The Magical Approach

I want to take the magical approach to life.  I believe that anything can be magical. Love, laughter and cooking are my favorites.  A few years ago, around Christmas Time, I was planning a party.  I planned to make platters of steamed asparagus with curried mayonnaise, roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers, hummus along with an assortment of olives and pickled vegetables.  I thought that with a pile of whole wheat pita bread this would make for a satisfying and healthy offering.   I could just imagine all of the bright colors spread across the table.

The day before the party, Paula had an appointment with a massage therapist who was coming to our house.  I thought that surely I could stay quiet for an hour, so decided to stay home and catch up on some reading or begin some preparations for the party.  I was reading a book about the magical approach to living. The therapist arrived and as he was setting up his table, I retired to the kitchen.

The kitchen had been decorated for the holidays with candy cane lights in the bay window over the sink along with the ceramic Santa my grandmother made so many years ago.  There was a small metal wreath hanging from the knob of the upper cabinet next to the stove.  The wreath had gold jingle bells tied with gold ribbons which sang out the Season every time I opened the cabinet door for a coffee cup.

 Grandma had also made a ceramic Christmas tree which was in the back corner of the bar. The festive holiday motif plates and napkins were stacked next to the tree.  Also on the bar were the ingredients for the party awaiting construction.  The Mediterranean olives and package of pita bread were ready to use. The garbanzo beans, lemons, tahini, olive oil and parsley were grouped for the hummus. 

I was going to blend 2 16 oz cans of beans (drained) with ¼ cup or so of tahini, 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of a lemon and a half bunch of chopped parsley.  The tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds with texture similar to peanut butter.  I wanted to use the parsley adding not only a bright note to the flavor profile, but also a festive green color to the dip.   I knew I could not start this now because using the food processor would be far too noisy and would interrupt the massage in the next room.

That left the pickled vegetables which were marinating in the refrigerator and the curried mayonnaise I had already made the day before.  The mayonnaise is so simple; just stir the curry powder into the mayo until it tastes right.  I like to make it a few days before so the flavors have time to settle together.  Finally, there was the asparagus which I wanted to steam at the last moment, and the peppers that needed roasting.  It seemed that roasting the peppers would be the quietest task I could do.

I have a gas stove, so I roast my peppers on top of the stove directly on the burners.  It takes a little while and some attention, but is an effective method.  I placed a stainless steel mixing bowl next to the stove underneath the jingle bells.  As the peppers finished roasting, I would put them in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  This allows them to steam and makes them easier to skin later.  First, I cut the peppers in have lengthwise.  I then pulled the stem off and removed the seeds and ribs.  Then I fired up all four burners.  I carefully stacked the pepper halves leaning on each other in a teepee shape over the flames.  I then sat on a bar stool next to the stove and started reading my book.

I was reading about how we are the magicians of our own lives.  I don’t remember the actual text of the book, but it was something about how God puts pieces of a puzzle in front of us.  We, if we are open to it, see the puzzle pieces and put them together in a magical way, making us the magicians in our own lives.  The book was about the magical approach and the art of creative living.  I so wanted to experience this magic.

I could smell the peppers and knew it was time for some turning and rearranging.  I was using my longest tongs for the job as the stove was quite hot now with all four burners blazing.  I got the peppers arranged to my liking and sat down to continue my read.  I could hear the soft music from the living room and there was a peaceful calm feeling throughout the house.

As I read few more pages, I felt a yearning to experience the magic being discussed in the book.  At times, I experience this “magical” feeling when I am cooking.  There are times that the most simple ingredients come together in such a way that I could never have planned.  Maybe it is just the right flavor or texture at just the right time with just the right mood…

Then it happened.  One of the metal jingle bells fell into the metal bowl.  It crashed onto the top edge of the bowl, spiraled around the sides and finally settled in the bottom with a gentle rocking.  It sounded like a thousand church bells on a quiet Sunday morning.  I was astounded!  I had received my magical moment, my miracle, my sign from God.  Some of the peppers were ready for the bowl, so I quickly scooped out the bell to make room.

At this point the peppers needed my full attention, but I have to say that my heart was full!  I was so excited to have had this miraculous experience.  That’s how it felt to me.  As I turned and re-arranged the peppers, taking each one off as it was blackened to perfection, another bell fell.  Then another one, and finally the last one detached from its ribbon.  I discovered that the heat from the burners was melting the glue loosening the bells one by one.  I was so disappointed.

What I thought had been a magical, miraculous moment, was in truth just another minute of my day.  What began in my mind as a miracle was now just another ordinary happening.  I finished with the peppers, covered them and set them aside to cool.  I would clean the skins off later.  Deciding not to take a chance of making more noise, sat down and resumed my reading.

The next few paragraphs were about how these magical moments aren’t always a result of supernatural happenings.  Sometimes the magic is in the simple moments of our everyday lives.  It is our perception that makes the ordinary magical.  I realized that I had indeed had my magical moment, it suddenly did not matter to me that the falling bells had an easy explanation.

This realization was re-enforced the next day as I was arranging the food for our holiday gathering.  I had been able to take very simple ingredients, beans, vegetables and bread, and create a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.  The green asparagus and yellow curried mayonnaise were beautiful as was the rainbow of peppers along side the green hummus.  I made myself a treat of hummus, roasted peppers, asparagus, and pickled turnip sandwiched between the whole wheat pita bread.  It was truly a miraculous bite, from the earthiness of the garbanzos and tahini to the brightness of the lemon and parsley.  The asparagus and peppers added a satisfying crunch.

I do believe that God whispers to us everyday.  We only have to open our minds and hearts to experience the magic available.  Whether it is in the beautiful sunrise, the sound of your child’s laughter, or a perfect meal; I wish you many magical moments in your life.   

Past + Present = Future

Yesterday, I went to my favorite coffee shop “Beans and Leaves”.  I love this place.  I always prefer to support local businesses.  With a coffee shop, however, I have felt that I have to make a sacrifice one way or the other.  I either had to support a national chain and get a great latte, or support my local places and get a mediocre drink.  Then a new place opened over by 39^th and Penn.

I went in one evening not expecting a lot.  I ordered their coffee of the day.  As good as that cup of coffee was; my favorite is an iced latte…strong.  They also have a large selection of loose teas packed in your own little bag made especially for you.  When I see someone get this, I want to try it.  I can’t seem to get past my latte for now, though.  They also have handmade pastries, cheesecake…you get the picture.

I have been visiting with the owners about different recipes to add some lunch and dinner items to the menu.  I was there this past Saturday to do just that.  When I walked in, I experienced a strange juxtaposition of my worlds.  Until a few years ago, I was a florist.  It was both some of the best and worst times of my life.  I suffered major burnout and was blessed to find a new career as the scheduler for a company that provides interpreting services for the Deaf.  I love my current job.

I walked into Beans and Leaves to see a young man surrounded by beautiful flowers busily making prom boutonnieres and corsages.  As I looked around the shop, I saw a group of interpreters in the back.  There was a class in session.  It was really a strange sensation for me to see my old world meeting my new world.  In the middle of the shop, an artist was painting the portrait of a young woman.

 

I ordered my drink and waved at my interpreter friends.  I saw Charlie, one of the owners and waved at her as well.  She was very busy, so I sat down with the young man and his flowers.  He explained that this was a school project for him.  Any profit he made making the prom flowers was going to his school, a fine arts academy in our neighborhood.  I asked if I could help him for a time.  He gladly accepted.

It felt really good to have my hands taping and wiring flowers, and teaching someone about the elements of floral design.  He was an eager pupil.  After a bit of time, Charlie came over and sat with us.  I wanted to talk with her about a rice salad I make for my annual Memorial Day Party. 

I call it Confetti Salad.

I start with 6 cups of cooked brown rice.  I add about 2 cups of shredded carrots, 6 or 8 finely chopped ribs of celery, 1 ½ cups of roasted sunflower seeds and 1 bunch of chopped fresh parsley.   I dress it with the juice of a couple of limes and a good ½ cup or so of olive oil.  With the addition of salt and pepper to taste this simple, healthy salad is complete.  I use it as a staple for my party, because I can make it a day or so before and it can set out at room temperature for a few hours.   We were interrupted several times, but finally got the recipe on paper.

A couple of interpreters came over to say hello and I had some wonderful conversation with them.  We talked about advocacy, interpreting and nothing much…just life.  Conversation flowed easily as I put together another boutonniere.  I found it very interesting how all of the parts of my life came together at this moment.  My careers present and past along with my culinary passion intertwined and laced with the laughter of playful interaction.

As the artist was re-creating the likeness of that pretty young woman on his canvas, I feel God had re-created the beauty of my life that afternoon.   I felt as though God had orchestrated this time just for me.  It was like he had used Beans and Leaves as his canvas and these wonderful people as his brush strokes.

As I was leaving for an appointment I had back at my house, I ran into a friend I have known for twenty years.  Sadly, I could not stay for more than a quick chat, but this meeting added to the rich tapestry of the afternoon.

I left Beans and Leaves that day fully satisfied, my belly full of a great latte, my soul full of love and my heart full of gratitude.  

Sweet and Savory with a Splash of Bourbon

My friendscape is continually evolving it seems.  There are those friends that have been a part of my life for decades and continue to be so.  There are those that came into my life very quickly with friendships as intense as the sun and then faded away just as quickly.  A few years ago, our house was a hub of activity.  I never knew from one evening to the next who or what to expect.  It was not uncommon for folks to drop by at dinner time, we would add another plate to the table and carry on.  Those were wonderful times!  I miss them, truly.

Since then things have changed.  Some friends have moved away physically and though we keep in touch, it’s just not the same.  Some have moved away spiritually, making decisions that isolate themselves in a world of compromise and suffering. They are unreachable even by those of us who love them dearly.  Those are the ones that hurt the most.

 People break up, get with new partners.  They get new jobs, go to school or take up new hobbies.  I love all of my friends present and past.  Friendships sweet, savory and sometimes bitter, I am grateful for them all.

A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to a party.  I have to say, this really doesn’t happen so often for us as we are usually the entertainers. This was a new circle of friends and I was in the mood to try something different.  I had been reading different recipes for “Devil on a Horseback”.  There are many variations to the recipe, but basically it is a date stuffed with something (or nothing), wrapped with bacon and broiled.  The first time I had this at a local tapas restaurant; the date was not stuffed and was served with a sage-infused olive oil.  They were surprisingly wonderful!

After reading what seems like a hundred recipes, I decided to stuff the dates with pepper jack cheese and wrap them with apple smoked bacon.  I chose Medjool Dates because of their jumbo size.  First, I sliced the dates along the side and took out the pits.  I then cut the cheese into matchsticks and the sticks into lengths that would fit into the pitted dates.  I cut the bacon crosswise into thirds.  I set up an assembly line and stuffed each date, wrapped with bacon, secured with a toothpick and placed the finished date on a baking sheet.  Sounds like a lot of steps, but it only took half hour from start to finish for 3 dozen pieces.

I set my broiler on high, placed the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and broiled for 6 or 7 minutes on the first side.  I turned them and broiled on the second side the same amount of time.  The result was a very hot, crispy sizzling bite. My first taste convinced me this was a wonderful success. The saltiness of the crisp outer layer giving way to the sweet lusciousness of the date was a textural wonderland.  There were so many flavors on my tongue, salty, sweet, smoky and spicy taking turns delighting my taste buds.  Wow!  I was hooked!  My mind immediately started going to all of the possibilities of sweet and savory.

Judging by the empty plate soon after we arrived and all the people asking me questions about it, I would say the other guests enjoyed them as well.  It was a great way to start conversations with new friends.  I hope we see each other again and this marks the beginning of yet another transformation of our friendscape.

Inspired by the success of the “Devils on a Horseback”, I started think of other ways I could create sweet and savory combinations.  The following Saturday was a day of culinary experimentation in my kitchen.  I decided I was going to try a savory brittle and glaze a pork butt.

The brittle started with rendering 6 pieces of chopped bacon. I removed the bacon from the pan to a bowl and sprinkled with a couple of tablespoons of bourbon.  I set this aside so the bacon could soak up all that bourbon goodness.  After pouring to bacon fat into another bowl, I added 2 cups of raw sugar to the skillet and set the flame to medium high.  As the sugar was beginning to melt, I chopped 4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme.  I measured ¼ t. salt, ½ t. baking soda, ½ t. cumin and ½ t. red pepper flakes into a cup.  I then used the bacon fat to oil a cookie sheet.

When the sugar had melted, I added the bacon and the cup of spices and herbs to the skillet.  I stirred very quickly and then poured the mixture onto the cookie sheet.  Working as fast as I could, I spread the mixture as thinly as possible.  Careful, it’s really hot!  I loved this brittle.  It was very complex in flavor with a fiery finish that frankly some folks didn’t like.  I can imagine using this same method with cardamom, pistachios and cinnamon for a less hot version.  I know I’m going to try this again.

I started the pork with a spicy dry rub.  I used cayenne, smoky paprika, cumin, ground thyme, instant coffee, minced garlic, salt and black pepper.  I set the roast out at room temperature for about 30 minutes as the oven was preheating to 275 degrees.  I coated the roast on all sides with the rub, placed it on a rack in my roasting pan and got it in the oven. After 6 hours had passed, I made a glaze with 2 cups of brown sugar and ½ cup of bourbon.  I set this on medium heat and reduced to a syrupy consistency.

When the internal temperature read 155 degrees, I started glazing the pork.  I glazed it every ten minutes until the temperature reached 165 (about 45 minutes later) at which time I brought it out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes.  The pork was now covered with hard coating of the sugary glaze. The meat was so tender with a wonderful sweet and savory crust.

The most fun part of the day was delivering samples to some friends.  I love sharing my food with other people.  Seeing their faces as they sample is a delight.   My friends are absolutely the spice of my life.  I love you all, sweet and savory…oh yes with a splash of bourbon.