Turn, Turn, Turn

I tease my sweet boyfriend a lot for being such a slave to ritual: making sure his email inbox is clear by the end of the night, having to have his breakfast every morning, having to curl up and watch at least one TV show before bed.

He’s on to something good, though.

I generally like to think of myself as a fairly spontaneous person, but I continue to surprise myself with an appreciation for everything related to repetition. I’m craving real seasons (something not abundant in Austin), the school year calendar that I grew up with,  and so on.

My favorite way to connect to a cycle? Seasonal food.

I have been trying to keep pace with the seasons in my kitchen. Here are pictures of the confections and concoctions that I’ve made up in the past few months.

Roasted Chicken, Summer Veggies, and Grapes with Basil Pesto

I made this roasted chicken as an indulgent way to savor the last fresh basil of the summer.

Almond Flavored Cupcakes with Peach Almond Butter Cream

I made these moist, super delicate cupcakes for the Open House that I planned for our volunteers and community members. I definitely wanted to celebrate the last summer batch of sweet peaches, and nothing complements peaches better than stone fruit flavor!

Chocolate French Macarons with Orange Blossom Water Butter Cream

This was my second attempt at these airy treats. I think I had beginner’s luck the first time on the execution of the notoriously difficult technique , as these guys weren’t perfect. Check out David Lebovitz’s basically fool proof recipe for the little guys here.

Also: these were a vehicle for orange blossom water butter cream laced with fresh ground cinnamon. MMMMM.

Delicious Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. With Grilled Cheese, of Course.

 I didn’t want to let go of summer on the chilly weekend that inspired this comforting meal–hence the roasted red bell peppers and basil.

A Torte-like Red Wine Chocolate Cake

There’s something about tannin flavors that scream cozy, warm, fall-like weather to me. This Red Wine Chocolate Cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen will knock your socks off, and it gets better with age. It’s the perfect way to finish off that bottle of wine you didn’t quite finish at dinner last night.

What are your favorite seasonal foods? What food do you bite into and automatically feel wrapped in the world of the season it is harvested in? Feel free to share a seasonal recipe in the comments!

 

Tags: chocolate, cycles, favorites, pesto, recipies, repetition, seasons, sharing, tannin, wine

Back to Back

After much ado, and much delay…

Cupcake Hat

We all have foibles. One of mine is starting a project and not following through with it. I am a woman of ceaseless interests, and I get side tracked easily.

One of the wonderful things that has been taking up my time is my new job as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Theatre Action Project.

I started this blog in the middle of the summer, right before beginning an epic trek across the United States to Memphis, then to our nation’s capital for Independence Day, back to Memphis, then back to Austin.

In the course of that time I interviewed for two jobs and got both of them. I was so lucky.  One rendered me a frustrated, albeit paid, cog in a super store chain at the busiest time of their fiscal year. The other landed me with Theatre Action Project, a small arts non-profit based in Austin.

This weekend marks three months since I made my first trip to Colorado for PSO training, and this week will mark three months as the Community Relations VISTA. In that time I’ve been so lucky to join a warm, committed, passionate team of people who genuinely believe that the arts are necessary in the lives of children, and that we can all become better people through exploration of creativity.

My job feeds my soul. I get to create. I get to coordinate volunteers to make a difference. I get to come home satisfied. I feel inspired again for the first time in some time.

When you’re in a good place, bad habits can be battled. Here’s to commitment, to persistence, and to getting around to the things we love.

Tags: foibles, job, learning, persistence, Theatre Action Project, travel, VISTA, volunteer

The Zen of an Empty Fridge

Waste.

We all do it. Guilty. Caught.

Luckily, we’re all becoming more aware of how to stop ourselves in our tracks.

One thing that really gets a bee in my bonnet? Seeing people throw uneaten food away. Granted, I’m occasionally guilty, too. I hate when I make my fried rice too oily to bear eating more than once, or when a baking project goes so wrong that I have no way to salvage it. I hate. Throwing. Food. Away.

The solution? Keep a (relatively) empty fridge.

I have lived the past year as an AmeriCorps member on a rather modest stipend.  I could breathe a little easier about food security by feeding myself with about $200 of Food Stamps benefits per month. The concept of government food aid gives many people the heebie geebies, but that’s for another post and another time. One thing that’s certain about subsisting on food stamps is that your eyes are opened to the world of food insecurity, what calories are more holistic, and just how terrible it is to waste any scrap of food that you have. Eliminating this costly waste of fresh fruits, vegetables and meat is made easier by only buying what I need, when I need it–save a few staples like eggs, milk and bread.

Here’s what magically happens when you have less in your fridge:

• Creativity is spurned. Only have four ingredients around? Throw some of them together with a few staples like caramelized garlic, onions, and some good olive oil. You’ll surprise yourself!
• What you eat is fresher–and healthier. The longer those “fresh” fruits and veggies chill in your crisper, the more delicious nutrients they’re losing. Now why would you want that?
• You’re challenged to diversify your diet. Sure, it might not be as fun to eat leftovers for a few meals. Being sick of that quinoa salad will really make you dream of chicken parmigiana or your mom’s best dish that you haven’t had in a while.
• You’re forced to be a smarter shopper at the grocery store, and a more local shopper. Having to go to the store or the farmer’s market 3-5 times a week makes you consider where your food is coming from, as well as how easily you can get to it.
• Most importantly, you won’t waste nearly as much precious food. According to this pretty basic breakdown of food waste collected in America by the EPA, food waste is only second in our landfills to the paper and paperboard that some of our more processed meals are delivered in.

While the health department in your local town will probably say a big n-o to donating your uneaten leftovers to the needy man you passed on your way to work, you can eat least do your part to eliminate food waste by taking only what you need and will eat from the grocery store each time you go.

Less food waste, more food zen.

Po-tay-toe, Po-tah-toe

“One of these days you’re going to turn into a chicken nugget. Or a french fry. Or a potato chip.”

–The Wise Words of My Mother

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I might have flown the coop, but I certainly haven’t become a hen.

A potato? That might still be in the works.

Fate’s all in the drop of a hat, right?

I’ve been pretty lucky with fate thus far. I have a wacky mom that lends me all sorts of colorful inspiration and tells me I will turn into an inanimate object, a hell of a grandmother who has always been my rock, a sister to always challenge me, and a whole mess of other amazing individuals that make my life vibrant.

While Fate could take a turn for the worst and turn me into a potato, a la Gregor Samsa…I could at least take breaks from contemplating the number of buds growing on my new brown, rough skin by remembering the many lovely places I’ve been to and people I have seen.

Happy Place #1? Rome.

Happy Food #1? Potato Pizza

Yep. You heard that right. Pizza. With potatoes. I would say carb watchers be damned, but that just wouldn’t be very nice, now would it? They’ll just have to have a smaller share than the rest of  us!

This is my somewhat successful attempt at creating a favorite from my study abroad stint in Rome, Italy. I happened upon potato pizza one stressful Wednesday night and the legacy of my potato addiction was justified. Grazie mille, bella Roma. 

Pizza Patate (adapted from a Jim Lahey recipe)

1 Ball Whole Wheat Pizza Dough*

1 Large Bowl of Lukewarm Water

4 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

1 lb. Miniature Potatoes, Skin On (Yukon Gold, Red, or Purple–your choice, or mix them up!)

1/2 Onion, Diced

1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper, Give or Take

1/2 Olive Oil, Or More to Your Preference

6 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, more to garnish

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. The hotter the oven, the better the pizza! 

Combine salt and water in a large bowl until salt has dissolved. Use a very sharp chef’s knife or mandoline to cut potatoes very thinly (we’re talking transparent thin, or less than 1/16th an inch–great knife skills practice!). Immerse potato rounds in the salt water mixture immediately upon cutting. Once they are all sliced, allow potatoes to brine for an hour. This can be done for longer, but allow for an hour.

In the mean time, prepare your dough on your cooking surface. I used whole wheat pizza dough from Whole Foods. If you bat your eyelashes at the pizza boys, they will throw a ball of the dough in a box and put a price tag on it for you. I drizzled mine with a little olive oil, sprinkled my work surface with some flour, and pressed my dough into a large rectangle.

Once your dough is spread and has rested for a bit (an hour!), remove your potatoes and drain them in a colander, making sure to remove as much moisture as possible by pressing firmly with your hands. Pat dry, then return to the empty bowl. Toss potatoes and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper. Also–do not worry about the olive oil! There is a lot…that is spread out over many servings. It’s a good fat, too!

Spread the potato and onion mixture over your prepared dough, and sprinkle with rosemary leaves. 

Bake your pizza for 20-35 minutes. “But, that’s such a large window of time,” you say! This is because all ovens vary in calibration. It’s better to be vigilant and have a perfect, golden brown pizza than to have a burned, sad pile of inedibles! Once you remove your masterpiece, sprinkle with more fresh rosemary, and leave a few whole sprigs for garnishing your plates. Your dinner mates will thank you for the extra intensity of scent!

Slice. Savor. Save any you might have left (hah!) and store cold or at room temperature, and repeat. 

If I ever turn into a potato, first try to turn me back into a human. If that doesn’t work, I give you permission to turn me into this pizza, and enjoy.

That is all.

Starting Here

Victual - n., victuals, food supplies; provisions. v., to provide with food.

Sense – n., any of the faculties, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, by which humans or animals perceive internal or external stimuli. v. to grasp the meaning of; understand.

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Welcome to Victual Sense.

Food traditionally makes up a minimum of three parts of our lives, each and every day. One might point out that some love breakfast more than others. Some never eat breakfast. Some never eat breakfast because they have no choice to, either from scarcity or because their busy lives do not allow them to prepare the food. Sometimes breakfast is coffee and a cigarette.

Victual Sense is a place to explore the diverse relationships that we each have with our food, as our breakfast-oriented friends in the example above illustrate.

Some of us, like myself, live for the meal they’ll cook for dinner as an expression of passion. There will be posts for that.

Some of us struggle to receive the proper nutrition, for sundry reasons. There will be posts about that.

Some of us wear our food (*cough* Lady Gaga *cough*). There will beposts about that.

Bottom line? Victual Sense is here to examine recipes, food metaculture, cooking passion, technique, and new-found thrills in gastronomy and beyond.

Cin cin, friends.