Last-minute gifties

Oh, I've been a bad blogger, leaving this poor little outpost lonely and devoid of attention for so long. What can I say, except that finals are unavoidable and all-consuming. And with vacation following closely on the heels of Christmas, I can say that there will be few posts while I am lounging on a beach far, far away.

Speaking of Christmas, now is the time for last minute gifts, a not-so-favorite tradition of mine. I'm sure you all experience this as well, how quickly the month flies by from Turkey day to New Years. Oy. I'm a big believer in the handmade gift. I love giving and recieving things that have real work and love soaked into them from conception to wrapping, it seems much more in tune with the spirit of the season. And for those of us with very limited financial resources, it is a chance to give a meaningful, thoughtful gift that requires more time than money.

A gift of oneself is always welcome, whatever talents you have, whether it is massage, accounting, nutritional counselling, jewelery making, etc. Last year I made coupons for my family for a knitted item of their choice, and offered suggestions of what I could make (sweaters *not* a possibility). I ended up making something that they have each enjoyed and used throughout the year, and in the color that they picked themselves.

This year I haven't been knitting so much, but have been exploring other options for gifts. Here are a few of my favorites:

FROM THE KITCHEN:

1) Cookies. Everyone loves cookies during the holidays; its one time of year when sugar, butter and wheat abound, diet be damned. Lottie and Doof just finished a great 12 days of cookies, which offers a bunch of beautiful and tasty sounding options. Smitten Kitchen also has beautiful selections like key lime meltaways and crispy salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies. For the gluten-free baker, try looking at recipes from Karina's Kitchen, which has some tasty sounding treats like brown sugar buckwheat thumbprints, and mint chocolate cookies.

2) Candied citrus peel. This is a tradition with me, and it's not at all difficult, only a little time consuming. Feel free to experiment with various citrus, but my favorite is still orange. I tried grapefruit last year with mixed results. I liked it, but it was a little strong flavored for many of my family members. Just be sure to use only organic fruits, as non-organic ones are liberally sprayed with nasty stuff, and the peel is what you will be eating.

3) Jams, jellies, preserves. Use whatever is in season, which right now is pretty much apples and pears. Apple butter is a nice option or pear and ginger jam. Canning is not scary, it's actually really fun. And it makes your whole house smell amazing. Make it nice and pretty by cutting out a square of cloth and putting it under the screw-on part of the lid, over the actual lid.

4) Granola in a pretty jar or cellophane bag. The ingredients are fairly inexpensive and the process is pretty easy. You can make it however you like it, but I've been dying to try this recipe here.

KNITTING:

1) Hats. Once you get the hang of knitting in the round, basic hats are a breeze. Knitty has some great free patterns for lots of things, and here is the index for hats.

2) Fingerless gloves are quick and fun to make. This is a really great pattern for women, and this one is it's mate for guys.

3) Scarves.

4) Hot water bottle cover. I'm one of those people who are always cold, even when it's 70 degrees and sunny out, so I love hot water bottles. And because I am, well, kind of strange, I love these way more than heating pads. You don't really need a pattern, just knit a rectangle large enough to fold in half that will enclose the water bottle and stitch up the sides. For the opening, you can either knit a cuff, which I like, or close it with buttons or ribbons to let the bottle in and out. Here is a nice pattern.

SEWING:

1) Pretty pillowcases. Especially flannel. I can't embroider, but if I could, I would do initials.

2) Microwavable pillow. Can you see the pattern of things to ward off cold? This one is easy and fun, you can get all creative and stuff with it. Just make a pillow of any size or shape (square is easiest) out of muslin and sew up all sides but for a small opening. With a funnel, pour a mixture of rice, buckwheat hulls, flax seeds and/or herbs like lavender and rose petals into the opening. Sew shut. Make a fuzzy or soft cover that is easily removable. Make sure not to microwave the cover, as it can melt if its made out of polartec fleece or polyester, that's why we like the muslin for the actual pillow.

3) Kitchen stuff, like placemats, hand towels, napkins can all make nice heirloom gifts, especially when you choose nice fabric that suit the personality of the reciever. Or monogram them to really personalize them.

MISCELLANEOUS:

1) Bath salts. Mix together epsom salts, sea salt and a wee bit of baking soda with some essential oils if you have them; dried lavender or rose petals or lemon peel if you don't. Lavender bath salts are a lovely and relaxing choice. If you want to make it more moisturizing, add a small amount of jojoba, almond or olive oil, but be careful as this addition will make the tub slippery.

2) Wordle. Put together some well-thought out words about the ones you love and they will arrange them beautifully into custom artwork. I love this.

3) Locally grown tea. If you happen to grow your own herbs, these can be mixed into a nice herbal tea that you can package in a jar or tin to gift. Mints, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lavender, rose hips, lemon peel, chamomile all make good tea herbs. You can even buy heat-sealable tea bags to make them professional looking.

And that's about all I've got. Hope it helps you all to have a fun, crafty, old-timey holiday season filled with the spirit of giving and gratitude. Blessings to all of you.

The Crisp that Stole Thanksgiving (backup vocals by pumpkin pie bars)

For Thanksgiving, my mom and I were in charge of desserts. Oh, what a task. Having to be around sugar and butter and chocolate... well, someone's gotta do it. I don't bake very often, and I work very hard to avoid anything resembling pastry dough. For some reason I just don't make it. It seems like a lot of work to me, but that's probably because I don't do it often enough. Hmm. I think I may have made pie crusts once or twice but my aversion is so strong that I'm sure my lack of definate memory has to do with the traumatic failure of said crust. Therefore, my mom got pie duty. Pecan pie, to be exact. We don't cook with corn syrup, so she substituted brown rice syrup, sucanat and a wee bit of molasses for sticky sweet stuff. I was a little wary at first, but it turned out even better than your typical pecan pie, partly because I wasn't prying sticky gluey nuts out of my teeth for hours. And there was whipped cream. Of course. Because you just can't have pie without whipped cream.

I did the pumpkin pie. Now, you may ask how someone so pathologically adverse to pie crusts winds up making pumpkin pies. Easily, I would answer. Just turn them into pumpkin pie bars. Aha! A month or so ago, I stumbled across a recipe for pumpkin pie bars with an oatmeal cookie crust and did a test run. You know, just to make sure I wouldn't feed my lovely family some inedible leaden mush. Not becuase I would enjoy them. Nope. And if Mr. Seasonality tells you that I ate almost the entire pan myself after yanking it out of his hands, ignore him. Best of all, I think, they can so easily be made gluten free! Not many desserts will do that for you.

Then, I thought that perhaps there should be a third dessert just to have options. Because even though I don't understand it, there are some people out there who don't like pecan pie or pumpin pie. So I decided to do something easy and quickly put together, but that wouldn't steal the show from the pies, and ended up with an apple cranberry and orange crisp to keep things festive. To my amazement, the crisp ended up being the favorite dessert of the evening. Not only tasty, but because it is fruit, it's easier to trick myself into thinking that I'm actually being healthy! I chose to sweeten the filling with agave syrup, but you could easily substitute with honey or maple syrup. Or plain sugar, but increase the orange juice.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Adapted from the recipe found on Framed which was adapted from the recipe by Joy the Baker.

Pre-heat your oven to 350. Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper or just grease and dust with flour.

For the crust, cream together:

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix in:

1 cup oat flour

1/3 cup millet flour (or use any combination of flours you want to make a total of 1 1/3 cups)

1 cup oats (not instant oats)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Pat the mixture into the pan and bake for 15 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, for the filling, beat lightly:

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Add and whisk well until there are no lumps:

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tblsp pumpkin pie spice (I used a mix of cinnamon, allspice, cardemom and ginger)

Mix in:

1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (or if you have it, homemade pumpkin puree)

Pour over the cookie crust and sprinkle over the top:

Chocolate chips- as much as you want

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool. Cut into squares. Devour.

Apple Cranberry Orange Crisp

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

For the crispy topping:

¼ c brown sugar

¾ cup sugar

1 cup oat flour

1 cup millet flour

¾ c oats

6 tblsp butter

1 tsp almond extract

For the filling:

16 oz cranberries

6 or so apples, peeled, cored and chopped into bits (I used fuji apples)

1/2 c dried cranberries

zest of 2 valencia oranges

juice of ½ orange

3/4 c agave syrup (taste the mixture and sweeten more if needed)

1 tblsp cinnamon

Pour filling into a 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling juices get thick and bubbly. Eat with lots of whipped cream.

Giving Thanks

I'm sure Thanksgiving is a tumultuous time for all of us, what with the family and food and all the issues that come with those two loaded topics. I love this time of year, not only because of the time I get off school, but because I get to spend time with my family and get to cook massive amounts of my favorite kinds of food. But, like so many, I am conflicted. To me, it seems that this holiday, which originated as a harvest festival of sorts, has devolved into one of the most celebrated consumer gluts of all time. It is a holiday that urges us to not only eat, but also to shop; the day after Thanksgiving is the single biggest shopping day of the year. I love my family and I love food, but I'm not quite sure about this holiday.

I admit that my love-hate relationship with T-day has a large portion of guilt measured out like a spoonful of week-old mashed potatoes. I have a hard time celebrating the day that the pilgrims had their huge feast giving thanks for surviving and thriving in the New World. Why? Well, while this holiday is symbolic of the comraderie between the pilgrims and the Native Americans, we all know what happened after that. I believe genocide is not an exaggerated term here. So it feels false to me to celebrate this partnership, when it seems to me that my ancestors took advantage of the Native Americans and then betrayed that friendship. Or at least hospitality. And, yeah, I had some ancestors there, so it's kinda personal to me.

Guilt, gluttony and family dynamics. Fun.

In the Five Element style of acupuncture, it seems to me that these core issues of the holiday revolve around the element of Earth. Earth is all about giving and recieving, nourishing, sympathy, mothering, and the idea of home. There's more, obviously. It also has to do with obsession, smothering, need for sympathy from others, the victim complex, over eating or denial of nourishment, cyclical patterns that are unconsciously perpetuated, overthinking. The attitude or virtue that can cut through the cyclical sympathy of Earth is simply.... gratitude. There is a fantastic scene in the movie "Joe Vs. the Volcano", where Joe is in the middle of the ocean on a tiny raft and out of the black sea, an impossibly full moon rises over him. He stands on his raft, dehydrated and delirious, arms stretched overhead towards the hugely glowing orb, and says, "thank you for my life. I had no idea how big... Thank you for my life". In the presence of such beauty that it stops us in our tracks, it is both humbling and centering. Gratitute opens us to the blessings of the present moment. That is how I feel in the presence of my family. So in this season of Earth-type pitfalls for me, I am grateful for my family, friends and partner, whom I love without end. I am grateful for my life.

I find it interesting that the very pitfalls of this holiday hold within it the essence of it's grace. So let us give thanks.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Sage and Gorgonzola

What does one eat in the winter? One of my focuses is on local food, which really can't help but be seasonal. Which means no tomatoes or peaches these days. One of my very favorite books, Animal Vegetable Miracle, is all about local eating and growing. I read it at least once a year for inspiration. I was so struck by the concept of denying myself the foods which are not local or seasonal, building up the anticipation for their final arrival so that I can truly appreciate and luxuriate in their quality and freshness.

So I've been trying to eat more locally, easy in the summer and fall, and a wee bit more challenging in winter. My garden right now is looking pretty sad. The tomatoes are blackened skeletons dangling rotten and rock-hard green fruit (like the ones harvested for travel). The one zucchini plant that actually thrived in the fog-shrouded summer has given up the ghost. The beans are yellowing and are putting out flowers, but pollenation is a sorry business at this time of year and new beans wither on the vine. Summer is long gone. No more tomatoes for me. I will wait patiently and munch on the dehydrated slices we put up over the summer when the round sweet red and purple and gold fruits covered every surface in the kitchen, and build up my anticipation.

What does one eat right now? Think about Thanksgiving, most of those are seasonal. Winter squashes make an almost nightly appearance on my table. As squashes, they need to be grown in warm, sunny, summery weather, but can keep for months. Greens can be grown all year, especially with the help of coldframes in heavy wintery climates. Kale, collards and brussels sprouts are even improved with frost, which makes them tender and sweet. Last year I planted peas in January or February and was surprised at how they grew stronger and faster in cold weather than in warm. Since I'm partly Irish, I've gotta give my love to potatoes as a winter veggie. I think I could eat potatoes every day. Fried, mashed, baked, stuffed, granineed, layered in a casserole or quiche. Yum. And they are so affordable! All the root veggies are in season or can be preserved to be eaten in winter when little else is available. In California, we have an abundance of lemons right now, especially the incomparable Meyer. Consequently, my meals have been loaded with cruciferous veggies (see the previous post), squash, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, apples, pears, nuts, cheese and bread. Because that's what's plentiful right now.

My new favorite recipe is for butternut squash risotto, which I made for Z.'s birthday. It was not only a hit with the ladies; even Mr. Seasonality liked it! It is savory, slightly sweet and is a really elegant vegetarian option for a main course that is quite filling.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Fresh Sage and Gorgonzola

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 small shallot, minced

1 1/2 tblsp olive oil

1 c Arborio rice

1/4 c white wine

6 c stock or broth (I like Imagine's No Chicken-Broth or Free Range Chicken Broth)

20-30 leaves of fresh sage, finely chopped

1/4 c crumbled

salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. On a greased baking sheet or parchment covered sheet, bake the squash for 15-20 minutes or until tender. In a small pot, heat the stock on medium-low, keeping it hot at a very low simmer. While squash is baking, heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for a minute or until shallots are transluscent and soft. Stir in the rice, coating the rice grains with the oil and toasting them lightly. Add the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Ladle about a cup of broth into the rice and stir until liquid is absorbed. Keep doing that, stirring small amounts of broth into the rice until it is fairly dry. When you have about 1 or 2 cups of liquid left, add the roasted butternut squash and chopped sage into the rice and stir around. The squash should melt into the rice slightly, but still generally retain it's shape and tenderness. It shouldn't disappear completely. Add the last of the liquid to finish cooking the rice. The rice should be tender and cooked through, but I find risotto to be best when slightly al dente. Finish the dish by stirring in the gorgonzola and serve hot. Top with more gorgonzola if you so desire.

I heart Brassicae

I would now like to expound on my current love affair with the Brassicae family of vegetables. Many (including Mr. Seasonality) loathe these fair tasties, through no fault of their own. These are not the easiest of the vegetable kingdom to love. Not like, say, a vine ripened Purple Cherokee tomato, or even Rosa Bianca eggplant which are seductively showy with their shiny come-hither skin and fruity, juicy tastes that explode summeriness into your eager mouth. No, Brassicae take some effort to love. But, as a recent convert, I can say with utter surity that it is well worth the effort.

The Brassicae family is also known as the cabbage or Cruciferae family, but are actually all related to mustards. They are so named because their leaves on the flowering stem form a cross- crus. This family includes broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, turnips, rutebegas, kohlrabi and probably others that I've never tasted. Ok, I haven't tried kohlrabi yet, but I will. When I get the guts to taste something that looks like a baseball wrapped in a dirty sock. But I used to hate Brussels sprouts with a passion usually reserved for one's nemesis(es) and now they have become my favorite veggie. What happened? Bacon happened. I am now not only convinced of the magic powers of bacon to transform anything into savory deliciousness, but my eyes have been opened to the joys of cabbages.

Cruciferae are some of the most healthy veggies one could ask for on a plate. They have significant quantities of vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, calcium, vitamin A (especially kale, which boasts a whopping 5963 IU per cup!). And the all important substance- fiber. More about that another time. The really neat thing about these veggies is that they are being studied for their anti-cancer qualities. The phytochemicals that turn them pretty colors are also the ones that make them anti-oxidants, which means they chase the big bad free-radicals out of your body. These guys may also help the body metabolize estrogens, which may help to prevent breast cancer. No proof yet though, so for now I'm eating 'em 'cause I likes 'em.

Note that if you have thyroid issues, you may want to limit your intake of cruciferous veggies as they have an enzyme which inhibits iodine from binding to thyroid hormone. From what I've read this only happens at high intake and if not cooked well (they say under 30 minutes). Because these veggies do have a nice vitamin K content, if you have clotting factor problems or are on coumadin, these guys are off limits for you, sorry.

You don't need bacon to unlock the delights of the cruciferous veggies (though it really only makes things that much better), just something to balance their strong, bold, often sulfuric flavor. Here are my suggestions that have become standbys for me in recent weeks. I will add recipes as I can. If you have one that you would really, really like to try now, let me know and I'll post the recipe as soon as I can.

Savoy cabbage braised with leeks and fennel and tossed in Meyer lemon tarragon butter

Sweet and sour red cabbage with lentils

Cauliflower curry soup with red lentils

Cauliflower and brussels sprouts with lemony mustard caper sauce

Brussels sprouts browned in butter with orange honey glaze

Brussels sprouts browned in butter with gorgonzola

or with bacon and a squeeze of lemon (the dish that turned me)

Braised kale with white beans and pasta (gluten-free in my case)

Falling into Winter

In autumn, the Nei Jing says (I'm approximating here), the Yang is being stored. In winter, the Yang is hiding. It basically tells us that in the fall, we should guard our energy well and in the winter we should hibernate. Not do a lot of exercise, eat warm stuff, sleep lots. Sounds good to me.

So when do we know that winter has arrived and autumn has left the building? In a place like California it becomes particularly difficult to tell. Normally, in sane climates, winter's arrival would be heralded by entrance into snow season- not just the first snowfall, but maybe the second one, when the deep silence of winter descends and envelops the world in perfect stillness and darkness. Difficult to tell in coastal Cali. Except on a day like today, when waking up and getting out from under the down comforter is just not a happy thing. There was actual frost on the neighbor's roof. But the leaves have barely turned, and the storm season hasn't started yet, which here is the real start of winter. I miss snow. Sigh.

But a girl can pretend, so I've been satisfying my winter cravings with lots of cozy foods (and the wearing of long underwear) and breaking out my handmade mittens and down jacket. You all may think I'm a wimp, but I'm just nostalgic. And Yang deficient :) Which means I'm allowed to wear long underwear and a ski cap when it's 62 degrees out. And cook soup. And go to bed at 8 o'clock. Ok, when did I turn 80? Seriously, though, this is all preserving my Yang.

Now is the time, especially with sick people everywhere, to support your Yang, your vital energy that is the root of warmth, circulation and the function of all your organs and boost its capability to maintain your Wei Qi or defensive level. Which is just like what it sounds. Wei Qi is the energetic function of keeping invaders out of your wonderful temple of a body. And it needs Yang. So before you even start feeling the sniffles coming, if you are run down (and really, who isn't?) and tired (ditto), then love those hot soups y'all. With ginger. And curry. And Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan. Ok, maybe just take the last one in pill form. If you do tend to catch colds pretty easily and often and generally have low energy, consider taking Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Screen) to boost your Wei Qi. What are your favorite foods to warm you up? Are you a soup fan or not so much? And how are you keeping your immune system strong?

So what I've been cooking lately is . . . wait for it . . . soup! Here is my most recent one; it is surprisingly filling and comforting and core-warming. Oh, and sorry for the measurement approximations. I'll try to get more exact.

Three Sisters Soup

A combination of creamy, sweet Kabocha squash with black beans and sweet corn spiced with cumin and fire-roasted green chiles. Note: I've taken all the short cuts I possibly can, but if you want to cook up some black beans from scratch, this will taste just that much better. Likewise for the chiles.

1 winter squash, around 2 lbs

1 onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced or crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tblsp cumin seed and powder

1-2 cans of organic black beans

1 1/2 cups of corn kernels (mine were frozen, but again, fresh is always best)

1 small can of fire-roasted chiles

3 or 4 cups of broth, whichever kind you prefer

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Roast the squash: first cut it in half, then place the halves face down on an oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until you can pierce it without resistance with a sharp knife. Let cool a bit.

Heat the oil in a soup pot on medium and add as much cumin seed as you'd like. I like around 4 shakes from the container, which is probably close to a tablespoon or two. Let the seeds get toasty and add about 1 tsp of cumin powder. Add the chopped onion and cook until the onions are soft and getting transluscent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the black beans and chiles and coat them with the spicy oil. Add the broth. Now scoop out the soft orange innards of the roasted squash and stir into the soup until there arn't any lumps left. Unless you like the lumps. Bring everything to a low simmer and add the corn. Cook for a couple minutes, just until the corn in done. Fin.

I like to garnish mine with cilantro and feta cheese, but queso blanco or sour cream would be tasty too.