use real butter

Congratulations to Reema T. Bhakta! You’ve won the Menu for Hope raffle for the prize offered here on Use Real Butter! If you are Reema, you need to send me an email so we can discuss your choice of prize and where the heck you are so I can ship it to your hot little hands pronto! Thanks to everyone else who bid for such a terrific cause. If you really had your heart set on a print, drop me a line and we can make arrangements.

This morning a kind, portly dude knocked on the door at 7:55. I was in my bike shorts, ready to ride for an hour because these guys weren’t scheduled to arrive until 10 am to 2 pm. But here they were, not necessarily bright-eyed and bushy-tailed either. It was snowing, and the fellows in Denver aren’t too keen on the lovely mountain weather I cherish.

from my office perch - the snow conditions

The package is a new treadmill I’ve been contemplating for several years now. We found a great deal on a heavy duty model because I can’t stand those little flimsy wimpy home-version treadmills that fall apart the minute you hit a decent clip. I want to run, not jog on my treadmill. I’m a big fan of the commercial treadmills at gyms, but my doc advised me to keep away from public gyms for a while. So this is what we have. It rounds out my personal gym nicely. I call it my gym because Jeremy’s too tall for my bike frame and he’s rowed all of 15 minutes on my rower, ever. He tells me he will run on the treadmill. Yeah, whatever ;)

floor plan

Pardon the mess. Not sure where to put the bike. I like to look out the window when I ride because we don’t own a brain rot box (tv). The beauty of the rower and the treadmill is that they can both be folded and moved. Anyway, the treadmill is downstairs because the delivery guys looked scared when I said I planned to put it on the second floor. I let them off the hook and told them Jeremy and I would move it ourselves - all 280 pounds of it. They were like, “you?”. Yeah guys, me - strong as a horse. I’m so stoked! Now I can enjoy my favorite season AND run, bike, row, which ice, wind, and freezing temps render practically impossible outside.

It really is soup weather here and I finally got around to making a soup I love. There is no good reason why I haven’t cooked much with lentils other than I never knew what lentils were until I went to college. Lately, I’ve seen pictures of lentil dishes and I find myself craving lentils. What’s up with that?

green lentils, green french lentils

I am lentil stupid, as in I have never gone and bought them from the bulk section. I knew I needed green lentils. I found lentils that looked green. Turns out those were green French lentils and I’m not sure if there is much difference between those and the regular green lentils, but I went back and got the proper kind. I was also unaware that they had to soak overnight (sort of like the time I decided to make Panettone at 11 pm and didn’t read that it had to rise, three times). What does it mean to pick over lentils, anyway? I found nothing that shouldn’t have been there…

soaked green lentils

Once the lentils were ready (the next day) I was jazzed to get going. There is a terrific Lebanese restaurant in Alhambra, California, Wahib’s Middle East Restaurant, that we used to frequent. This soup was one of my favorite ways to start a meal. I found a recipe for it in Christine Osborne’s Middle Eastern Cooking.

sauté onions in butter

add the drained lentils

Once the lentils are added, seasonings and broth go into the pot. The recipe calls for homemade beef broth. Homemade beef broth is amazing and nothing like the store bought versions, but I just don’t have that on hand (chicken broth is another story entirely - I always have homemade chicken broth in my freezer). I used Better than Bouillon beef stock concentrate paste and it didn’t detract from the end product. Now since my pal, Liz, just got a crock pot, this is when you could crock pot the whole ordeal until soft, or if you’re impatient like me, cook on the stove top for 1.5 hours at a simmer. When the lentils were soft I scooped about 2 cups’ worth into my food processor.

ready to purée

The recipe says to wait until the soup cools before blending the lentils - and she blends them all, but… I didn’t wait. I don’t think it hurt the soup. You can blend it to a fine paste or a chunky paste, whatever you like. This gets stirred back into the soup to create a thicker body. Next time I might should blend 3-4 cups, but I still like having whole lentils swimming in my soup.

pour and blend into the soup

add lemon juice and olive oil

Once blended, I was supposed to reheat the soup, but mine was still hot. I stirred in lemon juice and olive oil, then ladled it into a bowl. Serve it up with a garnish of croutons and chopped parsley. I love this soup.

soup to warm the heart and soul (and tummy)

Lentil Soup
Middle Eastern Cooking by Christine Osborne

1 onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp butter
1 cup lentils, soaked overnight and drained
5 cups homemade beef stock
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
finely chopped parsley, to garnish

Melt half of the butter in a soup pot and sauté the onions until soft. Add lentils and stir until glazed with butter. Add stock, cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer until lentils have almost disintegrated, about 1.5 to 2 hours. Test lentils to ensure they are tender. Let cool. Purée the mixture in a blender or food processor. Fry diced bread in remaining butter with crushed garlic to make croutons. Return soup to pan, reheat to a gentle boil. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. Stir in oil, lemon juice, and croutons. Garnish with a little parsley.

I love Peabody. She’s got the right attitude about life as far as I’m concerned and that earns my respect (along with the fact that she generally kicks ass). I’ve thought a lot about life and the lemons and how some make lemonade and others just turn into sniveling messes as if a giant lemon has fallen from the sky and pinned them to the ground. In times of crisis, the true nature of an individual emerges. Sometimes it will surprise you for the better, and many times it will disappoint you. I pride myself in rolling with the punches through shitty times, and I do mean shitty times.

I have seen people wallow in self-pity or let their tragedies define who they are and dictate their lives. Not my cuppa, kids. My friend’s mother has a terrific saying: If you look up, there is no limit, and if you look down, there also is no limit. Life always could be better, or worse. Get over yourself and make the best of what you’ve got.

It’s very likely I will be losing my hair in the next several weeks. My surgeon delivered this news with what I detected was a hint of sympathy last month. I neither need nor want pity. It’s just hair and it will grow back. I understand it’s not the hair, but the condition that elicits this response in people. I am a rock and I am so gonna own this. Rather than feel blue, I went and lopped my hair off and dyed it blue.

grab life by the hojos

Okay, so the blue isn’t quite the punkass shocking blue I wanted. They are more like highlights, but I am told that with subsequent washes, the color will lighten and become more apparent. I’ve never had my hair bleached or dyed before! Jeremy tells me it’s very blue in sunlight and florescent light. I’ve donated my hair to Locks of Love five times now. It takes 2-3 years for me to grow a ponytail long enough (minimum 10 inches, but I try for 16+ inches) to send in. This incredible organization makes prosthetic hairpieces for children with medical hair loss who cannot afford them. I barely eeked out 11 inches on the ponytail, but I wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste. I don’t want to make this about me. I want to make it about living life the right way. Just remember: blue by choice. I am referring to color, not outlook. My choice.

Recall the zebra torte I posted about yesterday? There was an extra layer of vanilla chiffon cake and I had some extra whipped cream and extra raspberries…

bunch of scraps or a tidy dessert - your choice

It was unbelievably simple to slap together and I presented it to Jeremy just as he sat down to sip on a nice steaming cup of coffee. Basically, I biscuit-cuttered a round of chiffon cake. Mashed a handful of raspberries to a pulp and spread a layer over the cake. Then I folded some of the mashed berries into the sweetened whipped cream and dropped a big dollop on top of the berry layer, and garnished with a fresh berry. It could have benefited from a little soaking syrup in the cake. I’ll have to try that next time.

Many of you are no doubt familiar with Deb. She’s one of my favorites and I’ve been inspired by many a recipe off that lovely blog of hers. Recently she wrote about making truffles. I was planning on a batch anyway, but thought I’d try this new twist with the thin chocolate shell (without the need to temper - THANK YOU!). This batch of truffles was intended for some very special recipients, so I went to my cupboard of chocolate and selected:

valrhona 64%

It was messy. There was swearing. In the end the chocolate and I came to an understanding and there was something Zen in the way it all came together.

for the chocolate lovers

sending this package of handmade goods to my pal, sam

Make lemonade.

You must think we - the dog and I - partied our collective bums off and were lying about in drunken stupor for several days without lifting a finger to post for the joy of it all. How I wish. No, instead dog was fine and I was out with a head cold that was delivered to me by my beloved. Today I have emerged from the fog only to tank a batch of candied lemon peels this morning. Dayquil-induced? Perhaps…

So let’s take care of some business first: seasonal cheer. I do cheer this season because snow mantles the majestic Rocky Mountains - our home… And then we slap on our skis and tele, baby! I digress. Call it eco-friendly or call it lazy, but I didn’t mail out new year’s greetings for the second year in a row. I’m a digital girl, and so it only makes sense that I send out digital greetings in web-photo format. There is eye candy to be found. So please, if you are so inclined, visit our New Year’s Greetings. Happy New Year to all. I wish you every happiness your heart desires. And an ass ton of home cooked goodies :)

Second: I’m so late in getting this posted…

A huge thanks to the judges and Zorra, the host, for the DMBLGIT November 2007. I won for aesthetics on this entry:

chocolate covered orange peels - a great way to get you swearing by noontime

Check out the other winners and all of the fabulous entries. People are terribly creative and talented! Consider joining the fun, no? Big shout out to my home girl, Peabody, who took the whole enchilada. Whoop!

Third: Menu for Hope IV is still going strong, but you have got to mosey your mouse over there AND BID. Just don’t bid on the one that I want… No wait, it’s for a great cause - bid away! I don’t care what you bid on, whether it be oh I dunno, a large landscape print from my own hot little hands, or any of the other amazing and tantalizing prizes. Please, just do it, yeah?

Fourth: There really is a recipe in this post. I made it before I had surgery and had every intention of posting it but… Hell, handbasket. Get in.

don’t forget to eat your greens

I grew up eating a lot of greens. My mom prepared them in all manner of Chinese cooking, which is probably why I still love my greens. It’s a sorry sorry sight to see them boiled into a pukey mass, which was de rigueur in the South. My dear man (yes, the one who gave me the head cold) used to give wide berth to many vegetables when we first met. Today, he eats them all with gusto. This simple dish is easy to whip up and just as easy to snazz up. The two main components are asparagus and chicken.

mix sliced chicken breast with salt, cornstarch, and shao xing cooking sherry

If you want to get a little fancy, toss in some straw mushrooms, water chestnuts, and baby corn. My flexitarian (read: eats fish and chicken) pals loooove it.

this, a large wok or frying pan, and some vegetable oil and you’re set

What I learned from my mom was that you stir-fry the meat first, until it’s nearly cooked, but still pink. Then you remove it to a waiting bowl, and stir fry the vegetables separately. When the vegetables are almost done, add the meat back into the pot and give the whole thing several turns in the hot pan and then serve so your vegetables are crisp and hot. How she managed to entertain with multiple stir-fry dishes is beyond me. Moms are amazing like that. Okay, yes - a more holiday-appropriate post to come, I swears it.

goes great with steamed rice

Chinese Stir-Fried Chicken and Asparagus

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced against the grain about 1/8-inch thick
1 lb fresh asparagus, woody stems trimmed, sliced on the diagonal (2-inch pieces)
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 stalks green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup Shao Xing Chinese Cooking Wine (or cooking sherry)
1 tbsp corn starch (more if you like thicker sauces)
salt
vegetable oil
1 can baby corn, drained (optional)
1 small can water chestnuts, drained and sliced (optional)
1 can straw mushrooms, drained (optional)

Mix the chicken, cornstarch, sherry, and salt together in a small bowl. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or large frying pan over high flame. Toss in half of the garlic and onions. Sauté until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the chicken and stir fry until the meat is just undercooked. Remove the contents to a bowl. Add another tbsp+ of oil to the pan and heat over high flame. Add the remaining garlic and onions and stir until garlic is fragrant. Pour in the asparagus and sauté until the spears begin to turn a deep green. At this point, you can add any additional vegetables and stir fry for another minute. Add the chicken back into the pan and stir fry until it is thoroughly cooked (just a few minutes). Serve immediately.