blog in transition

I'm experimenting with bliss on wordpress (sorry, blogger!). Please take a look at my new home: bliss: living a delicious life

I've rejoined my former baking group and will spend the next months, and hopefully, years, baking through Dorie Greenspan's newest cookbook, Baking Chez Moi. Click over to the new blog to read about my fangirl moment meeting Dorie in Chicago.

summer kitchen sink salads

One of my favorite vendors at our farmers' markets is a young couple, just graduated from college. They grow interesting and heirloom varieties of all crops, and I always stop by their stand first. For the past month, their table has been filled with head lettuces of all textures, colors, and sizes. From crunchy Ice Queen (a flavorful and crisp iceberg style lettuce) to frilly Lolla Rosa, to baby romaine, all of the lettuces are delicious, and provide a perfect bed for "kitchen sink" style salads.

Every Saturday, I buy three or four heads, and come home and wash, de-slug, and spin the tender leaves. Every weekday at lunchtime, I haul out the salad spinner and fill a small serving bowl with lettuce before contemplating my next toppings. I've let the farmers' market offerings guide my toppings, which means I've been incorporating strawberries, cherries, sugar snap peas, scallions, carrots, and radishes into the salads. I've added avocado, various cheeses, pecans, chickpeas, and/or pan fried tofu for protein and complexity.

I always make my own dressings, a single serving at a time. With a variety of vinegars, several olive oils, citrus, and sweeteners to choose from, I craft tangy, light, and satisfying vinaigrettes.

vinaigrette fixins from Michigan, Italy, and Wisconsin

Here are a few particularly winning combinations for inspiration. Let your fridge and pantry, as well as your taste and cravings, guide you:

Strawberry-Avocado-Carrot-Cucumber-Sugar Snap Pea-Scallion-Pecan-Bel Gioso Four Cheese Blend with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

 [no photo of this one. sorry!]

Cherry-Avocado-Feta-Pecan-Carrot-Scallion-Chickpea with Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Juicy Michigan cherries are the star of this salad. 

Sugar Snap Pea-Carrot-Scallion-Tofu with Spicy Peanut Dressing

A glamour shot of Ice Queen lettuce, which holds up particularly well to this heavier spicy peanut dressing in this Thai-influenced salad.

These salads make lunch different and delicious everyday. Filled with several servings of fruits and vegetables, and lean protein, these salads are nutritional powerhouses...that taste decadent, and provide lasting satisfaction and fullness, especially when paired with a homemade roll or buttered honey whole wheat toast. 

new recipe challenge: falafel

So often, I read food blogs and swoon over the gorgeous photography, the featured edibles glistening in the perfect natural light, the prepared dish clearly a flawless execution of the recipe.

This is not one of those blogs.

I'm being authentic.

A month or so ago I read this post on lifestyle blogs from Kristen at Rage Against the Minivan. I love her honesty, the glimpses of a real family home. While I wish I had a Pinterest-worthy workspace, I am a cluttery person. Give me a desk or table or dresser and you'll find the top strewn with the random detritus of my daily life. Currently, at my home desk you'll find projects in process: my new (pink!) filing cabinet waiting to be filled; the vintage St. Vinnie's photo frames from our wedding waiting for fabulous photos; the sweet daily yellow notes from G waiting to be filed; lipstick, bracelets, aromatherapy mist, books (always books) waiting to be properly relocated, stored, stacked.

You should see my desk at work.

But I love this space, the light pouring in from the East facing window, the succulent terrarium I made (pinterest-inspired) a few weeks ago, my vintage desk and filing cabinet, my bulletin board, and photos from Paris (c. 2010).

But I digress.

What does this creative clutter have to do with falafel?

Let's turn to photo inspiration:

I used a recipe from Olives, Lemon, and Za'atar: The Best Middle Eastern Home Cooking, by Rawia Bishara, which I checked out from the public library. Like most falafel recipes, this one calls for chickpeas that have been soaked, but not cooked. I used chickpeas I had previously cooked and froze in their own luscious broth. They were too wet, and the first patties oozed and defied crisping.

I added panko to the rest of the batter, which helped firm the patties, but they still resisted a deep crispiness, largely due to my minimal-oil pan frying technique.

And yet, the flavor was amazing—fresh, spicy, comforting and thrilling all at once. We tucked them into pita with a thick tahini sauce as suggested by Bishara.

Less than photogenic, but adventurous and delicious. 

Messy and satisfying.

My kind of world. 

summer fun: mini golf

Yesterday, Gregg and I visited our favorite mini golf course for the inaugural round of the Summer. We've been golfing this course, Harbor Pointe in Sheboygan the past few years. I love the location, nestled along the Sheboygan river, near the harbor where Lake Michigan beckons with rolling waves and refreshing breezes. 

This course challenges the amateur and experienced mini-golfer, with several traps and water features, and a tricky lighthouse hole. 

We listened to James Taylor, Carol King, and America fill the course with mellow, relaxed tunes. 

I beat Gregg on one hole. 

We considered golfing another 18 holes for half-price, but decided to walk to the end of the pier, and then drive to Duke of Devon for a refreshing beverage; their ginger lemonade hits the spot after a morning of low-stakes, high-pleasure mini golf. 

I love the simple challenges of mini golf—avoiding the traps, keeping the ball on the green, and mostly, putting. I am not a great mini golfer, and I don't try to be great. My goal: revel in the sporadic straight, sure shot; trash talk Gregg; and enjoy the Summer day.

Our city is currently building a mini golf course, set to open later this Summer. I'm eager to support this community venture, and maybe, accidentally, improve my game.

Gregg, you're on notice.

With practice, perhaps I'll win...TWO holes.

new recipe challenge: quinoa burrito bowls

I'm embarrassed—I've been scared of quinoa. 

I'm a vegetarian. I believe in eating a wide range of grains, proteins, fruits, and vegetables. 

Quinoa, along with kale, spinach, blueberries, and broccoli, embodies holy-healthy-healing in the food world I (mostly) live in. 

But. I cooked it several years ago and...didn't really like it. Was it the lack of flavor? The texture? The strange curlicues coming off of the individual seeds? 

I don't know. 

I wanted to try again, after reading many recipes featuring the seed, after being reminded that it's a complete protein, after ogling my friend's quinoa-based salads at work meetings. Perhaps I could sub quinoa for rice in one of our standard meals...

I planned last night's meal, burrito bowls, around the vat of black beans in the fridge (a trip to Fleet Farm is in order to stock up on freezer containers!) These beans are phenomenal—flavorful, easy to cook, and economical. If you're in West Michigan, check out Shady Side Farm. 

I was also inspired after reading the NPR story about President Obama's recent DC peregrination in search of everyday food: "I just walked over to Chipotle's for lunch. I caused a lot of havoc as you might expect," the president said. "It had been awhile since I had the burrito bowl, and it was good." I can sympathize. Gregg and I love Chipotle burrito bowls, though our nearest Chipotle is a good 45 minute drive away. 

Homemade burrito bowls are versatile, customizable, simple, and delicious. I usually use brown rice as the base, but substituted quinoa. To increase the flavor of the quinoa, I followed the preparation from The Kitchn, with a few modifications. I sauteed vidalia onion and garlic in the olive oil before adding the quinoa; I tossed in a chunk of carrot and celery, along with a bay leaf, to simulate the vegetable broth I didn't have. Before serving, I pulled them out of the pan. The garlic and onion melded with the fluffy quinoa, and the aromatics added subtle flavor. A drizzle of olive oil and skiff of salt at the end completed the base of our burrito bowls. 

To elevate the black beans, I sauteed vidalia onion, garlic, and a small piece of a chipotle pepper (packed in adobo) in olive oil before adding the beans. I tossed a handful of scallions in at the end. 

I also sauteed red bell peppers and vidalia onions with a sprinkling of chili powder and salt. 

Add avocado, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapenos, scallions, shredded 9 year aged Wisconsin cheddar, and sour cream, and the burrito bowl buffet was ready. 

With this blog in mind, I artfully arranged my bowl in sections, much to the amusement of my husband. I skipped the jalapeno pepper rounds and went light on tomatoes (and then passed them off on Gregg). 

In the interest of honest blogging, I share this second photo of my burrito bowl post-photo shoot and pre-eating. A glorious mess. 

The fresh flavors of the raw ingredients married with the earthy, hearty tones of the quinoa and beans, creating a satisfying dish. The quinoa was delicious, a pleasant change from rice, and a superfood to boot. Welcome back to my pantry, oh wonder seed. 

As a bonus, I share this commercial, popular last football season. It's been so effective that I can barely pronounce quinoa correctly. 

new recipe challenge: white loaves, mini crustless quiches, and tuna pasta salad

It's a cool, rainy week in Wisconsin. 

I'm coming off a month of life transitions...grieving the loss of my kind, gentle mother-in-law to cancer, and celebrating the marriage of my one and only kind and funny brother to his bride, a generous, beautiful woman I'm thrilled to call sister. 

It's been a month to remember.

I'm taking refuge in reading novels and cooking. I finished the airy darkness of Nora Roberts' latest Shadow Spell, and am now savoring Anna Quindlan's Still Life With Bread Crumbs. 

And I made bread. 

I craved the fragrance of yeast warmth, and also wanted to bake a simple white loaf that would live up to our expectations. G and I have different tastes in bread--he leans soft and malleable, while I prefer crusty and substantial. Yet both of us love a flavorful white bread, with a thin crackly crust, the scent of butter, and a soft interior. I used the recipe for white loaves from Baking With Julia, the companion cookbook to the PBS show that aired years ago (but reruns on some PBS and create channels). This simple bread meets all of our criteria and was, unlike other breads, simple to make. 

In keeping with my summer bucket list and my quest to make G's recent birthday special, I made mini crustless quiches for a portable breakfast (served with buttered toast made from the homemade bread). One of our favorite quiche combinations is caramelized onion, spinach, and feta. I added fresh basil and a not-hearty enough squirt of Sriracha to the egg mixture. What a simple, delicious make-ahead breakfast! And the add-ins are endless...broccoli, peppers, mixed herbs, Gruyere or other interesting cheeses, squashes, and even breakfast meats for my non-vegetarian husband.  

For a lunch treat, I made tuna pasta salad, a favorite of Gregg's. Single serving tuna pouches are the greatest gift for tuna haters (me). Open, squeeze out the tuna into whatever dish you're making, and be done with it. I used small shell pasta to nestle all of the veggies and tuna chunks. Tiny diced red and yellow peppers, a good chunk of a zippy jalapeno, diced with seeds and membrane, for my spice-loving husband. Vidalia onion, Famous Dave's spicy sweet pickles, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. I doused the salad with white balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and a big scoop of plain Greek yogurt. I hoped the salad was as delicious as it was pretty, since I didn't taste it. G loved the spicy kick, the pickles, and the combination of veggies. 

New recipes and cooking workday breakfast and lunch for G: check these two items off of my bucket list. Thus inspired, I will continue to play and experiment! 

new recipe challenge: carrot and chickpea salad

Tender carrots, crisp chickpeas, nutty sauce: what's not to love? This salad, from my favorite food blog Smitten Kitchen, would brighten up a cold winter day. It's also a fitting counterpoint to delicate Spring asparagus (which we're eating every day, every which way). Last night, I made a simple pasta with frozen snap peas, fresh roasted asparagus, and a Greek yogurt-lemon-Parmesan sauce. This salad added a hearty dose of protein and color to the meal. I omitted the pistachios and parsley from the original carrot salad recipe, working with ingredients I had on hand. Neither Gregg or I could decide whether we liked the pasta or salad better, a positive sign that both dishes are keepers. The lemon in both dishes helps create a cohesive meal, and the bright citrus tang cuts through the creaminess of both sauces.

Summer 2014 Bucket List

My friend Pam recently posted her Summer 2014 Bucket List, which inspired me to kickstart my daily journaling habit (long lapsed) and return to blogging with a simple, fun, and easy writing task: creating a list. I love lists--they embody possibility and planning, goals and dreams. Lists are shorthand for projects that promise unexpected discoveries; lists lay out simple tasks to be completed. Lists ground my free-flowing creativity in direction and order.

Dharmagirl's Summer 2014 Bucket List:

1. Bake macarons.

2. Attend at least one outdoor concert (preferably Summerfest).
3. Hike.
4. Go sailing with the WTFS women.
5. Paint our bedroom.
6. Finish Grandpa's memoir.
7. Submit flash fiction pieces to my online class and complete G's flash fiction challenge.
8. Write most days, starting with morning pages.
9. Read every day, not just at bed-time, but throughout the day. Read across genres.

10. Walk, bike, and yoga most days. 

11. Reconnect with friends via email, letters/cards, phone calls, and visits.
12. Make a photo wall in the living room.
13. Organize our bookshelves.
14. Cook a new recipe each week.
15. Challenge myself in small ways--hard reading, more sun salutations, etc.
16. Spend time in Michigan.

17. Take myself on more short solo excursions.
18. Recommit to formal daily training with Hazel.
19. Make breakfast and/or lunch treats for Gregg.
20. Get a tattoo.
21. Visit with colleague-friends.
22. Create!
23. Decorate with fresh flowers. 

24. Visit the Madison farmers' market.
25. Have friends over for drinks, dessert, dinner.
26. Take a mini-break with Gregg. 

laugh

giggle
chuckle
chortle
snort
cackle
snicker
titter
roar
ha
hee
heh
guffaw
LOL
ROTFL

family circle

I love impromptu weeknight visits.

And I love living close to family. While a Great Lake separates me from my parents, brother's family, and most of my extended family of origin, Gregg's parents live about 8 miles away, and his sisters (and their families) live within an hour and a half.

Tonight Gregg and I headed out after dinner to bring his parents a few pumpkin pecan bars I baked on Sunday. We chatted for an hour and a half, and I listened to family stories I'd never heard before. We also shared updates on our extended family, and discussed future family gatherings. This time together was just what I needed: heart warming, soul expanding.

warm

fleecy blankets
wool socks
hoods and hats
layers and layers
mugs of tea
and central heat:
shelter. safety. warmth.

**
This morning I checked the temperature—28 degrees—and looked at the snow flakes swirling outside. I layered on two pairs of pants, wool socks and tennis shoes, tank, long sleeve tee, sweatshirt, and light down coat. I pulled on a hat and gloves, and wrapped a scarf around my neck. I plugged into my favorite Monday podcast, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," and walked down the leaf and snow strewn sidewalks.

The wind persisted, but after 10 minutes I was mostly all warm, as usual. As I walked along Lake Michigan, the wind swept off of the water, and my upper thighs and butt were chilled. Against my better judgment, I didn't turn around, but kept walking to the 1.5 mile marker. I turned around to head home, looking for a respite from the wind biting my legs. If anything, the wind was stronger, colder. The cold stayed contained to my upper legs and butt, but it didn't dissipate. I interspersed running with walking. I wondered who I could call to come pick me up, but everyone I know was at work, out of town, or in class. Just one mile to go.

I'm always happy to reach home after a walk on a cold day, but today I was beyond relieved. Home, to strip off my layers on my upper body, where I had been toasty warm. Home, to put on more layers on my cold lower body. To warm up. The unprecedented lingering cold in my legs and butt worried me, so I took my body temperature and turned to the Mayo clinic website to make sure I wasn't in trouble.

My body temp was 95.8 when I first took it. I've never seen it that low. I wrapped myself in another blanket and brewed tea. My temperature climbed .4 degrees with each successive read in the next 15 minutes, so I knew I would be okay, but I was mad at my stupidity. My legs were still cold. I drank tea, ate a pumpkin bar to fuel my inner fire. I waited until my legs felt less chilled to shower under warm water.

My muscles are sore and I'm much sleepier than on a usual Monday, which I chalk up to my exertion and my recovery.

Oh, and that 28 degrees? I neglected (like the rookie I'm not) to check the windchill: 16 degrees.

partner

I waited a long time to seriously date anyone, which meant I waited a long time to marry. Gregg and I both thought we might be single for the rest of our lives as we faced our mid-late thirties...alone. 

And then we met in 2009 and now we're married.

Ruby Beach, Washington, August 2012

I love many of Gregg's traits and habits and quirks, but today I'm grateful that he's truly my partner. For example, today we had a thoughtful conversation about sexual objectification and the media, after which we chatted about football. We raked and hauled leaves together, and Gregg helped me make dinner. He rearranged the bathroom shelves, and I baked dessert. He watched football; I watched Dirty Dancing.

We've approached dividing our household tasks both organically and thoughtfully. Gregg cleans the bathroom; I wash the sheets. We take turns buying groceries. I cook most of our meals except for Wednesday nights when Gregg mans the stove. We help each other when the unfolded laundry pile threatens to topple off of the dresser, or the recycling overflows the bin. 

And sometimes, we make new guidelines: whoever is last out of bed has to make the bed. 

“Knowing love or the hope of knowing love is the anchor that keeps us from falling into that sea of despair.” ― bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions

long sweaters

with long sleeves and maybe pockets, that skim my body, cover my backside, and allow for wrapping and snuggling and layering over tanks and tees and thin sweaters.

singer-songwriter soundtrack

Lately, I've been listening to Brett Dennen's latest album, Smoke and Mirrors. I first heard "Wild Child" on XM radio, and added the entire album to my Spotify account. Mellow, upbeat, thoughtful, and soulful, perfect for these short cool days that slip between winter gloom and holiday cheer. "Wild Child" speaks to my desire to dance freely and love dearly:

"I am a wild child, yes I am
I love the country and I
I wanna run free and I
Don't wanna live up to anyone's plan
I wanna feel the good vibes and I
Wanna feel the sunshine with you,
By my side

I am, I am, I am, I am
I am a wild child, momma
You can, you can, you can, you can
You can hold me tight if you wanna
If you wanna hold me tonight

Take me where the music's playin'
Get me on the dancefloor
Pull me a little closer
I am a wild child, yes I am
I wanna feel the good vibes and I
Wanna feel the sunshine with you,
By my side"

(Read more: Brett Dennen - Wild Child Lyrics | MetroLyrics)

I love to follow up this song with the peppy, "When We Were Young." The exhortations to "remember when we were young" help ease the anxiety of my looming 40th birthday. 

I'm grateful for new tunes and the mood infusion they bring.  

tissues

Today I'm grateful for a new full box of Puffs ultra soft and ultra strong, as I sniffle all day long.

treads

Tonight I'm grateful for new tires with deep treads that whisk away the water on dark, rain-slicked highways in the late evening. And for my husband, who ferried us home from an author event 40 miles from home (more on the event tomorrow!).

cold

Snuffley (sniffle + stuffy).

Sleepy.

My first semester cold has arrived.

And I'm thankful. I made it 10 weeks into the semester before succumbing to the germ stew that is a small commuter college campus.

Usually, I'm stricken by week 5. Last year, I was heading into my second cold about this time of year. I had a few doozies last year, but then again last Fall was a stressful blend of work responsibilities (heavy committee service load and tenure file time) and personal challenges (a family member's serious illness).

In contrast, this Fall is fantastic.

And so I drink tea, rest, sniffle and snuffle, and give thanks.

fall back day

Trying to find a silver lining in the ritual of falling back to standard time, I mused to Gregg that we only have a month and half of short days before the Winter Solstice and the days start lengthening again.

Silver linings, I tell you.

Fall Back day worked its magic today—time seemed magnified between awakening to the Sunday puzzle on NPR to settling in with blankets and slippers. (this is likely due to our currently pet-free, child-free home).

mini peach pie

Today I managed to read about 20 rough drafts of annotated bibliographies, catch up on my reading for Monday and Tuesday classes, bake pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and a mini peach pie, read an entire section of the New York Times, walk four miles, cook a quick but tasty dinner, and talk to my mom without feeling the pinch of limited time. It helped tremendously that Gregg ran the errands (thanks, DH!).

Now I'm sleepy and snuffly (do not settle in, rhinovirus!), ready to eat pie and drink tea, curl up with a fun book and be sleeping by 10:30.

More than a silver lining: a full yet relaxing day. Grateful.

spontaneous outings

Every so often, Gregg and I will head out in the morning with one destination in mind and enjoy an entire day of exploration. Some days, the many stops (meals, shopping, other curiosities) and miles take a toll, and by the end of the day we arrive home tinged with crankiness. Even then, I'm thankful for our mutual sense of adventure and willingness to allow the day to unfurl as we go.

Today we headed out for breakfast, and succeeded in stocking up on household goods (the ever sexy 18 pack of toilet paper), revamping our winter wardrobes (thank you, TJMaxx!), and lingering over afternoon coffee in a funky little cafe along the river. We walked along a developed riverside, reading the signs for charter fishing companies that decorate the railings even as the boats are tucked away under shrink wrap and canvas.

Today we mused that such excursions will soon be a memory; our much anticipated puppy is due to come home to us in January, expanding our family and changing our lives.

Our last stop of the day: a big box pet store to survey crates and leashes and assorted canine sundries.

We're almost ready for the change.

flannels

November 1st: grey, chilly, and rainy.

I can smell winter in the damp air, feel it creep into the dark, shorter days.

November is the cruelest month (Sorry, T.S. Eliot).

To counteract the impending gloom and to spread harvest fest/pie day/thanksgiving cheer all month long, I plan on sharing a gratitude journal everyday.

Today, I'm grateful for the thick flannel sheets that create a warm nest during the winter. I love the soft fuzzy fabric and the pale pink hue.

Goodnight, friends.