Date Day

Mama and I had a wonderful date lunch today . . . and we deserved it.

(The idea came to me because a creative date time was a topic of Hibernate recently; it'd been a long time since we'd met for lunch.)

See, we'd spent the morning worrying about one of our NYCats, Patron, who has had some intermittent stomach issues this week, culminating in a trip to the emergency vet this morning for fluids and antibiotics.  It was only the ER vet because our regular vet is closed on Thursdays and we didn't want to wait a day for fluids.  We also had him ultrasounded to follow up on our vet's concern about an abdominal mass.  Turns out there is some intestinal thickening, either from something straightforward as inflammatory bowel disease or cancer.  Let's hope a change in diet and rest will reveal the former.  Either way, we're planning on going the slow medicine/palliative route; no one wants invasive or extensive treatments on an almost 15-year-old cat.  And if we can keep his symptoms under control, he's been pretty happy.  We knew this might be coming and we are better equipped to handle it, both from increased wisdom and experience, than we were with our cat Morgan, but it was still a pretty quick onset and a little disheartening.  He's home now and eating and purring and pretty happy; we've closed him and his brother Mojito in the basement alone to keep the Connecticats from harassing him.

All of which is to say, we were glad to have a midday respite at our favorite restaurant, Bloodroot. We had a peanut stew, a big marinated cabbage and tofu salad, special grilled cheese sandwiches on that incredible oatmeal bread, an incredible vegan chocolate mousse and our favorite butterscotch pudding!   Mmmmmm!   And a great chat with Selma and Noelle, the owners, about their upcoming trip to Italy, a new knitting project, and the secret ingredient in the mousse.   Restorative. And we brought some pudding home for Sis, who loves it, too.

If and when it snows this Saturday (or Monday or Wednesday . . . ), maybe we'll make some more.


Butterscotch Pudding
In a medium-sized pot, warm 1 cup milk and 2 cups heavy cream together with 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar.  In a larger pot, combine 3/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup water.  Bring to a boil and cook to form a caramel.  When sugar is golden brown, remove from heat and add milk mixture gradually.  It will boil up suddenly and violently, which is why the caramel must be started in the larger pot.  Be sure heat is off and all is combined.  Set aside.

Separate eggs; you will need 6 yolks.  Reserve whites for other purposes.  Slowly whisk hot milk into yolks, being careful not to curdle them.  Add 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Stir well.  

Ladle into 6 ovenproof custard cups set in a pan.  Fill the pan halfway with water, being careful not to get any into the pudding dishes.  Bake at 325F for about 30 minutes or until no longer wobbly.  Let cool; chill.

Serve with creme fraiche or whipped cream.

Best of Bloodroot, Vol. 1 Vegetarian

One-Pot Wonder

As part of the wonderful Hibernate workshop I'm taking, we're discussing one-pot meals today.  I've been reflecting on our favorites--cowboy supper, gumbo, broccoli noodle soup, and various other soups--but my favorite is one that is mainly just for me and Mama, since the kids won't eat lentils:  Pasta e Lenticchie.  Half pasta, half soup, it's a recipe I got from "Molto Mario" years ago.  I don't quite make it his way anymore, with the hot oil sizzle and all the parsley (see here for the original recipe.)  I've played with adding various greens, different seasonings, different kinds of tomatoes (from sauce to diced), even different kinds of pasta, even adding a rind or grating of Parmesan cheese.  All good.  In fact, it's quite versatile.

Pasta e Lenticchie

5 cups water
3/4 cups lentils
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes, with some juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound pasta--pretty much any shape works, though the smaller is better (even broken spaghetti)

1 teaspoon or more Italian seasoning (also, for non-Italian taste, I've used Sweet Curry Powder and Garam Masala, too.)

optional:  I often add greens, either frozen or fresh (kale is a favorite), to equal approximately 1 1/2 cups when cooked (best if it bite-size pieces.)

optional:  Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top after (or cooked with part of the rind)

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a rolling boil, add the lentils, and cook, covered over medium-high heat, until nearly but not entirely tender, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, the olive oil, the tomatoes, the salt and the pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and continue to simmer briskly for another 10 minutes, stirring a few times, or until the lentils are fully tender.

Add greens, either frozen or fresh.

Add pasta. Cook, covered, at a steady simmer, stirring several times and scraping the bottom of the pot when you do. Cook until the pasta is just done, stirring more frequently as it gets closer to the point of being cooked.

When pasta is cooked to taste, add seasonings of choice and serve, perhaps with a garnish of Parmesan cheese.

Mommy Hungry via "Molto Mario" Batali

To-Do Doodles

With rain pouring outside and with a break from crochet, I played with my "to-do list" from the Hibernate workshop AND the art supplies I got for Christmas, doodlling two more versions, using just the main verbs:

What Makes Me Feel Amazing?

I'm taking another wonderful online course with Heather Bruggeman, of Beauty that Moves.  You might recall that I've taken her 30-Day Vegan, Whole Food Kitchen, Summer Camp, and this Hibernate workshop.  I like her intentionality, creativity, and gentleness, which shows through in her social media presence, workshops, and projects.  In turn, her workshops attract a supportive, interesting, mindful group of people.

Today the Hibernate workshop begins and our project is to create a winter to-do list (I won't tell you too much about the class, proprietary as it is, but I think I can post my list.)  I thought of a SARK poster, How to be an Artist, that I've had for years, and a new poster created by Miranda Altshuler of Karen Maezen Miller's 10 Tips for a Mindful Home.  Heather herself made a list and now I've made mine.

I doodled it a bit with the supplies Sis and Bud gave me for Christmas, to reflect on it, sit with it.  This is what I mean:

• Create something--crochet, a meal, a blog post, a doodle
• Learn something--practice piano, ASL, juggle, read a book or the papers (selectively)
• Connect with someone--in person, on the phone, even electronically
• Show some love--hug my kids, kiss my wife, pet my cats
• Help--a neighbor, community, my hospice work, Girl Scout troop, historic house 
• Move--as simple as walking around, or more intentional like the treadmill or swimming
• Meditate--30 minutes, especially listening to Sharon Salzberg cds, or doodling
• Continue a work-in-progress--could be housework, an organizational project, whatever
• Rest and relax--not just sleep at night, but play games, watch movies, what's that Danish word, "hygge?"
• Listen--with compassion and respect and gratitude.

It's a good list, one I've tweaked since writing the original a few years ago, written during another of Heather's workshops (but not, if I recall, as part of it.)  Of course, I rarely get to all of it, but it's a good reminder of what keeps me balanced and, consequently, helps keep our family balanced.