"But monkeys don't live in Ecuador, they live in the zoo"-Tyler

Tonight was a special treat for me.  I got to hang out with my nephews and play and enjoy in the creative minds of kids.  I love how Tyler says Ecuador, but my favorite of the night was when I told him that Aunt Em may get to see monkeys in Ecuador and he told me that the monkeys don't live in Ecuador, they live in the zoo!

This is the hardest for me.  I have spent short, but sweet amounts of time with my nephews.  They are all growing so quickly.  And, when Tyler (3 yo) asks me "Aunt Em, why are you going to Ecuador?" it breaks my heart a little to tell him I'm leaving to go teach little boys and girls like him (because a part of me would love to stay and teach here too so I could be closer to him).

We then have a discussion about how all the boys and girls in Ecuador could be his friends.  I am sure they would.  Tyler is extremely sociable.  I am, of course, biased because he's my nephew, but having witnessed him make a random stranger who was obviously having a bad day, melt, I'm convinced he can make friends with anyone and get them to smile.

With 8 hours left before getting up to leave for the airport, I feel very fortunate to have a loving and supportive family.  Now, if only my bags weren't so heavy, I would have nabbed a few of my nephews to come with, but I'm just hopeful all of my bags make it through tomorrow without problem.

Packed?!?

This last month has been extremely reflective for me.  These last few days, even more so.  As I go about marking things off of my to-do list, driving around town, and experiencing the town where I grew up, I feel a mixture of emotions.  I feel excitement for the next adventure; I feel nervousness at all of the unknowns; and I feel sadness for the quick passage of time and soon to be great geographic distance between me and many of my loved ones.  Though, in reality, the life of a graduate student is geographically dispersed.  These last 4 months were the first time I was home for any extended period of time since moving out and heading to college when I was 18!

So, what's the big deal?  I think it's the uncertainty.  Or the unconventional way of finishing my PhD and then heading off to a developing country to try and build a community center, teach, and make ends meet...... (more on this in later posts...).  But, with my dissertation and my divorce behind me, I am ready for the next challenge and adventure.

As I sit in my room tonight, for the last night in a while, with all of my possessions either boxed up or packed in my luggage, I can't help but sing "I'm leaving on a jet plane"  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa3h3pnhg8s).  I know the lyrics aren't entirely relevant, but it sticks, and the tears flow in sadness and in joy.  Life is so amazingly wonderful, especially when we live in the moment.

The next big adventure....

I was reading the other day about the Power of Vulnerability (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/brene-brown-vulnerability_n_1150976.html?ref=tedtalks2011) and I wondered how many people truly allow themselves to be vulnerable?  And, how difficult it is to really take that leap, to try something crazy, different, and unknown, purely because you feel it is meaningful and important.

A quote from the Huffington Post article, from Howard Thurman really hit home "Don’t ask what the world needs; ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive." 


And, so it begins.  After several months of thinking, planning, worrying, dreaming, etc.  I am about to embark on a new journey.  A journey that makes me feel vulnerable, yet truly alive.  Follow me here as I journal about the next step post PhD- working in Ecuador with a rural community requesting help on the construction of a community center.  

Gluten-free fruit smoothie

As I've been plugging away with my dissertation, I've still been cooking and baking, but have been looking for sneaky ways to be healthier in a hurry.  This smoothie was inspired by one that I sampled at a wellness fair a few weeks back.  Smoothies are fast, simple, easy to modify to your taste, and this one packs a secret ingredient- spinach!

Fruit smoothie with spinach
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (or whatever milk source you prefer/have on hand)
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt (I've also used greek yogurt here for added protein, and the ones with fruit are yummy)
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1.5 cup spinach (approx large handful)
1.5 cups combo fresh and frozen fruit (I use bananas, frozen berries, pineapple, or whatever's available)

Combine ingredients in blender until smooth and enjoy!  I have made a larger batch and then frozen and thawed them out for a snack on campus.

Gluten-free Scalloped Potatoes- comfort food at its finest!

So, I tried posting this last night and gave up when it didn't work.  I will try again today as I procrastinate on work to be done for the day.  These potatoes originated when my friend, Pascale, recruited another friend to make them for my Thanksgiving potluck.  They were yummy.  I decided a month later that I wanted the creamy comfort of potatoes, so I made a batch.  They were still yummy.  Better yet, I froze most of them, and have been thawing and enjoying them this last week.  Still yummy.  So, make a batch, freeze a bunch, and thaw and enjoy again and again!

Gluten-free Scalloped potatoes

2	tablespoons unsalted butter
1	med onion , minced
3	med cloves garlic, minced
3	cups heavy cream
1	cup whole milk
4	sprigs fresh thyme
2	bay leaves
2	tsp table salt
1/2	tsp ground black pepper (more to taste...)
4	pounds russet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices ( the food processor works wonders for this)
1	cup shredded provolone cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add onion and sauté until it turns soft and begins to brown. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and potatoes and bring to simmer. Cover, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain light simmer, and cook until potatoes are almost tender.
2. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer potato mixture to 3-quart corningware, or pyrex baking dish, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cream has thickened and is bubbling around sides and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving (this is probably the hardest thing to do as it smells sooooo good while cooking).

Gluten free Blackberry-jam bars

So, I've been missing Hawaii a lot lately, and decided to post a recipe I concocted while out on the Big Island.  This was made with fresh blackberries I picked along the Mauna Loa Volcano. Any berries could do just fine, but the blackberries were really pretty.  Oh, and I thought of the recipe as a way to use up jam that I always seem to have a lot of from home canning.  So, just substitute in jam for the berries and sugar.  I thought the crust was a nice gluten-free shortbread of sorts and think it could be used nicely in many other recipes.  This was my first attempt at this recipe, so I would probably play around with a few things in the future, but they were still pretty yummy as is.  Enjoy!

Gluten-free blackberry jam bars

Topping

1 cup almonds processed in the food processor

1 cup certified gluten free oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

Filling

2 cup crushed blackberries

3.5 cup sugar

Crust

1 1/3 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1. Combine ingredients for the crust in a food processor and press into prepared cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 until lightly brown.
2. Combine filling ingredients in saucepan and boil to get to gelling point. (or substitute your favorite jam).  Then spread over prepared crust.
3. Toss topping ingredients together and press over the filling.
4. Bake in 350 oven until lightly brown on top (approx 15 min)

Cranberry tomato curry

While procrastinating on thesis work, I was looking for some "healthy" recipes to use up more of the fresh cranberries I had bought.  I came across an Eating Well recipe for curried chicken with fresh and dried cranberries.  This sounded great.  Not only yummy, but also practical, as I'm trying to work with foods that I have on hand in my freezer or pantry, without having to buy much for added ingredients.  Here's my spin on this yummy recipe which smells great while cooking, and tastes even better!

Cranberry tomato curry
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp hot curry powder
1 Tbsp Maharajah curry powder (a yummy blend from Penzeys spices that has tumeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, black and white pepper, cloves, saffron, and cayenne pepper)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
generous 1/4 tsp cardamom
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
2 cups chicken broth (I used my homemade stock... yummy!)
1/2 c sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and coat both sides with the Maharaja curry powder.  Cook until the chicken is beginning to brown.  Transfer to a cutting board, allow to cool, then cut into 1 inch pieces.
2. Add butter, onion, and mustard seeds to the pot.  Cook for approximately 4 minutes.  Return the chicken and any juices from the chicken, to the pot.  Sprinkle with the hot curry powder and cardamom and stir to coat chicken with the spices.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, broth, cranberries, ginger and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the mixture reduces slightly and the chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice.

Gluten-free Swedish ginger cookies

This recipe is my first attempt at modifying a family recipe for ginger snaps that I used to LOVE.  I am pretty happy with the outcome, but might tweak a few things in the future.  I was aiming for making these cookies gluten free, and reducing the fat by replacing some butter with ground flaxseed.

Gluten-free Swedish Ginger cookies
2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cups potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 c butter
3/4 c ground flaxseed
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 egg
1/4 c molasses

1. Sift together flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and set aside.
2. Cream butter, flaxseed, and sugars
3. Beat the egg with the molasses and combine with butter mixture.
4. Add flour mixture and mix until combined
5. Roll into balls and then roll in a bowl of pearl sugar.
6. Cook at 350 for 10 minutes.  Cookies will flatten out (which is how I like these), so leave plenty of space on the pan between doughballs. 
7. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the pan before removing.

Healthy gluten-free cranberry orange muffins

I bought a couple of bags of fresh cranberries since you don't find those year-round in the grocery store.  I wanted to try making something sweet with them, but also somewhat healthy, so I decided to make gluten-free cranberry orange muffins.  They are relatively "healthy" and very flavorful.  I decided that I might like to have a little bit of a glaze on top, so I later added an orange glaze to some, but think that they are best enjoyed without the added sweetness of the frosting.  The cranberries make them really pretty!  (Note that the flours are measured out in ounces.  The best way to cook gluten-free is to use a scale and measure your flours, since the lack of gluten can make things tricky to get the right texture.  Actually, it's a good idea to use a scale when baking in general for precision!)

Gluten-free cranberry orange muffins
3 oz white rice flour
1 oz brown rice flour
0.4 oz potato starch
2.1 oz tapioca starch
1.5 oz soy flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c butter
6 oz (3/4 cup sugar)
pinch salt
1/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c ground flaxseed
1 egg
2 egg whites
3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice (approx 1 orange)
zest from 2 oranges
4 oz fresh cranberries, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with paper muffin cups.
2. Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.
3. Cream butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed.  Blend in buttermilk.
4. Add flour mixture and mix on low just until combined.
5. Mix zest and cranberries together then add to the batter and mix until combined, but don't overmix.
6. Scoop into muffin cups and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

In case you are curious about a simple glaze, here you go:

Orange glaze

1 Tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp orange zest

3 Tbsp orange juice (more or less to taste)

Powdered sugar

1. Melt butter and add orange juice and zest.
2. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

New Year's good luck with Black-eyed pea soup

So, I'm guilty of being a member of multiple email listservs that send messages with various recipes daily, which often results in two things:  1.  making me hungry, and 2. giving me ideas for things to make.  Last week I got a message for a slow cooker black-eyed pea soup, which, when I read the description, claimed to be something you are supposed to eat on the 1st of the year for good luck for the rest of the year.  So... I took a stab at a version of a black-eyed pea soup with stock and meat I had on hand in my freezer.  I decided to use pork stock a friend of mine made as well as some pulled pork.  Every year the college I am in (Natural Resources) puts on a big pig roast in the fall, I normally participate in helping to plan and bake for the event, so I had some leftover frozen pork, and the stock and thought that might give some good flavor to the peas.  Lucky or not, this soup was yummy, with a nice kick to it!

Pulled pork and black-eyed pea soup
1 lb dry black-eyed peas sorted and soaked in 6 cups water overnight and drained
2 cups pork stock (could easily use chicken)
1 1b pulled pork (could use shredded chicken or turkey)
6 cups water (may need less depending on type of stock you use)
4 cloves garlic
1 med onion
2 peppers
3 spicier peppers (depending on your heat tolerance)
3 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in oil until tender.  Add the cumin and cayenne pepper to the pan while sauteing.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in large crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Add more salt and pepper to taste.