Berlin's Whimsy

Conversation.

This was my view for much of a recent hike with my son: his lanky frame in front of me between the curves of our trail. It was a rare just-you-and-me moment for us---- few and far between these days. And those moments always put a lot of pressure on me---- should I bring up all the important subjects at once?! Or let things develop?

He was extremely quiet. In fact, he often is. I don't know that it's his age or just his personality--- I'm quiet, too. With my kids the age they are, my experience is that full communication is as unpredictable as trying to forecast a rainbow. Forget about it. But when it happens---- when they are receptive and open--- I listen. And I ask. And I'm present.

My son wasn't ready for long conversations today.

I asked him about potential colleges. About driving. About his friends. About the plot to his newest story he's writing. About the book I brought home for him to read. His answers were one to two words, at most. I asked him how he felt about going to college in a little over a year and his answer was, "nervous."

Frankly, it was all okay with me.

At his age, I remember all too well adults trying to pry information from me (they called it communicating)----- how their "let's talk" voice alone sent shivers up my spine. And advice---well, it was plentiful. I remember adult family friends telling me of my "vast potential" and that I'd have "all the time in the world to pursue relationships" after I'd settled myself into a successful career. Yet, those words fell on young and stubborn ears. The ears of a young adult who had not experienced the far reaching cause and effect of adult decisions yet. I had my own agenda. And frankly, don't we all? Don't we all have our own custom-made, personal lessons to learn from our choices in life? I know I did. 

So, on this evening with my son, rather than pushing the point, I waited for cues from him. Cues that weren't there. He politely waited for me when I lagged behind----as I was taking too many photos of the beautiful views--- but moved on when I caught up. He asked me when we would return to town because he wanted to go to the local festival, wondering if it was still going on. He had his own agenda that night.

I've learned that so much of parenting older kids is about choices: "reading" their moods and being there when they're receptive. Guiding rather than telling. Backing off when you need to. And all the while, I'm sure that I'm facing more of my own lessons as their parent, as well. We often learn through teaching.

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let go or be dragged.

Basil Butter Spread for Grilled Corn

This time of year, our grill gets a lot of use and since corn on the cob is plentiful, cheap, and GOOD, we often serve it alongside our other favorites.

Sometimes, though, the usual butter & salt treatment gets a little boring.

I'm fairly certain this way of serving corn on the cob comes from my brother & his soon-to-be wife--- both chefs. It's surprisingly good and very easy, too. Just the right thing on a busy summer evening!

Basil Butter Spread for Corn

This is more of technique than a recipe...

Into a blender, add equal parts melted butter, olive oil, and fresh basil leaves. Throw in a couple peeled garlic cloves & a tsp chili powder. Blend until smooth.

Grill ears of corn over a medium-high grill. For great grilled corn, don't overdo it. You want the kernels to carmelize just a bit (brown) but if they overcook, they will be tough and dry. I always error on the side of less time (even if I'm boiling corn the traditional way--- less is more).

When corn is done, brush with the basil butter and serve. YUM!

Bits of the garden.

Little bits of the garden are providing for enchanting photography lately.

Just sharing a few...

And this...

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." ~Marcus Tillius Cicero

I hope the light, and life, is favorable in your corner of the world, too!

Kimchi Fried Rice

A few days of hot weather and it feels like summer is in full swing here. It is.

I have a serious love/hate relationship with summer. Love the summer nights, garden produce, festivals, activities, mountain tops, and evening light (yes, a lot to love!). Hate the heat, the non-stop yardwork, traffic, and BUGS. It's a lesson for me in focusing on the positive because as the heat increases, my level of patience and typical up-beat attitude recede in direct correlation.

So, here I am focusing on the good. Summer produce. Summer herbs. Quick and light suppers. New flavors. Sunny skies!

One of these days, I'll make my own batch of Kimchi. Until then, Trader Joes is now carrying an almost tolerable rendition. I am sure homemade is so much better!

I usually have leftover cooked Jasmine rice somewhere in my refrigerator because if I make rice, I make extra. This time I did not have any extra and had to cook up a batch and cool it very quickly. I spread the freshly cooked rice out on a sheet pan and put it in my freezer for about an hour. I took it out 15 minutes before using it and stirred it.

Kimchi fried rice is all over the internet and fried rice in general doesn't really require a recipe. It's more of a technique. It's also a perfect last-minute dinner! If you have cold rice in your frig, veggies, eggs, and a protein, dinner is ready in minutes. In fact, I feel silly providing a recipe because it's so adaptable to what you have on hand---- but nonetheless, this is the technique I use for fried rice.

Kimchi Fried Rice

4- 5 C. cold, cooked Jasmine Rice

1 pckg firm tofu, drained & cubed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C. frozen peas, rinsed

2 C. broccoli florets

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1/4 C. thinly sliced green onions

3 eggs

2 T. tamari

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 T. oil for frying (I use coconut)

Siracha Mayonnaise to serve, optional

Method:

Sprinkle the tamari soy sauce and sesame oil over tofu in a large bowl. Toss to combine.

Preheat a seasoned wok or cast iron skillet. Add 1 T. oil (I use coconut) and toss in the broccoli and carrots. Add 2 T. water, cover and allow to steam just a bit--- less than five minutes. Remove lid and allow moisture to cook off. Remove carrots and broccoli to platter.

Allow wok to return to heat and add tofu. Stir-fry until browned--- approximately 5 minutes. Remove to platter.

Add 1 T. oil to wok, swirl or brush the surface, and add rice and peas, breaking apart rice clumps with fingers. Stir-fry rice, but also allowing it to brown a bit. Make a well in the center and crack eggs into it. Scramble eggs in this well while slowly mixing in rice from the exterior of the circle. Eventually, the eggs will cook and then stir the cooked eggs throughout the rice, adding the minced garlic at this point. Add Kimchi and stir.

Return previously cooked ingredients to wok and incorporate into entire mixture. Add green onions and serve.

Variations: I imagine adding chopped cilantro to this, a little lime juice, and serving with this peanut sauce for more of a Thai variation. I usually add mushrooms to my fried rice but didn't have any. Also, for those in my family that eat tomatoes, I usually add fresh, diced tomatoes to our fried rice just before serving.

 

 

Pimento Cheese Dip & 17-year olds

It's been a very busy week around here.

This happened.

And he is growing up too quickly. This post was just yesterday, right? And yet, in many ways, he is still that same kid. Now, I'm very much enjoy his developing intellect--- we have interesting discussions (GMO foods, politics, poetry, philosophy). I'm amazed at his thought processes and he's an excellent debater---- kind, and willing to listen to other opinions.

My daughter is growing up fast, too. Chunks of my time are spent wondering how she will cope when my son goes off to college. In the meantime, she is always ready to help me in the kitchen and it's very welcome (including greasing the cake pan--- above. Ha)!

And after 17 years, birthday celebrations are pretty routine around here: the same friends, the same party, the same German Chocolate Cake. It might seem boring, but after all the changes my kids have gone through these past few years, I believe routines are welcome.

One of our snacks was this version of Pimento Cheese Dip. I make it with this homemade Mayo that I always have in the frig. Made with that mayo, this dip is SOOOO good! Tastes much more complex than the ingredient list would make you think! And if you have the mayo already made up, this dip comes together in minutes. It's excellent.

Pimento Cheese Dip

1/2 C. grated extra- sharp cheddar

heaping 1/3 C. green olives stuffed with pimento, coarsely chopped

1/2 C. this Garlicky Mayo

1/8 tsp. paprika

A couple grinds of black pepper

Method:

Into the bowl of a food processor, place all the ingredients. Pulse just a couple times until mixed but still coarse in texture. Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to develop. Enjoy!

Beautiful Summer.

Though beautiful, my summer has been oh so busy and hectic. Hence this short post with all the essentials.

 
I made the Mariposa Dress from Handmade Beginnings last summer. It was too short and it hung in my closet for a year, waiting for a ruffle on the bottom to lengthen it. I learned that I must always lengthen my skirts and dresses. Always! I wore it out to a local brewery for a Friday night beer last weekend. What a fun summer evening that was!

 
And the next day, this fruit pizza went to a potluck. It's from the blog, Oh She Glows. Rather than spreading it with the Avocado Lime Whip, though, I used a Vanilla Nut Cream. I didn't want the avocado to turn brown while sitting on the potluck table. It was wonderfully good and beautiful like the summer. 

I am participating in Heather's 30-Day Vegan Workshop right now and loving it!

 
It's the perfect peaceful end to a hectic summer.

 

Simplest Summer Smoothie. Watermelon. That's all.

 
We bought a watermelon the size of a small country. And not only was it seeded, but it seemed that this watermelon grew more than its fair share. The kids all discussed what to do with the seeds. Do you chew them up? Do you spit them out?

 
Well, I blend them up. They are edible and the blender just grinds them in. So simple. So refreshing.

I've started my day with a glass of watermelon for the last couple days. It's oh so refreshing on the hot days we've been experiencing and it's packed with vitamins.

 
If you really want to become fanciful, you can dice up the watermelon and freeze it for an hour or so before blending up your own natural slushie. Or blend in other flavors, such as blueberry, or a hint of mint.

Playing with Albino Squishy Brains.

 
This post's title comes directly from P's mouth upon seeing Kefir Grains.

 
They're often described as looking like "cauliflower" but they do sort of look like brains. Have I turned you off? Read on... 

 
After reading so much information about how beneficial Kefir is to good digestion and happy belly flora, I decided to try making my own. It's amazingly simple. So simple, I think everyone should do it. I've went through phases of making yogurt for our family, but even that simple task pales in comparison of Kefir's simplicity. Same with Kombucha. Making kefir is easy. And even better, making your own Kefir is so much cheaper than purchasing the prepared stuff. You'll be amazed. Just don't think of them as Albino Squishy Brains.

I've found that making kefir requires 5 simple steps:

1.) Obtain Kefir Grains  

2) Pour kefir grains into milk (or even coconut milk--- video tutorial).

 
3) Let the Kefir Grains (aka. Albino Squishy Brains) swim around in the milk, spreading their healthy charms. Cover them with a coffee filter or cheesecloth and let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

4) Strain out the Kefir Grains & add them to new milk.

5) Drink the strained Kefir. 

...Of course, there is a lot of room for experimentation. You can shorten or lengthen the culturing time to increase or reduce the tang and the effervescent qualities of the Kefir. I'm using "dairy grains," but there are also water grains for use with sweetened water or apple juice.

 
There are many uses for Kefir but our favorite is adding Kefir to smoothies. It tastes like the store-bought stuff and we also get a good dose of fruit, too. My favorite (so far) is a simple smoothie of strawberries, bananas, Kefir, and a little maple syrup.

Your Kefir Grains will grow and multiply like any happy creature does, and at that point you can either give them away or dehydrate them. In fact, your Kefir Grains will start to make a daily appearance in your life because they accomplish their task every 12-24 hours. But when you want a little break, you can put the whole mixture in the refrigerator to slow it down. They'll be happy to see you when you invite them back. 

And lastly, there are many, many health claims regarding Kefir, from increased immunity to reducing the risk of colon cancer. I don't know the validity of many of the claims, but it seems to me that when one's belly is happy, so goes the rest of one's body...

Playing with Grains on a Sunday.

 
I received the cookbook, Good to the Grain, awhile back, but only recently did I delve into its scrumptious offerings. At first glance, I was a little intimidated by the variety of grains it calls for. Nonetheless, this past Sunday, I cracked open the book and read through it in earnest.

 
Soon thereafter, I had the Vita-mix out and a variety of grains at the ready for grinding. I love the ability to grind my own grains. In fact, an old-fashioned grain mill has been on my covet list for quite sometime, but the Vita-mix does great work with grinding in the meantime. 

 
In the book, the author includes a recipe for a Multi-Grain baking mix. It's made from whole wheat, barley, oat, millet, and rye flours. You can grind them yourself or buy them as flours and mix them up. It creates a flour mixture that smells wonderful and is flecked with the golden color of the millet.

 
There are a variety of recipes that use this Multi-Grain mix, including Popovers. Popovers are one of those fanciful baking creations; a basic mixture of grain, eggs, butter, and milk that puff up so magically in the oven. You must be quick about it, though, because their height quickly recedes to a buttery and dense baked treat. Take a quick peek when you pull them from the oven.

 
I was reticent to use a Multi-Grain mix for popovers; I've only used all-purpose flour for them in the past. I questioned their ability to truly rise and pop over (ha!) their tins with whole grains. I was wrong. This mix is magical! It provides a hearty taste yet doesn't inhibit the baked goods' rise too much. I am impressed!

The author mentions using this Multi-Grain mix in other recipes and I will definitely do so. I plan to add it to my regular bread recipe, as well as banana bread and other quick breads.

 
The information about grains and that Multi-Grain baking mix are worth buying the book alone; however, there are other reasons why I love this book...

:: The author has tasted and accurately identified each grain's distinct flavor. She uses the grain's innate flavor to create recipes that highlight it, rather than hide it.

:: She's not too idealistic that baked goods still need a little help here and there from all-purpose flour to rise properly and create a tender crumb.

:: She uses whole grains in quick-bread recipes!!

:: She encourages experimentation, yet she's also a professional who knows where and when to tweak things.

Smoothies for Dessert.

 
My kids love treats. When the clock chimes 7 PM, I'm asked, "Can we have a dessert?"  Where they got the impression that one eats dessert every single night, is beyond me. Is it in their genes?

 
Well, lately I've gotten into the habit of making a healthy smoothie, frozen fruit "ice cream," parfait, or some other similar concoction when the dessert desires occur. But the trick is to make the kids think it's a treat.

 
Presentation is everything (in fact, that goes for almost any cooking for kids). I have my various methods of presentation. I have fansical (that's a word, right?) dessert and parfait glasses. I have super special glass straws. I have a blender that will blend most anything until it no longer resembles its former self (eg. kale).

 
On this particular occasion, I blended equal parts yogurt, soft tofu, frozen strawberries, a squeeze of lemon and some agave nectar until smooth. I poured it into parfait glasses and topped it with a hemp granola. Voila, dessert!