coast to coast

~photos by Toby~

This has been a year of of change. Change that happens, change that looms, change that's contemplated. Some exciting, some difficult, some disheartening. People gone, excitement that fades, but also new ideas that spark and burn bright, new journeys begun. The connective tissues of life... tested, stretched, broken at times.

Change. Isn't there a song?

Tonight, we had my youngest brother Max over for a farewell dinner. It was like any other: we gathered, played with Jacky, who danced around in his diaper and played peek-a-boo and talked about kitties and tools and kisses... then we ate and talked. And then Max started his van up and coaxed it up over our hill for the last time... for a good while. In a couple days, he'll point that van onto the highway and drive to the other side of the country. For a bright, shining new chapter in his already interesting life.

We've lived in the same adopted city for a long, long time. I remember helping him move into the dorms at college up here, and I was both excited for him and astounded that my "baby" brother--who we joke I still sometimes think of as 4; he's almost 30--was making such a big, important step. 

Tonight, I'm having deja vu all over again. Only I'm not helping him find his dorm room, I'm waving good-bye as he heads off down a road that I can't really make out from my vantage point. It's a path that he'll have to discover for himself.

I hugged him tightly and thought about the excitement of a cross-country drive, which I've always wanted to do. I thought of the lure of living in other cities, which once captivated me. I was excited for him. I am excited for him. I told him not goodbye but that I'll see you soon.

I wished him a safe journey, and that he would find what ever his heart yearns for in New York. I smiled as he walked down our steps. And then I cried as he drove away.

things I learned on saturday night

~sister-in-law Tory, moi & Toby~

1. Where exactly all my jewelry has been hiding. (basement)
2. We can hire somebody to come to our home to watch our sleeping child while we leave and go somewhere else! (thank you excellent nanny)
3. Wearing heels and a dress can be an event in itself. (pre-pregnancy Marimekko dress and gray heels -- hooray!)
4. Dancing to silly pop songs I've never heard of can be fun. (it's still dancing after all)
5. It takes me days now to catch up on missed sleep. (worth it)
6. All weddings should have photo booths!

ta-da--i baked bread!

~European Peasant Boule~

You know when you buy a cookbook and you're REALLY excited about it, can't wait to get started, read it cover to cover in bed? And then you get sidetracked or intimidated or some other book arrives?

Well, let's just say that the loaf of bread you see above was a long time coming. I think I bought Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day ages ago, before we moved houses. Perhaps even while Jacky's biggest activity was Tummy Time. Long time coming.

Since buying it, it seemed to me that everyone was already cooking out of this book. And I was still eyeing it, thinking that baking really good bread was going to be a big pain in the behind. Yeah, somehow "5 minutes" seemed complicated.

Well. If you also own this book or are thinking of getting it, just do it. Go on, start cooking! It's so easy and the bread is so good.

PS: There's also a healthy new installment.

summer falls into autumn

So, it's been a weird summer. Understatement, huh? And, with our usual Indian summer, who knows if it's over? We probably have a couple more scorchers in store, book-ended by cool fog.

But, one thing's for sure: the light has changed. It feels a bit like Fall out there... the light is a little sideways, the air is a little crisper. I get incense whiffs of fireplaces outside. And, I've been eyeing my nubby sweaters and favorite tall boots. It's a little too soon for some of that (see above about Fall heatwaves), but the garden is marching forward. It's in transition. Our first harvest season has begun.

Summer artichokes, from outdoors to in:

Cucumber (and squash) patch... from sprawling vines to brine:

blackberry patch: snacking & freezing

sunflower giants: from skyward-bound to bird snacks

and, baby Delicata squashes...

and bee balm...

make an unlikely mantel: summer flowers and winter squashes. 

I love Fall.

summer, finally

morning :: frolic & forage

noon :: sandy toes

night :: garden to table

the garlic cure

Recently, garlic killed my cold. Seriously. When you get that itchy, tickly feeling in the back of your throat, what do you reach for? I've tried Zicam and other stuff... or just ignoring it and then suffering for a few days... but I recently read that raw garlic stimulates an immune system response which turns the jets on the cold bugs. And this "medicine" is probably sitting on your kitchen counter. Sounds pretty good, eh? 

People I tell you: raw garlic WORKS. I've tried it a couple of times, first on mild cases and more recently on a stronger bug caught from Jacky. Knocked it right out by the next morning, no TheraFlu required (though I love that stuff). Which was great, considering my to-do list at work was horrifying.

So, how to take it? Well, you have to mince the garlic, and just about one small clove will do. One time, I ate it straight, all at once, and nearly puked (and I really, REALLY like garlic). I've had more success putting it on a cracker, sometimes even topped with soft cheese. Last time, having no soft cheese on hand, I plopped on some Greek yogurt. Worked great.

Next time you feel "the tickle", try garlic! Or maybe you already do this? I'd be curious to know how it works for others. 

lovely sunday lunch

This past weekend was a bit of a girls-only weekend. Toby went up to Tahoe for a ritualized type of weekend wherein men gather to celebrate the impending nuptials of another man. Yeah, you know what I mean. (They seem to have mostly behaved.) And yeah, Jacky is a boy and was indeed home with me, but I declared it a Girl Weekend. Whee!

What does that entail, when you're 36 years old and have a toddler who keeps to an early bedtime? Nothing too crazy, more like catching up on some of my favorite things: cooking and chatting with a great girlfriend, drinking interesting wine (sparkling red), watching (and reciting, and giggling at) Pride and Prejudice (BBC version, not recent movie), sipping milky tea, lots of reading, a trip to the very busy Saturday Farmers Market (Toby hates crowds), and foggy walks in the canyon... also, some serious cleaning (random). 

And cooking a special lunch.



When I learned Toby would be leaving town for the weekend, one of the first things I whispered to myself was, "RISOTTO." It's not that he doesn't like it. I'm not sure what could possess him, but he claims to be a little "meh" about this lovely dish. Yeah, it might be totally 90s, but... Gah, I LOVE risotto. The prepping, the stirring, the unctuous yumminess of it. The fact that you can throw just about anything in it... after all, it takes quite a lot to mess up vegetables, rice, cheese and butter.

This time it was a foggy summer garden risotto: baby summer squash, leeks, tiny tomatoes and herbs. I've made a lot of risottos, and I can honestly say this was the absolute best one I've ever made, and not just because I pulled up and washed soil off all the produce. Risotto demands that you pay attention: yes, stirring but also observing the texture, plus a bit of tasting. Things just clicked this weekend.

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Foggy Summer Garden Risotto

makes 2-4 portions, depending on your appetite*

4 - 4.5 c. good chicken stock

3 T. olive oil, divided

4-6 baby sunburst summer squash, cubed

2 small leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced, with white and light green parts separated from dark green

1 c. arborio rice

1 glug of dry vermouth

small handful of cherry/pear tomatoes, diced

2 T. unsalted butter

sea salt and black pepper

2 T. chopped chives

1 T. picked thyme leaves

big handful of grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

:: Heat chicken stock to a bare simmer in a medium pot to the rear of the stove. Have a ladle ready. Be content to spend some quality time with your stove (this is a good thing!).

:: In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add squash and a pinch sea salt and pepper. Sautée until slightly softened. Add white and light green leek slices and sautée further until mixture is softened but not browned. Reserve to a bowl.

:: Wipe any squash or leek bits from pot. Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add rice and stir constantly until slightly translucent and grains make a sound like glass beads in the pot. Add a good glug of vermouth and stir until evaporated.

:: Using ladle, tip in a 1/2 c or so of the hot stock and stir constantly until almost absorbed. Continue doing so until 2 or 3 ladles of stock remain to be added. At this point, add the squash/leek mixture back to the risotto, as well as half of the tomatoes and 1/3 of the dark green leek slices. Continue adding remaining stock.

:: When final ladle of stock is almost absorbed (check rice along the way for al dente doneness--if it's not perfect, keep adding more hot stock), stir in half of the remaining dark green leek slices, plus the butter and most of the herbs (reserve some for garnish). Stir in most of the parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

:: Check the texture: it should be oozy, wanting to lazily spread on a plate with each grain suspended in a buffer of liquid, without being either soupy or sticky. Add tiny bits of stock or butter as needed to thin, or keep cooking to thicken. 

:: Spoon onto warm plates. Garnish with remaining tomatoes, leek slices, herbs, more cheese and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil and more salt and pepper. Serve immediately -- risotto is best right away!

* The quantity can easily be doubled per this ratio: 2 c. rice + 7-8 c. stock. Adjust quantity of produce and seasonings accordingly.

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SO, what about you? Risotto: yummy or meh?