Hemingway Weekend

It is, indeed, that time of year again for me; my annual Hemingway Weekend! This year marks the fifth anniversary of a tradition that has proved most useful to me as a writer. Named for a person whose works I always admired but never really "got into" it may seem strange to honor a legacy I've been most uninspired by for my weekend of inspiring muses. But, to me, it makes the most sense. The weekend is about a process, a passion and overcoming even the most debilitating excuses to generate, pure and simply, art.

Five years ago this weekend, tired of the book I'd been working on, and desperate to finish it soon, I took a Memorial Day weekend challenge on myself to, in three days, finish up the 7 chapters I needed to call it a closed chapter on my life (if you will pardon the pun). In the time leading up to that first weekend, I had read or heard something about Ernest Hemingway that I found intriguing. Every morning, Papa would get up and write until noon and then drink the rest of the day (because mornings in Key West/Havana weren't too hot to work yet). Most are familiar with Hemingway's tragic alcoholism and I recall in one of my college classes the discussion of how much more he'd have been able to do if he hadn't be so. I countered, to much criticism and ultimate defeat, that notion. Hemingway created what he did because of who he was, disease and all. And I like that, I like that a lot.

That isn't to say I'm in support of alcoholism, not at all. But we all have choices and consequences, and he lived within his until he didn't. And I will say no more of it. It isn't for me to cast my judgment one way or another.

It had been my hope to finish my second book by December of last year, but because of my own challenges, I didn't get there. With renewed vision and health, I will this year. Of that, I am certain. It is taking a shape I hadn't expected, but with each chapter a writer puts to paper, or each canvas a painter colors or spice a cook adds to the pot, we learn something about ourselves. And so, to all my fellow artists... salud and happy exploration!

Hemingway Sangria

5 cups chopped fruit (pears, peaches, grapes, mangoes, oranges, pineapple, etc)
1 cup juice of choice (I prefer pear)
1.5 - 2 cups rum (I use half of each Don Q Cristal and Passion Fruit)
1 bottle of wine of coice
12 ounces Sobe LifeWater or Fuze
1 bottle orange flavored seltzer
plenty of ice
strawberries to garnish

One week prior to desired date of consumption, add mixed fruit, rum and juice to a glass container and refrigerate.

On the day of consumption, add bottled beverage of choice and wine, stir well.

Add ice to a glass and ladle the sangria, including some of the yummy rum-soaked fruit (note, my friend has recommended pureeing the fruit and enjoying that way as well. I haven't tried that, but is sure sounds like a good idea). Top with seltzer and garnish with a strawberry.

Enjoy!

OMG... Eggplant

On more than one occasion, I've been fooled--tricked, even--into the eggplant trap. Allured by the shiny, bulbous and gorgeous fruit, I've naively snapped one up and brought it home as the prize of my farmers market excursion only to be sadly disappointed. Skeptical of being disappointed by something I bring home again, I've resisted the beautiful purple displays, reminding myself I don't like eggplant. But the funny thing is, for someone that doesn't like eggplant, I like it IN a lot of dishes.... so when yesterday afternoon's lunch menu beckoned and my options were quite limited as I take my path to vegetarianism quite seriously, I opted for a grilled eggplant sandwich, sans the cheese, telling myself I could always just pull it off and enjoy the tomato and other "fixin's" between the bread.

Much to my surprise, and sheer delight, I thoroughly enjoyed the fare offered by the Black Lab Bistro. So much did I enjoy the sandwich, I bought a small eggplant while at Wegman's later that afternoon. Before I lost my zeal and enthusiasm, and the ghost of sandwich perfection, I decided today to attempt my hand with my lovely, light purple fruit.

My typical approach to a new culinary adventure (especially one that has failed so many times before) is to read techniques others have used on various foodie blogs I follow. Then, I read numerous recipes. Most of the time, and today was no exception, I use the combination of the technique and ideas from the recipes to come to my conclusion. Simplicity, I've also learned, is key to a first venture.

The result was me eating an entire eggplant over the course of the afternoon. It paired quite well with a slice of fresh tomato pie, though I mostly just nibbled my bakes slices on their own.

Baked Crusted Eggplant

1 eggplant (about 3/4 pound)
kosher salt
1 cup plain almond milk (rice, hemp or soy works)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic power (divided)
1/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash pepper
dash hot pepper

Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt. Allow to sit at least 30 minutes in a colander. Pat dry with paper towel to remove excess water and salt.

In a small dish, mix together the almond milk, hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Set aside.

In another dish, mix the remaining garlic powder, corn meal, masa harina and pepper, hot pepper (and another spice you might like for the coating).

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spread olive oil in a baking pan large enough for the eggplant slices (cast iron is preferable).

Coat the eggplant slices with the almond milk mixture and dredge in the corn meal flour mixture and place in the pan.

Bake for 15 minutes and flip the eggplant slices, baking for another 10-15 minutes (until nicely browned). Enjoy warm on their own, in a sandwich, with a side of brown rice or as I did today, on a piece of tomato pie!

Fresh new scents on a sunshiny Saturday

After a lovely day spent pretending there was no intermittent rain while coming off the Perikimon Trail and later moseying along Bridge Street in Phoenixville (indeed, in my mind, it was the breezy summer sunny with Bob Seger and Paul Simon coming from the speakers all day), I stopped by my local Target only to find they were out of the replacement heads for my toothbrush as well as not having the kitty food I had wanted to pick up. But, as I was standing there, continuing to look back at the space where my would-be merchandise should have been (because everyone knows if you stare long enough at the space, the item will suddenly appear, as if you just didn't look hard enough) I noticed an end cap with a pretty pink array of items from Febreze. I like Febreze; though I'm certain it is eating up the environment in some terrible way yet to be revealed. I was, however, troubled by the new scent they had on display... Brazilian Carnival. Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of what a the smell of a carnival in Brazil, good olfactory sensations do not happen.

Is it possible, I wondered, that someone wants an air freshener for their homes that smells of heat, sweat, wet animals and street vendor foodstuffs? Well, anything is possible, I suppose. In my moment of utter bravery today, and for the sake of satisfying my curiosity, I sniffed. The flowery scent alluded to a garden with noble undertones of nuttiness--a nice counter to what I had imagined. I opted for the nice Hawaiian scent though, I just don't trust a scent referred to as Brazilian Carnival.

Almost Vegan

For the last three Monday's, I've been taking a class at the local Whole Foods, sponsored by The Cancer Project, which emphasizes a plant-based diet. The research is compelling, and I've also been reading about several health issues that can be easily improved through plant-based diet aside from cancer, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome and interestingly enough, autoimmune disorders. I've been engrossed in Dr. Colin Campbell's The China Study, even risking motion sickness tonight to read it on the treadmill. The class has provided me the last bit of self-motivation to move my dietary habits to vegetarian. As I use up the animal products in my home, I've been replacing them with vegan options. Tonight, I officially forgo my usually buttery spread for Earth Balance. That isn't to say I won't buy a tomato pie and it has a sprinkle of Parmesan, because I do believe in the notion of flexibility, but overall, I've made an educated choice and conscientious decision.

Now the reality is, I have never been a person who ate a lot of meat, especially red meat. Cheese and yogurt have been my main weakness... but when a brief experiment in eliminating dairy from my diet proved it was the main cause of some serious inflammation in my system, the choice was clear. My lactose intolerance won. And while I missed cheese and especially Greek yogurt for a good two weeks, I've gotten over the cravings and the thought of eating it now is quite undesirable. Meat was easier, really--it's always been a massive craving or serious gag reflex. A love/hate relationship based, likely, on my tendency to become anemic.

And a funny thing has happened... for the first time in years I feel more relaxed and comfortable in what I eat. Maybe the food tracking in the last few weeks of eating this way have given me some sense of relief that I don't even feel as if I need to track. It's a new sense, not needing to count, add and otherwise calculate every gram of food that enters my body.

I only wish I'd gotten to this point sooner. Now, that said, I'm not quite yet ready to give up, completely, fish. And I might never totally. We'll see.

Tomato Pie

It's been over 2.5 years since I moved to the Philadelphia area, and since then I've certainly taken my time indulging in local specialties. If not for my folks visiting, I'd probably never have had a cheese steak, which for the record, are not my favorite of things. It was only this fall that I gave in and tried the famed TastyKakes--another item checked off that I can safely say I can easily pass up. Of course, you can't jump over a puddle without getting smacked in the head with a soft pretzel, but it was last year that I was introduced to local Bachman's Pretzel Twists--a wicked snack indulgence to be sure!

And while I still can't call a "sub" a "hoagie" (it's like calling my "tennis shoes" "sneakers"), I have otherwise adapted quite well the foodstuff of the area. Though I've often turned my nose at the famed tomato pie. Not strictly a Philadelphia phenom... I've objected through apathy until I was made aware of The Omnivore's recent post A Tale of Two Tomato Pies. The description of the tomato pie was so delectable that I couldn't resist... especially when I am literally minutes from the Conshohocken Italian Bakery.

So, this last Sunday, I dragged myself out of bed and shuttled myself over to the famed Conshy Bakery (trying to get there before the bagels ran out--which I did!!)... where I bought a quarter pie. Now, as someone who has recently given up dairy... I've been skeptical on finding a replacement for my monthly pizza requirement. Whole Foods has met this with their lovely cheeseless, whole grain thin crust and roasted veggies... but sometimes you just want something else. And by something else, I'm happy to report that the tomato pie as described by The Omnivore is spot on... I won't even try to add my own--read his review.

**Edit: While the tomato pie isn't entirely dairy free, it's very close--as in it doesn't make me ill!!

Politics and football abroad

It's been hard to not follow some of the happenings across the Pond these days... a general great excitement of Nick Clegg to the election scene. It's amazing that the candidate that came in behind ended up with quite a lot of power looking at the hung Parliament. Nonetheless, I've enjoyed the Tweets and general updates from my friends in the UK. Things still look interesting, but as always, time will tell.

On a side note to the UK elections and their struggles to form a government, I've relied significantly on my friends abroad for the happenings because in typical self-centered American fashion, the news here has decided to delve into their coverage by way of how this could be a foreshadowing of things to come here, in November. Never mind we have a primary process going on in most states right now and through the coming weeks which should provide an actual insight into our electoral outcomes... but the news really isn't about the news these days. As I noted to another recently: Why arm yourself with things like the facts?

I'm still hopeful for Nick Clegg... only partially because I'm completely impressed with a candidate in any race who openly admits they are an atheist. As someone who has only recently been able to openly admit I'm an atheist--and it's the subsequent arguments you inevitably receive (followed by the comment that you will be prayed for) that are exhausting. Not to take over Clegg for my own purposes as our media might... there seems to be some amazing things he will be able to pull out of this election. And, if our media is right, and this UK election is a sign of things to come in November 2010... I'm all for it.

Anyway, while the Brits are working deals and all things politico, it is worthwhile to note that over the weekend, in an AMAZING 8-0 game, The Chelsea Football Club took their league championship. Not all was lost! :)

Pre-Summer Yummy

It's hard to believe with my penchant for kitchen chemistry that I've gone as long as I have without an ice cream maker, but I resisted buying one with something of an extreme prejudice for years. Perhaps it speaks to my lactose intolerance and the severity with with ice cream (especially) turns me green... oh, I've tried the various fat free, no sugar added varieties, and while they rendered me less ill than their real deal cousin, I still found the physical payoff not worth the icy treat. Soy ice creams, while a nice enough concept, really were not satisfying, and though I would turn to them frequently, my thyroid issues have caused me to drastically cut back on soy generally.

Several months ago, I was turned on to coconut milk ice cream. At first, I shied away, frightened by the calorie and fat content. After some assurances from two dietitians that coconut milk was not quite as bad as it seemed and a frank reminder about everything in moderation, I gave it a whirl on my last desire for icy, creamy treats. Love at first lick. So, it only went to reason with a new toy on my hands, I would need to tinker in the methods and making of coconut milk ice cream.

It didn't take me long to make my first attempt. After researching for a few hours over the weekend on various recipes, scouring blogs for first hand testimonials and reading (very) little food science on ice cream, I gave it a go tonight. In my usual style, I could not just do a vanilla version as a test.... ooooh no! This evening found me whipping up a batch of chocolate almond--and it turned out quite well.

All research indicated that I should not use the "lite" version of coconut milk for making ice cream. No one that knows me would be surprised that I ignored this first bit of advice. Deciding to risk an icier version of my treat, I went with the lite coconut milk. Mostly because I already had two cans of the lite stuff, and I really just could not bring myself to use full fat. I'm happy to report that the results were not immediately icy, and given the texture of the softer version (direct from the ice cream maker), I doubt what comes out of my freezer tomorrow will be any different.

Chocolate Almond Coconut Milk Ice Cream

2 cans (3 cups) lite coconut milk
2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Whisk cocoa powder and milk until smooth and lump-free. Stir in agave and vanilla. Mix according to your manufacturers instructions. Add in almonds about 5 minutes before completer (as whole mixture is getting nice and freezie).

Enjoy!

What Orwell couldn't have envisioned

On the way home this evening, I was stuck behind one of those mini vans that had a mini TV monitor in the backseat, turned on to "entertain" the children in the backseat. It's not that I wasn't aware that these things existed, but rarely am I sitting at a red light with Shrek on the screen in the car ahead of me... and for that, I'm grateful. But, the incident got me thinking about Orwellian concepts.

Now, let's not get confused with the current political climate and the accusations of totalitarianism (because well, it's always the party not in power that cries totalitarianism), but in thinking more about the notion of free thought, creativity, art, science and education in general. At the risk of becoming "one of those people" I have to say, I remember having to entertain myself in the car. And I know, some smug 30 something when I was a kid was probably writing an editorial about how my generation was spoiled--and there is no doubt, we were spoiled, but that isn't really what I'm talking about. This isn't entirely about privilege (though that is a factor, no doubt) as much as it is robbing the future generations of potential opportunities. (Since, you know, there is this current emphasis on what we are stealing from future generations, too.)

Shrek's a great movie--I thoroughly enjoyed it, but what happens when the next generation comes along... will they have the creative imagination to properly rob the fairytale narratives of their childhood to regurgitate for the kids of the next generation who have digital receivers implanted in their heads? What will the scientists, artists and other thought leaders of future generation be able to contribute with a head full of Jersey Shore.

See, we weren't fed TV in the car, we were forced to play and come up with hours of entertainment with a yard, 3 foot wide blue wading pool and some moon boots, and yet it's my generation responsible for Real Housewives, Top Model and various other "reality" television. I guess the best we can hope for is a renaissance?

Clothing and Cooking

Despite my previous post praising the re-emergence of the mu-mu, I managed to purchase some new garb over the weekend sans the cozy allure of tent-like clothing. Yes, there is nothing like hearing the exclamation out of the H&M fitting room as you walk by that the shirts "all make me look pregnant" to make me toss everything I was about to try onto a nearby rack and b-line for the nearest exit. Still, I was not able to resist at least trying on the smocky-looking, brightly colored floral top at Target. I wouldn't say it reminded me of maternity gear as much as it did the wallpaper out of a 1930s movie, not that I would be deterred by such a reminiscence. No, the ill fitting sleevage coupled with the bumpy lay on the back was the deciding factor--I have enough challenge that I don't need to appear humpbacked, too.

And challenged I've been this weekend... with temps in the 90s and my AC not working the only real reason I got off my arse and engaged in my blousey needs was for the promise of a reprieve from the heat. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE this weather, but there's little aside from sitting on the balcony with a glass of iced tea that can be accomplished (ok, I did also clean, work on my balcony garden and an assortment of the other items). I did feel badly that the cats were completely miserable and that they will need to deal with it until they come, again, to fix the AC. Bowie does not allow it to go unnoticed how unhappy he is with this weather--a very vocal displeasure that made me wonder if they made a kitty-muzzle...

But, the biggest challenge today was what to make for the week's lunch ahead? This morning, I tested out my new ice cream maker... rendering a lovely and very low calorie blueberry sorbet (subbing much of the sugar for Stevia Extract and a small amount of raw agave nectar). Salads are always a go to hot weather solution, but I get wary quickly; and after a week of salads behind me already for lunch, I was not too game. Scouring my cabinets to see what I had "left over" from the winter stock of canned goods, I was pleased to discover a can of marinated bean salad and tuna. I drained much of the marinade off the beans, stirred in the tuna and added a few chopped onions... only a few chunks of watercress might have made this better, but alas, no such luck from the pantry. Still, a good compromise for the week. I've also decided to broil some fish tomorrow evening once the temps cool down. In the meantime, my toaster oven has proven its value again--roasting up some asparagus and plantain tonight in record time without adding too much additional temp to the apartment. Now, if only I could perfect a tamarind sauce...