The 2012-2013 Hiatus from DuJour

    Well, as you may have noticed, Du Jour has been neglected since October 2012.  A devastating leach line replacement pretty well annihilated the garden, and so it lay dormant through a long cold winter. And during that time, life has changed.

    This year there will be no gardens. This decision was made with the decision to retire from my 11 year job.  An early retirement means financial worries, but those are less stressful than the daily job stresses at this time, so the decision was made, and May 30 will be my final day at work. On June 10, we will leave on a 4 month road trip, taking photos of all of the lighthouses on the West coast of the United States from the border of Mexico to the Canadian border. And then in to Canada to visit friends. We will return home around October 10.  During this time, our home has been rented out as a vacation rental.

     We will be visiting friends and family along the way, and camping with our Teardrop Lil Guy in between. The three of us...me, Roy and Guayo, will be learning as we go, and hope everything goes well.  I am hoping to be able to use Blogspot for The Retirement Road Trip blog to keep everyone apprised of our adventures, but seems to be some new format on Blog Spot that may have me migrating elsewhere. Will let you all know.

     So, until next fall, DuJour will be on hiatus.  See you all then.

FALL IS COMING BUT STILL A FEW MORE MEALS AVAILABLE JUST OUTSIDE THE BACK DOOR.

fresh green beans with herbed cheese sauce, composed salad from garden cuttings

            The first day of October, and while the garden is waning, it is not defunct. After trimming back over-grown zinnias, cutting oregano and drying it, picking yet more tomatoes, and moving pots away from the end of the garden where the septic construction is going on, and then taking a nap (still fighting the bronchitis), it was time to make Roy dinner.

       So since he was going to have leftover pasta and sauce (yes the sauce was homemade a couple days ago, but leftover no less), I decided to make sure the rest of the meal was fresh. It is so satisfying to be able to go out the back door, and within a couple minutes have two beautiful fresh side dishes to serve your family.

       I cut a handful or two of baby arugula, some basil leaves, and fresh parsley--also a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes (which are still going crazy), and a big handful of green beans.  After blanching the green beans, I put a dollop of dip/sauce made from cream cheese, goat cheese, mayo, sour cream, dill, onion, garlic and cucumber on top of the hot beans and stirred it into them.  Washed up the greens and tore them into small pieces, and topped with grated carrot, tomato halves, some raspberry vinaigrette and a bit of cottage cheese with a sprinkle of lavender pepper. Roy approved of all whole-heartedly and that is my best and most critical reviewer. 

       Even though the fall is coming on and the garden is waning, there will be a couple more weeks where harvesting fresh items and turning them into wholesome, organic, GMO free side dishes still comes just a few steps out my back door and without having to spend a dime at the grocery store.  Makes me smile.

Sourdough…Bubbles and Boisterous Flavor

          I am on a quest to make a sourdough starter (or two or three) that works, that is easily fed and maintained, and that makes fabulous chewy crunchy-crusted bread that I can once more enjoy. This jar full of bubbly strange-looking goo, is my new starter. I began it 62 hours ago, and it is now going into the refrigerator until I can use it to make bread. I’d do that tonight, but bronchitis and laryngitis from the coughing has taken over and there is no way I am doing much of anything other than barking like a seal, trying to breathe, drinking hot tea to soothe my throat, and taking antibiotics and cough syrup.  My friend Kelly suggested warm bourbon, lemon juice and honey…I believe I may be taking her up on that advice.

          The reason I began this quest? I have problems digesting wheat. It took years to diagnose the problems I was having as this particular problem. But once diagnosed, then came the hard part---finding wonderful foods, especially bread and pasta, that were gluten/wheat free. Most gluten free breads are so dry they suck the saliva out of your mouth and are so tasteless you might as well eat sawdust.  While I found a pretty good gluten free bread recipe, it has tons of ingredients, and while it makes delicious toast, it’s heavy and breaks up when you try to make a sandwich. So the quest continues.

          Recently hubby Roy read an article about an artisanal bread maker in Santa Monica CA, Jack Bezian, who contends it is NOT gluten that’s the problem, but fast acting yeast. When fast acting yeast was made available to the public commercially 50 years ago, that began the rise of gluten intolerance.  At least that’s Jack’s contention.  And from all of the people who buy his bread and eat it on a regular basis (even people with celiac disease) with no problems, I felt it was certainly worth a try, because I so miss the taste of fabulous, chewy, crunchy bread the most.

          I found out that Jack has been baking traditional sourdough bread since 1966.  NOT the stuff you get from the grocery store, but made from a LIVING sourdough starter. Sourdough starter is the traditional way of making bread. It’s how everyone used to make bread prior to the commercialization of yeast.   Most modern bread is made with baker’s yeast. There are many advantages to eating naturally fermented bread instead of modern bread made with yeast. While it may But it’s not only the starter, but a slow rising and lots of kneading that helps break down the gluten in the bread, and thus make it more easily digestible.

          So I did a little searching on the internet and came across an article for a sourdough starter and came across the 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough starter.  This starter and the sale of the dried starter began by a man named Carl Griffith.  If you go to http://carlsfriends.net/source.html you can read about the beginnings of this starter, why it is FREE (yup you got it right), who Carl Griffith was, and print out recipes and support documents. You see the Oregon Trail Starter foundation is staffed by volunteers and to receive the starter you send a self addressed stamped envelope with your address and receive your starter with instructions.  I did this two weeks ago, and my starter is now working and waiting in the frig for me to make my first loaf of bread.

          If you cannot find the web site, please email me and I’ll get the information to you. As soon as I make the bread, I will send photos and report on the results. I LOVE sourdough bread, and it’s anywhere close to the deliciousness of San Francisco sourdough, if it bakes with a crispy crunchy crust, and if it doesn't annihilate my stomach I will be the happiest camper on the earth and be making lots of sourdough starters. And YOU will be the recipient of this information and recipes!  Keep your fingers crossed and keep watching for updates.

Joe Bonamassa and Roy's Birthday With Great Friends

         Last night PBS Channel 8 aired the New York concert by Joe Bonamassa. I had invited a few friends over to watch, and as a little celebration for Roy's birthday the next day. Big guy turned 73...wow, that's amazing. Oh well, better older than not, eh???
        So in preparation for some great music, laughter, and fun with friends, I wanted to prepare things that were easy to eat and scrumptious. I think I came up with a great selection!
        First, I  Stuffed Mushrooms with a combination of goat cheese, Herbs de Provence, chives, and the finely chopped stems from the mushrooms. Delicious! 
         Next, I took the small red, yellow and orange sweet peppers and stuffed them with stuffing for Stuffed Bell Peppers. Little and in their own shell, they were great with a little marinara sauce on top. Made extra and will put extra sauce and the little delights over fettuccini for dinner tomorrow night! 
        So then I wanted something delicious, and international.  Ah ha....Bolani and Samosas came to mind!  For the samosas I used wonton skins, large ones cut in half to form little strips. I made different fillings:  mushroom, green onion, garlic, onion; sambal beef--ground beef with Panch Phoran, onion, garlic, sambal powder, grated carrot; and chicken samosas with small diced cooked chicken breast, avocado, salsa, and extra chili flakes for a bite. 
       Bolani is a new one for me and it was fabulous. An Afghanistan dish, but somewhat like Roti or other stuffed breads served around the world, it is comfort food on steroids!  I love stuffed breads, even though I'm gluten intolerant I sometimes eat it and suffer....it's good enough to suffer for and these two versions are nothing short of phenomenal!!  And served with a little yogurt with crushed mint and grated cucumber in it takes it to an entirely new deliciousness.

Panch Phoran

1 T. Cumin Seeds

1T. fennel seeds

1 T. Nigella Seeds (find on the internet)

1 T. Fenugreek Seeds (also internet is the easiest place to find)

1 T. black or brown mustard seeds

Mix together and store in air tight container.

 

Potato and Scallion Bolani

Ingredients:

Dough:

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup water room temperature

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. olive oil

Stuffing:

1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2 medium-size potatoes)

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

1/2 cup finely chopped Scallions white and green parts

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions: Mix the flour & salt in a bowl.  Add the water & teaspoon of oil & mix the dough together, kneading it a little until it forms a ball.  If the dough is too dry, add little more water. Once the dough is formed, knead it for 10 minutes on a lightly floured cutting board.  Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a cloth & let it rest for one hour.

In the meantime, boil the potatoes until soft in the center when pierced with a small knife.  Remove from the water & when cool, slip the skins off the potatoes.  Put the potatoes, cilantro, scallions, 2 tbsp. of the olive oil, salt & pepper in a bowl & mash together with your hands or a potato masher until thoroughly combined.  Some lumps are ok.

(Okay, here’s where I upped the ante on this recipe---put some oil and Panch Phoran (Benagali Five Spice) into a skillet. Heat until the seeds begin to pop, then add the potatoes and other ingredients. When mixed well, add turmeric to taste and color…it’s a wonderful warm succulent spice that adds so much to the potatoes. Recipe for Panch Phoran is in the index here.)

Take a small amount of dough the size of a small apple & roll into a smooth ball.  Spread some flour on the wood board & roll out the dough using a rolling pin.  Continue to flatten the dough until it takes a round shape, as thin as a tortilla, & about 10-12 inches across. Spread ¼ cup of potato mixture on one side of the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the rim.  Fold the other half over & press the dough together with your finger to form a seal.

Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the Bolani, two at a time, until golden on both sides.  The Bolani should sizzle when they hit the pan.   Lay cooked Bolani on a paper towel. Add more oil to your pan if your oil starts to reduce. Can be kept warm in the oven, covered with foil.

To keep down the fat content, instead of frying, brush with a small amount of oil and bake in 400 degree over for 10-15 minutes, watching for perfect brown crunchy crust. Cut into pie-shaped pieces and service with chutneys for dipping.

Or try this delicious variation…any yellow winter squash can be used, not just pumpkin.

Pumpkin Bolani

For the pumpkin filling
1/2 of a 15oz can of pumpkin purée
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp finely diced onion
1/4 tsp (I used 1/2 tsp) minced Jalapeño or Serrano Chili pepper
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander

¼ t. grated nutmeg
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Make the dough the same as in the first recipe. Complete and let rest.

2. In the meantime, prepare your ingredients for the pumpkin filling. Mix together all of the ingredients either in a bowl, or in a food processor to ensure that they are fully blended.

3. Once the dough has rested for an hour, prepare per instructions for Potato Scallion Bolani. Flour a large, wooden cutting board and roll out the dough into a flat disc with a rolling pin. It should be about 10 inches in diameter and as thin as you can make it. Spread 2-3 Tbsp of the pumpkin mixture on one half of the dough circle, leaving a small border around the edge and the other half empty. Fold over the dough and press it together to form a seal. Repeat for the remaining 3 balls.

4. Heat about ¼ cup of oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Make sure that the pan is just hot enough so that the bolani will sizzle when it hits the pan. Brown the bolani about 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. They can either be served immediately, or for a party, you can slice them into appetizer slices and serve them a little warmer than room temperature.

PEACEFUL TRANQUIL GARDEN SUNDAY

            It’s a beautiful day. No new gopher kickouts in the rose garden or surrounding areas. Maybe there was just one. Doubtful, but hey, maybe the God of Rodents has decided I’ve been plagued enough and just let there be one rogue gopher to deal with this time.

Second, it’s a beautiful day. The garden is quiet this morning, except for the song of hundreds of birds.  There are 3 giant Monarch butterflies sharing the zinnias with two adorable humming birds. The Mama and Baby quail were there too…the babies now big enough to fly over the fence and into the rocks when they feel threatened. And a myriad of big and baby lizards run and hop through the rocks and gardens at will, while Guayo is nowhere in site to chase them.

The pumpkins are ripening (although a few have squirrel chompings on them), there are many eggplants that just need another week to be of ample size to harvest (again, IF the squirrels don’t annihilate them first), I harvested another handful of Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes  (a daily occurrence now), and harvested half of the red onion crop and they are beautiful. Only two yellow onions…they just aren’t doing as well I’m afraid. And the garlic…none existent this year. I also harvested a basket full of basil and made almond basil pesto and put it in the freezer…14 cups of it.  I’m so happy….I love pesto, and when we used the last bag from last year out of the freezer in April, and a few of the plants weren’t looking so good now, I thought I would not be able to get enough put away for the winter. But the 4 plants that are doing great, and more than completing my 30 bag goal.

The sorrel still needs to be harvested along with the parsley, and then I will put more Sorrel Pesto in the freezer…a wonderful alternative from basil pesto that tastes fabulous on fish due to the citrusy flavor of the sorrel.

So while I watered, harvested, listened to the birds, watched the birds, hummers, and butterflies in my lovely garden, I felt a peace and contentment that is always short-lived in my life. But it was definitely there for at least 30 minutes today.

RODENT REVENGE AND GRILLING DELICIOUSNESS

 I did it!!!  After a summer of being plagued with squirrels eating the garden, the gophers decided to start on the front yard…my rose garden.  Rodent demolition!  So after 2 weeks of trying to flood them out, running water down the holes for hours with nary a little rodent nose poking up, and only managing to raise the water bill and burn my neck in the sun and get a headache from the heat (in case I haven’t informed you, it’s been HOT AND HUMID), I went to the True Value Hardware store and purchased 2 gopher traps and 5 Big Giant gopher hole bombs. I was determined.

Upon arriving home with the weapons of mass destruction, I read the directions. First and foremost, you must find the runs. Oh yeah, that’s easy…NOT!  So I dug and probed, and probed and dug….then got the hose. I filled the bermmed rose garden area with water until WHOOSH, the holes where the gopher had back filled previously used holes, opened up and water ran in. Stupendous….now I could see where they were and which way the tunnels ran.

Then I went to the wells around the nectarine tree and did the same. Three opened up. Then last I went to the climber on the arbor. As I stood there filling up the well, one hole opened up and began taking water. An instant later, Mr. Gopher stuck himself out of a hole on the other side of the well, soaking wet  and looking miserable. He slowly trundled out of the hole, while I yelled for Roy to get  the shovel. Being Roy and only having one speed, too slow, I dropped the hose, grabbed the shovel and chased the vile critter to where he stopped under the plum tree. As I got close, he turned around and looked at me with his beady eyes and big bucky teeth and…..whack. Right on the head!  Second whack, and he was a goner. Just like playing Whack a Mole….and I won!!!!

I know, it sounds vicious and cruel, but he had already eaten dead two roses, numerous snap dragons and mums, and perforated my side yard like Swiss cheese, and was working on my 2 year old healthy beautiful nectarine tree.  I love nectarines and home to have bumper crops in the future. He had to go, and this was pretty quick and humane, which I understand that sometimes the traps are not. 

So, strike 1 against the rodents. Now if I could just sharpen my aim and get those damn squirrels I would feel completely vindicated!!!

The rest of the day was spent with Roy and Carly, talking, resting, relaxing, and grilling. The grilling was delicious!  Rib Eye Steaks with Montreal Seasoning, Yellow Crookneck Squash and Zucchini sliced into large slices and marinated in Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette and grilled, Fresh Pineapple Slices sprinkled with cinnamon and grilled, and the best were the Shrimp Drizzled with Persian Lime Olive Oil and grilled in their shells. They were fabulous!!!  No formal recipes here, just delicious easy grilling fare spiced to perfection and eaten mostly with the sounds of “ooooh” and “yummmm”, and “ahhhhh”.  Remember, use those spices, marinades and especially deliciously flavored olive oils for all your grilling this summer and keep things simple and delicious.  The Persian Lime Olive Oil, along with others (the 18 Year Old is fabulous) and all kinds of delicious balsamic vinegars, can be ordered on line from Olive U in Prescott at http://oliveunaturally.com/

The Joy of Modern Convenience?

Do you ever ponder the why of modern conveniences?  Last night I noticed that my oven was disgustingly dirty, as in huge drips and run overs from lots of cooking caked on the bottom plate. So, after working hard all day on the yards, planting a couple of new flowers and vege items (cucumbers & parsley) cleaning the floors and picking up the house, dusting, cooking, painting the beautiful wooden plant tutors Roy made (future post will have photos), etc. I decided I would do the self-clean option on the oven and let it run in the cooler temps of the night. Then in the morning I could get up, wipe out the ashes, and bake a batch of Banana Chocolate Cupcakes before going to work so they would be ready to frost when I got home.

          So I went into the kitchen, hit the “clean” button, set it for start, turned on the exhaust fan to help with fumes, and went into the bedroom and crawled in. Roy was reading so I told him not to get alarmed if he smelled something cooking/burning, that I was cleaning the oven. I joked that if it was too dirty the smoke alarms might go off, and settled my tired aching body back on my pillows.

          Okay, so suddenly my joke became reality. The smoke alarm in the living room went off putting everyone into action mode, Guayo included.  Turned on the lights and the entire house was filled with smoke. What a mess!  Once I canceled the clean option from the stove and got it to stop, we had to open all the doors and windows, turn on fans, exhaust fan in the front bathroom, and Roy had to disable the smoke alarm (he doesn’t need a ladder/step stool to reach it…I do!). What started out as a good thing, a modern convenience for the tedium of stinky oven cleaner, tons of scrubbing, and the ruination of finger nails and hand skin, has become a complete pain. I was going to say disaster, but after having 2 kitchen fires in two different homes, I realized that was too strong a word for just a little smoke.  But so much for the “clean it while you sleep” thought.

          So this morning at 5:00 a.m. I woke up and decided to get busy before going to work. I got up and dismantled the stove. Unscrewed the bottom plate and put it and the racks into the bathtub with laundry detergent (grease cutting) and Borax and lots of HOT water. Then went out and scrubbed the bottom of the oven underneath the main bottom plate which was soaking, scrubbed the inside of the door, and scrubbed the top and all the burner racks and flame disbursement plates.  Now realize all of this was done at 5:00 a.m. as I have to work today!  Therefore, the soaking racks and bottom plate of the oven are Roy’s chore for this morning. 

          After all the oven/stove scrubbing, I got ready for work and we had to be at Bountiful Baskets pickup at 7:00 a.m.  So we picked up (yum….pineapple, bananas, plums, apricots, mushrooms, romaine, potatoes, spaghetti squash and lots of other items, plus my bonus box of blueberries!), then went to Starbucks as still too early to go to work.  Drank our drinks, talked about a book Roy and I are reading, Shantaram (thanks nephew Gregory for recommending it to us…it’s great!), and about items for the day and what’s up for the rest of the weekend, and then he took me to work.  He will return home, dispatch the veges/fruits, finish scrubbing the stove parts and reassemble all, and I will go home to an oven ready for baking those yummy Banana Chocolate Cupcakes.  They are SO moist and yummy and with Chocolate Ganache frosting a hit with everyone whom I’ve ever shared them. Check out the recipe below.

So at 11:30 I will leave work and go home and bake the cupcakes and let them cool. I have the potato salad made, pre-baked the bbq chicken and ribs so they’re ready to throw on the grill, made the Dilly Bread Rolls, so with dessert made, I’m ready to go. Oh except for cleaning the grill. Thank goodness it is not a modern self-cleaning device….just some scrubbing and it will be ready to go! 

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

CUPCAKES:

1 c. sugar

1 c. flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch processed makes them richer but regular works too)

¾ t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

1 large egg

½ c. mashed ripe bananas (about 1 medium sized banana)

½ c. warm water

¼ c. milk

¼ c. canola, coconut oil (melted), or rice bran oil

¾ t. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line 12 regular-sized muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with a non stick vegetable spray.

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, mashed banana, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined. (The batter is quite thin.)

Pour or scoop the batter into the muffin cups, about 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. 

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Remove ganache from refrigerator at this time. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, dip tops into ganache letting excess drip back into pan. Sit on rack set inside of a cookie sheet to catch the drips. Put all in refrigerator to set up.

GANACHE FOR FROSTING

13 oz heavy cream

12 oz bittersweet chocolate (I use a bag of chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS: 

Bring the cream to a light boil in a heavy saucepan taking care not to scorch it. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the chocolate chips. Continue to stir until all are melted and you have a smooth consistency. Set aside until cool…do not try to taste and it cannot be touched until it sets.  Once set, but into the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.