Voila! Our Experience

We dined at a small French restaurant, Voila!, in the Madison Valley area of Seattle last night. We began with an hors d oeuvre of escargot and a salad. The Escargot was placed on French bread baguette rounds dripping with a garlic butter mixed with finely chopped parsley and basil. Hank is fond of the escargot; I loved the garlic butter mixture in which I dipped the French bread served at the table. The salad was three endive leaves topped with rough chopped endive, leeks and walnuts, finely chopped shallots, vinaigrette, and blue cheese chunks.

For the main course I ordered the Cassoulet topped with buttered breadcrumbs and Hank the veal liver. The Cassoulet wasn’t quite as good, I felt, as Café Campagne near the Pike Place Market but was tasty. (Leftovers brought home were even better the next day.) It had the requisite duck, pork and sausage (and I thought I tasted some lamb), Cannalini beans and, for texture and taste, the breadcrumb topping. I felt it had a stronger tomato base to the sauce than I prefer.

Hank’s veal liver was served in 2” medallions in a sauce consisting basically, he felt, of dark wine and onions. He didn’t like the sauce and wasn’t impressed with the dish in general. The meat was surrounded with a mashed and piped yams seasoned mildly and poorly. One taste that came through was nutmeg. The liver wasn’t overdone, but not impressive.

We finished the meal with coffee and Sambuca (they didn’t have our desired anisette and Sambuca doesn’t hold it’s own in the coffee as well.)

I believe I’m sounding like a bit of a snob here, The entrées were in the $15 range, less than Café Campagne, The small chandelier and candle lit interior was pleasant.

Hail Tupperware!

It just doesn’t seem possible that the last entry here was before Christmas. Hank’s been through a successful knee replacement and three weeks recuperation at his sister’s in Issaquah. Thanks Helen! Here it is, mid February, the sun is shining on a Saturday afternoon. I’ve been making Snickerdoodles for Valentine’s gifts to neighbors. A small gesture, but a good Snickerdoodle is always a treat. I spent the day cleaning out the refrigerator and then the pan hole. I suppose on a boat it’s more properly called the pan hold, but hey. Pans on our boat are kept in a hole. To clean it out you have to get on hands and knees and sometimes lay flat on the kitchen floor to reach the bottom. Today I purged pans. Actually mostly I purged plastic ware that sneaks into the pan hole. I had to rematch all the Tupperware and sundry lids. I have more lids than containers, as usual. Tupperware is like socks; for some unknown reason you are always losing the lid or its matching container.

I fondly remember attending Tupperware parties with my Mom. It was the 1950’s and in-home parties were a new source of fun. Mary Kay was probably still selling Fuller brushes while Earl Tupper started setting the pace back in 1945. I remember burping lids, nested bowls, those pastel colored tumblers and cereal bowls and the amazing deviled egg carrying container (this was an era before the obsession with cholesterol) everybody made deviled eggs. They were the quintessential hors d oeuvre.

Things have come a long way. The last Tupperware party I attended was a couple years ago. A very fun-loving single guy friend of ours was talked into throwing a Tupperware party. He hardly knew what Tupperware was but was up for fun. He invited 30+ people and just about all showed. People brought wine and hors d oeuvres and he’d arranged live music (a neighbor couple, he played piano and she sang French love songs and show tunes). The Tupperware Lady was game – she demonstrated mango salsa in the Quick Chef hand chopper (throw in a tomato, a mango, an onion, some cilantro some lime juice, a couple spins of the handle and Viola! salsa) Bowls of chips and salsa circled the room and I bought the Quick Chef. I also bought the Tupperware cutting board and the deli meat and cheese storer and I love them all! The more wine people drank the more Tupperware they ordered. Based on amount of sales the host ended up with just about every hostess gift available (I don’t think Earl Tupper thought in terms of Host gifts).

I still love Tupperware, especially because moisture is a boat dwellers bane and glass breaks no matter how hard you try to store it creatively. Ironically, when I was first invited over to my sister-in-law’s house some thirty years ago I took deviled eggs as an hors d oeuvre (I’ve found even in the ‘age of cholesterol’ whenever you show up with deviled eggs they get scarffed up quickly). She was ecstatic about the treat from her past. She went to a high cupboard and returned with a Tupperware deviled egg-carrying container. “It was our mothers”, she proclaimed, “and I am gifting it to you with the mandate that you bring deviled eggs to all family dinners!” Hail Tupperware, it connects us through the generations.

Small Gestures

How many times in your life have you glanced out your window to observe a log floating by? It's one of the reasons we love living on the water. Something is always happening; something is always changing. Calling Harbor Patrol to alert them they thanked me and said they’d “go wrangle it”. Log wrangling is a concept you won't hear in too many circles.

A neighbor invited us out to follow the Christmas Ship in Seattle last night. http://www.argosycruises.com/themecruises/xmasSchedule.cfm

It’s a tradition around the waters here. Onboard his well-lit powerboat, amidst a highly decorated gaggle of other boats, like the geese that travel our waters, we trailed a large Argosy Cruise vessel with onboard Dickens Carolers singing at several stops. The night was clear and warm; literally shirtsleeve weather. We passed Seattle’s floating home community and turned the corner passing through the cut where University crew’s race and into Lake Washington. Many homes around the lakes here deck out in Christmas lights. It’s a unique and festive sight for those lucky enough to view it from the water.

My folks loved decorating our home inside and out every Christmas. Dad would spend several months building motorized displays. Imagine Rudolph hoisting Santa Clause up the side of the house by pulley and having him slide back down upon reaching the top, Sort of a holiday “myth of Sisyphus”. They won prizes in numerous years. Imagine having the whole town alerted to drive by your house alive with lights and moving Rudolphs. At age 16 it was a bit embarrassing. Now I salute them. They loved doing it, thus indulged themselves. And, they created fun for those who make a holiday tradition of a night viewing Christmas lights.

Their Christmas decorating

extravaganzas all started one year when Mom ordered a life sized, plastic, stuffable Santa Clause from Hancock House. (I think that was the company name, it was little catalogue that had every odd thing imaginable). She stuffed it with newspapers and sat him on a bench in our yard. Dad got the idea of putting Santa’s feet in a bucket with some dry ice and shining a light on him. Someone entered them in the town’s Christmas display contest and after winning third prize, they were off and running.

What a treat it is to think back on the fun they had. Mom would help come up with the concept and design. Dad would build it downstairs in his shop cutting and painting plywood, rigging motors and lights. I don’t remember being asked to help, it really was their project and must have been fun for them. It was never about the competition with others, they loved outdoing themselves year after year.

I now have a friend who finds pleasure in creating over 100 custom-made Christmas cards involving cut outs and pop-ups and tales of her yearly adventures. It takes her hours of work, but it’s work she loves. I, and I’m sure all on her list, look forward to receiving them. I’m glad to know there are still folks whose indulgence involves creating holiday surprises for the purpose of bringing smiles to others. She and my folks remind us of how much fun can be had constructing simple things and sharing them. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for my appreciation, last night, of the folks who took the time to light their homes and boats. And, today, when most holiday cards arrive with just a signature or printed name and gift cards are often the extent of creative giving, I thank my friend whose hand made cards are reminders that there still are good people who enjoy sharing their sense of fun with others. I want more people like that in my life.

Yam Curry an Amazing option for the traditional Thanksgiving candied yam dish

My hobby is cooking Indian cuisine. It's a country that does amazing things with vegetables. I feel like an alchemist creating Indian dishes. The aromas are so compelling, often, my neighbors saunter over to see what I'm cooking. I've made this Yam Curry twice. This year, it's going to be my alternative to the traditional Thansgiving sweet potatoes and I know it will be a hit. The spices blend together and when you take a bite it's subtly sweet, savory and addictive.

You can purchase Indian spices in bulk (small amounts) at many natural food stores. In Seattle, Puget Sound Consumer Coop stores have most of them. I keep a little of a lot of them in a separate Rubbermaid container on hand for my experiments. Many Indian dishes freeze very well.

Yam Curry
Yields: 6

Ingredients
1 pound sweet potatoes, or yams (I use 3 large yams)
1 teaspoon salt (to sweat the yams)
1 large onion, chopped coarsly (I use a sweet onion)
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil to shallow fry potato chunks (can deep fry in 3" hot oil)
2 inches fresh ginger root, grated (or bottled chopped ginger or ginger paste)
3 garlic clove, chopped (or ready chopped garlic)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying onion, garlic, ginger, tomato mixture)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 green cardamom seeds (seeds removed)
1 bay leaf (I omit)
4 whole peppercorns
2 inch cinnamon stick broken in half
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or use cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt to taste
4 ounces tomatoes fresh (I used 1 large tomato or you can use 8 oz canned)
4 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped,  (for garnish)

Directions
(1) Place all the spices except cumin seeds in a smal dish ready to add.

(2) Peel the yams, cut them into 1 inch cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10-15 minutes, then rinse and drain.

(3) While potato chunks are sweating, finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic, and roughly chop the tomatoes.

(4) Heat the 2 to 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil over a moderate flame, add the cumin seed, and cook until they begin to sputter. Add the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the onion is a rich golden color.

(5) Add all the spices and season with salt to taste. Cook a few seconds more, and then add the tomatoes.
Let this cook while you continue as below.

(6) Heat oil for shallow frying the yams. Cook the yam cubes, a few at a time, until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Pour out oil and set potatoes aside.(I removed the ginger onion garlic mixture and used the same frying pan to shallow fry the yamchunks in about 1/4 in oil.)

(7) Return the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato mixture to the frying pan, add the yogurt to the mixture, and continue to cook until the oil begins to separate out.

(8) Add the water and bring to a boil. Let boil a few minutes, then add the yam cubes, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.

(9) Serve hot, garnished with the chopped coriander.

Traditionally served with chapatis and rice. I took it to my sister-in-laws as replacement for the traditional sweet potato/yams at Thanksgiving and it got raves. (If somebody "must" have marshmallows, dish up a serving and nuke it with a couple marshmallows on top.)

Beginners Indian Cooking Basket

My latest Beginners Indian Cooking Basket created for an auction.

Sports Cars & The Moose Lodge

Ferrari CEO says 2008 will be a record-breaking year for sales. Is there something wrong with this? I certainly don’t begrudge folks what they earn and the pleasures they derive from such, but the gap between the rich and not so rich has grown larger and appears more blatant than I ever remember it to be. What seems worse, opportunities enabling the not so rich to achieve more seem to shrink daily. This on top of the current bail out; my Grandfather, would have been sad and probably more than a bit angry. He fought for the common man and helped form a union. He voted for Eugene V. Debs and I still treasure his gift of a well-used copy of Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle. He was inspiration for my professional ambitions to play a role in helping create a better world in my own unique way. He might have been a bit extreme but it was out of true concern for common folk.

He came out of the backwoods of Idaho, a common laborer. Responding to the needs of a handicapped child he and his young wife moved to a city to be near medical care. He went to work as a heat plant worker supporting a wife and three children. They owned a home but were never rich in a monetary sense. He cut hair of family and friends and shared vegetables from a huge garden. They befriended refugees from Germany and were loyal Moose Lodge members contributing to their community. It’s sad that many today may think those simple human gestures small. My grandparent’s passions were for people, not things. They exhibited graciousness, never greed. I was lucky to have their impact on my life.

Mental Health

Alas, life expands to overfill our day, at times. Umpteen responsibilities take over and our indulgences go by the wayside. Not so good. Indulging in what gives us pleasure does healthier things to our minds and bodies than pressure filled responsibilities. Though I haven’t turned to my blog in the last month to relax, I have paid attention to my bodies needs and during pressure filled days, I have taken “time outs” periodically amidst my activities. A hop onto the love seat on the back deck, feet up in the sunshine and a fifteen-minute period of concentration with mental training exercises I teach and use daily. Not only does my body relax but my brain is more creative and focused when I return to my tasks.

Too often we get ideas of things we want to do, or are forced to meet demands of our world and expect our minds and bodies can be dragged into responding effectively on cue. We've learned that in order to keep our bodies in shape physically, we must exercise and sleep enough. Hopefully we are learning that we must keep our minds in shape, as well. Effective timeouts for our minds is essential if we want them to respond effectively by “thinking well”, ‘being creative”, “remembering effectively”, and “handling emotion well”. Timeout’s for the mind also deactivate our nervous systems.

As you go through the day, think of your central nervous system (brain, spine and nerves) lighting up like a Christmas tree – that is stress. Effectively quieting the brain begins turning off those lights and relaxing your body.It’s easy to teach a simple mental training exercise, the difficulty is helping people make it a habit in their daily lives. At first for most it seems awfully simple, and they may wonder, “Here I am counting backwards again, what’s that got to do with my problems?” Even if it makes sense, it takes a while to make it a habit and therefore is easily forgotten. Another problem is that unfortunately our bodies are not used to feeling calm and relaxed. Most people are more used to feeling stressed and frazzled. When a calm, relaxed feeling overtakes the body it can actually feel “uncomfortable” until one gets used to it. It’s worth getting used to, in fact, essential for health.

Here is a simple way to start, take ten minutes a couple times a day and give it a try.

Get comfortable and close your eyes, count backwards slowly and silently from 25 to 1,

Next: heighten your breathing and slowly focus your breath into the various parts of your body(feet, legs, hips and stomach, chest, back and spine, shoulders, neck and head)

Next: Visualize a beautiful scene from nature and hold it for a couple minutes (just experience it, the colors, details, sounds, etc. – no “thinking about it”)

Finally: Count from 1 to 5 (cueing the mind to speed up again and get going)

If you do this series of mental exercises very slowly and hold the scene for a couple minutes it should take around ten minutes and give your mind and body a needed rest. It’s been shown that ½ hour of mental training can be the equivalent of 4 hours of sleep. Give it a try. If you make "quieting your brain" a habit, the effects over time can be life changing.