap which is what I've done ever since receiving this tip.

Yield: Serves 4 regular eaters and 1 eater who is currently eating like a bird.

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010