Baked Chile Rellenos

Its been a long week. Not only am I leaving for vacation ridiculously early tomorrow morning, working forty hours in four days, and finishing up my assignments for this week and next, my best friend is moving to New York. Its really fantastic for her - she is headed to Columbia for nursing school and will do amazingly well there - but I am really going to miss her. A and I were lucky enough to have her stay with us on her very last night in Seattle - obviously a tasty dinner was in order. (I do have pictures - but you'll have to wait until I return from Mexico to see them)

These are nothing like chile rellenos you've ever had before -- the yam, corn and masa filling is deliciously cakey, but no where near as heavy as the traditionally battered, fried and filled with cheese chile rellenos you would find in a restaurant! Originally, this came from my beloved copy of the Rebar. If you haven't purchased it yet.... do it!

You will need: 

• 8 poblano chiles
  
• 1 1/3 cup corn flour or masa (I like to use Bob's Red Mill corn flour because the ingredient list is short, but last night used masa and they were just as tasty!)
  
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 4 T butter
• 2 T oil
• 1 large yam
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 c corn
• 1 c grated jack cheese
• sea salt
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 c water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the poblanos and cut a slit along one side. Roast the chiles on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes or until the skin blisters. Transfer to a bowl and cover. 
2. Mix masa or corn flour with 1/2 c warm water. Set aside to rest. 
3. Dice yams and saute with 2 T oil until soft. Add diced, seeded jalapeno, corn, and sea salt. Set aside.
4. Coat your hands in olive oil (or don't... but don't cry later when your skin is burning and you can't enjoy your tasty dinner because you just want to hold ice cubes until you feel better...) and rinse and peel the poblanos. Taking care to leave the stem intact. The skin should be fairly easy to remove since they have been sweating in a bowl. Rinsing will help you to remove the seeds. Set skinned peppers in a baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
5. Cube butter and use your hands to mix into the masa dough. Mix baking powder with 1/4 c water and add to masa mixture. When butter and baking powder liquid are integrated into the mix, add vegetables and cheese. 
6. Fill peppers and bake until filling is golden. 
7. I typically serve this with green rice in a pool of enchilada sauce. To make green rice, simply blend jalapeno, cilantro, garlic and spinach with the water you would typically add to your rice. Enjoy! 

Adventures in Quinoa

Has anyone noticed that the price of bell peppers inexplicably shot through the roof? Seriously. They are like $4 a pop right now, right up there with $3 avocados and as a result I'm been skimping on my quinoa consumption. Usually, I make this amazing salad about once a week to have around for lunches and/or dinner, but I can't be expected to make it without avocado OR bell peppers! All I'd be left with would a bowl full of quinoa, lime juice, cumin, cilantro, green onions, black beans and toasted pumpkin seeds... which doesn't sound half bad now that I list all those delicious things out... but thats not the point! While disgusted by the price of avocados and bell peppers, and pondering what exactly we did to piss off Mexico and send produce prices through the roof (there is no fact in this... but I swear I heard something on NPR the other day...) I made a fantastic discovery... tomatoes are looking edible and affordable these days! Awesome. I bought a small bag of organic cherry tomatoes for $2 instead. Much better.

So instead of making my salad, which just isn't the same without satisfying chunks of avocado, I decided to make Quinoa-camole! Look at me branching out, eh? It is practically the same, but most drastically different because instead of the avocado and peppers (I think you get it by now) this salad uses tomatoes! And lime zest! Reviewing the recipe, I guess its not so similar... it is... and its not... you get the idea. Anyway, thanks, Wiggs, for inspiring me to move past my avocado/bell pepper obstacle. 

I have a tendency to not stick to the recipe....at all. Which is why my salad is nothing like the salad in the cookbook I originally found it in, and why this salad, which was inspired by quinoa-camole....is also nothing like quinoa-camole. What can I say? I'm a kitchen rebel. So this is what I did:

• 1 c quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/2 c water

Bring water and quinoa to a boil. Lower heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl combine...

• chop one bunch cilantro and two green onions (or less, whatever. I am a cilantro fiend)
• quarter one pint cherry tomatoes
• zest one super juicy organic lime into bowl and squeeze juice over mixture (if your lime is not juicy, you might want to use two) 
• mix in 1 T cumin, salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste (okay, I threw in a little cayenne too... I am also a spice fiend...)
• rinse one can of black beans (or not canned if you have them lying around) and add to mixture
• add cooled quinoa

Optional (but totally delicious)...

• Toast raw pepitas in a skillet and add to quinoa salad. They add an interesting dimension. 

At this point.... you're done. Its easy. Awesome. Delicious. Good for you. The juice from the tomatoes give the quinoa-camole a much different feel than my avocado cilantro-lime concoction. Both tasty. Just different. 

A few years back I was having dinner at a co-op in the U district and someone told a joke along the lines of.... "whats the difference between a hippie and a yuppie?" (TONS of things, right?) "The yuppie sees food going bad and says, "ew, thats rotting throw it out" and the hippie says "quick eat that! before it goes bad!"" So anyway... I had some kale that was getting all wilty on me, so I chopped it up and threw it in - which worked grrrreat with all the juice from those tomatoes - but made this salad nothing like either of the salads I've been rambling on about. Just an idea. 

Enchiladas with zucchini, black beans and corn

Yes. I said corn. I have reintroduced corn without any difficulty as far as I can tell. Still out: dairy (excluding butter), wheat and eggs. 

This is another gem I picked up while spending time in Costa Rica. The concept of what I make today was born out of one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, rebar. You should probably just buy it, because its so amazing. The deliciousness is endless. The black beans are a recent addition by Adam, who felt like it needed a little more ooomph! I agreed, and we've never gone back. I think tonight I'll throw in some black olives too, just for fun. Sounds fun, right? 

These enchiladas are casserole style, which means this takes almost no time at all to prepare. Its like a tasty enchilada lasagna. Awesome. 

If you have some time on your hands...and own the rebar...you can make their mesa red sauce. Its quite good. I've become dependent on Trader Joe's and use their enchilada sauce, yet another reason why I call this "easy"... if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, you can also use canned enchilada sauce, but I recommend working on it until it actually tastes good. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. In a skillet saute diced onion, garlic, red bell pepper, zucchini, corn, jalapeno and 1 T each, coriander and cumin until veggies are tender, yet firm. Set aside. Mix in 1 can rinsed black beans and chopped olives.
   
3. In a 9 x 13 or similar-sized oven proof pan, spoon about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce into the bottom and begin the layering process with a layer of corn tortillas. 
4. Layer sauce, tortillas and veggies so that you have 3-4 layers, depending on the size and depth of your pan. 
5. Top with cheese if you eat it. Omit if you don't. Bake until bubbly. 
6. Cut into squares and top with real or fake sour cream, and avocado.
7. Enjoy!

On a side note, the beholder is totally my new favorite blog to read. I cannot wait to try her ab routine! 

Alice Waters and Michael Pollan in 'Food Fight'

Of course... I'm scheduled to work Saturday night and am missing my once in a lifetime chance to attend a panel with.... Alice Waters! 

If you aren't working Saturday night, you might want to check this out. 7pm. Town Hall.

Experimental Baking: Snickerdoodles

I had planned to introduce eggs this week, but I've been waiting for some ear(ritation) to subside after a Saturday night excursion to a couple of watering holes. Apparently drinking and the elimination diet aren't a good fit.

I've only managed to sneak in 8 hours of sleep over the last 48 hours due to pressing deadlines on final papers and presentations. In the final stretch, I called a baked sweet potato (minimal kitchen effort, totally tasty) dinner and threw on a pat of butter. You hear that folks? Butter has been officially introduced.

Since all dairy is so different (i.e.... milk, yogurt, butter, goat cheese, cow cheese, sheep cheese, you get the idea...) I plan to introduce these foods one by one anyway. Some people who are sensitive to milk, can eat butter, and visa versa (Brostoff & Gamlin (2000). Food Allergies and Food Intolerances). I've heard of this in the context of the blood type diet. This website offers an index of foods and their effect: beneficial, neutral, or avoid. As if I needed to add another complicated layer to this...

Back to the snickerdoodles! I've been craving these for no apparent reason (usually I am all chocolate, all the time) and what better way to introduce sweet, delicious butter than with cookies? I dappled with the idea of using real eggs, and only making these wheat and gluten free, but I think its better to take this whole butter thing slow.

This is my plan:

• 1 1/2 c rice flour
• 1 c tapioca flour
• 1 c garbanzo flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 2 T baking soda
• 1/4 t sea salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 c real butter!
• 2 c sugar
• 3/4 c warm water
• 1/4 c flax seeds
• 1 T agave nectar
• 1 T vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 degreese F.
2. Blend warm water and flax seeds to make flax eggs. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, flax eggs, agave, and then remaining ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, add 1/2 t cinnamon to 3 T sugar.
5. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and dip in cinnamon and sugar. If the dough is too sticky to handle, refrigerate for one hour prior.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes.
   

UPDATE: Do not attempt this at home. My predictions have failed. I blame the flax eggs. Great for cakes and muffins. Terrible for cookies. Use real eggs. Or don't eat cookies.

Veganomicon

Walking home from downtown on a very windy Saturday, I remembered I had a Barnes and Noble gift card burning a hole in my wallet. I've had my eye on Veganomicon for awhile now, and since it appears as though I am allergic to one or more of the foods I've eliminated, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas. This book is bursting with them -- and I cannot wait to give it a try. The moussaka with pine nut cream looks absolutely amazing! 

I'd rather support a small, local bookstore, but I do appreciate the inquisitive nature of B&N employees . On this particular visit, the cashier to customer banter went a little like this: 

"Oh, are you vegan?"

"No, but I often eat like one." (The truth is, I love cheese too much to be vegan.)

"This book has been very popular."

"I've heard good things. I'm excited to give it a try."

"Do you know what a vitamix blender is?" (What?! Where did that come from?)

"I do... but I find that my $30 magic bullet works just as well."

Reading this in the New York Times this morning makes me thankful for my 13 years of vegetarianism. Five out of ninety samples tested positive for MRSA? That is a) disgusting and b) a serious problem. 

Despite a secret love of cheese (which I may or may not be able to eat) I also dapple in the occasional serving of fish. Since dairy and soy are absent in my elimination diet, I have been subsiding on beans, legumes, grains, nuts, fruits and veggies. Which is fine, but I was starting to feel a little low on protein, leaving me feeling famished a few hours after eating. 

I picked up some wild caught salmon, and made Cherie's West Indian Curry. I'm in the midst of final papers and have very little time for cooking (which makes the elimination diet tricky, as I have to cook almost everything I can eat) so I had the brilliant idea of throwing everything into the crockpot that we never use, so I could hit the library. I altered Cherie's recipe a bit (as I tend to do) throwing in an entire can of coconut milk, a can of tomatoes and then a half cup of lentils. I came home a couple hours later to a beautifully aromatic curry with lentils. I cooked the salmon on a bed of onions and lemon slices, and covered it in olive oil and lemon juice. I have yet to try one of Cherie's recipes and not be impressed - this one was no exception! She suggests pineapple to round out the flavors - I couldn't agree more! It really adds a noticeable depth. 

Blueberry Banana Muffins

These muffins are wheat-free, gluten-free, vegan, and totally awesome. 

• 1 1/4 c brown rice flour 
• 1/4 c garbanzo bean flour
• 1/4 c tapioca flour
• 1/4 t cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 c flax seeds
• 3/4 c warm water
• 1/3 c oil
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/3 c almond milk
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Blend the flax seeds and warm water for two minutes and set aside. 
   
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix the oil and sugar. 
5. Dice the banana and add to the oil and sugar mixture, mashing a little with a fork. Add the remaining wet ingredients, including the flax/water mixture.
6. Fold wet ingredients into the dry, and add blue berries. 
7. Spoon batter into muffin liners, and bake for 30 minutes. 
8. Enjoy!

Come monday, I'll be able to introduce the eliminated foods, one at a time into my diet. I cannot believe its almost been two weeks already! I've been managing pretty well, Adam even made me these rice cake tostadas the other night for dinner: 

Sounds a little strange, but they were really good! We've also been having some super veggie intense stir fry - although I do really miss tofu and all soy based sauces - I've been using a combo of garlic/ginger/chili and sesame oil and its working out great. 

Breakfast has been mostly warm quinoa with berries, chopped almonds, cinnamon and rice milk or a banana and peanut butter. To mix things up a bit, I made a green smoothie this morning with: almond milk, banana, a handful of spinach, 1 T flax seeds, frozen blueberries and frozen pineapple. I was a little nervous about the flax seeds, but they were great! Blending flax seeds causes them to thicken, which is why they work as an egg replacer. Boost of Omega 3's for the day? Check!

Quinoa and Avocado with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

This salad is a staple for me. The ingredients vary at times, but the quinoa, avocado, cilantro and lime are always essential ingredients in my book. It keeps well, so I usually pack it up right away to bring for lunches during the week.

Quinoa is awesome because it is the only grain which is a complete protein on its own (or, I've heard, as close as a grain can come to being a complete protein) it cooks quickly and is delicious. 

When I'm looking to add a little more protein, I add grilled temphe or black beans. 

1. Rinse 1 cup of quinoa to rid the grain of its natural bitter coating. Boil 1.5 cups water and add rinsed quinoa. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. 
2. Chop a small handful of cilantro, 2 green onions, and a seeded jalapeno if you have one around. Place chopped ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and cover with the juice of 2 limes, 1 t hot sauce, and 1/2 t ground cumin.
3. Dice 1-2 sweet peppers (I like to do 1 red, 1 yellow) and an avocado. Add to mixture. If you can have corn, add 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn to this as well. 
4. In a hot, dry skillet, lightly toast 1/4 cup pepitas.
5. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Add salt to taste. 

Black Beans and Spinach

I'm so glad its still cold enough out there for soup to sound good. When you take away wheat, corn, soy, dairy and eggs, it seems like the easiest thing to make. This is one of my favorites. I've made it so many times this winter that Adam says, "this one again?" when I make it. Its cheap, tasty and takes minimal effort. What's not to like?

I like to use dried black beans for this because I think they add something lovely to the texture. If you don't have the time, or want to make this on the fly, canned beans are delicious as well.

• 1 cup dried black beans 
• 1 bunch spinach, chopped
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T coriander
• 1 T cumin
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T minced ginger

If you eat dairy or soy.... neither of which can I have this week or next....

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt added at the end

1. Soak beans overnight. Rinse, drain and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer at medium heat until tender.
2. Saute oil, garlic and ginger and spices. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add beans and chopped spinach. If the beans are in quite a bit of water, you may wish to drain some off.
4. Stir in yogurt (if you're using it) and simmer until stew thickens. 

Potato Chickpea Curry

I was searching through my list of posts this morning because I thought I had drafted this last night. Apparently I'm going crazy because I most certainly did not, but I did find an old draft where I had written only this: 

 Environmental Degradation in the Tropics was hands-down the best class I took as an undergraduate at the University of Washington. I took the course one Summer after a long stretch in Costa Rica. It took my heart and tore it to pieces.

Its a bit dramatic, but absolutely true. Changed the way I feel about trade and tropical commodities forever. Don't even get me started on shrimp...

This post is actually about curry, not global environmental issues. Yesterday was my first official day on the elimination diet, and I went home early with a splitting headache due to inadequate caloric preparation for the day ahead of me. I went to Madison Market immediately and stocked up on some wheat, corn, gluten, dairy, soy and egg free essentials. Basically, ingredients for cooking up an allergen free storm. Whee. 

I found this one over at Meaty Vegan (and she found it over at Simply Recipes) I more or less paid attention to the recipe, tripled the spices as I tend to do, and ended up with something quite delicious. 

Saute together: 

• 1 T coconut oil
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 1 T ginger, minced
  
• 1 T cumin
  
• 1 T coriander
  
• 1 t cayenne 
  

To this add: 

• 1 large tin diced tomatoes
  
• 1 tin coconut milk
  
• 2 tins garbanzo beans, rinsed
  
• 1 sweet potato (I had one around, so threw it in - it was an awesome addition)
  
• About 10 small potatoes
  
• Chili's (the recipe called for anaheims seeded and diced - I couldn't get them at the store, so had to use diced green and it wasn't hot enough for my taste)
  

Add water as needed (about a cup) to have enough liquid to cover potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are soft, and serve over brown rice. Add salt to taste. 

Coconut Bunny

In honor of my last few days of life with flour, eggs and dairy, I have made cupcakes. The eggs have nothing to do with it actually, as I enjoy the challenge of vegan baked goods - and rarely make regular cupcakes these days. 

While I adore Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I have fallen in love with a new basic chocolate cake recipe. I think it is superior. Adam disagrees. If you have the book, you should try them both and let me know what you think. The cake recipe was featured on Grist for Valentine's Day. I didn't have much luck with the frosting. Most likely because I failed to treat it as fudge and skimped on the boiling time. I ended up dipping the cupcakes - which was quite sexy and appropriate for Valentines day, but not at all what I was looking for in a frosting now - when I know I can't have real butter for a few weeks, if not forever if I discover I'm allergic to dairy! 

The cake: 

• 1 1/2 cups flour 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix the dry. Mix the wet into the dry. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a fork comes out clean!

Now for the frosting. My mother's buttercream. I do alright with the vanilla, but I stand no chance next to my mom for making chocolate buttercream. She could make it with her eyes closed and it would be the most delicious frosting you've ever tasted. 

The frosting:

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• a couple of teaspoons of milk (whatever kind you have) until the desired consistency is reached.

Mix and frost liberally!

When I lived with Emmy and Gus, we would occasionally make trips to Ballard for cupcakes. Our standard household order was as follows: Kate for Emmy, Triple Threat for Gus, and Coconut Bunny for Erin. In honor of my beloved Coconut Bunny, I've replicated (more or less) and topped these with delicious coconut! 

Incas

Peru

If a tree falls in the forest...

Sorry for the silence if anyone has been checking in (...I sort of doubt that anyone has) things have been busy, and I've been distracted by a secret personal finance blog of mine that has managed to get almost 3000 hits already from when I started it in the end of July (which I feel is pretty decent) and quite honestly, I haven't been cooking. 

Oh the shame!

I know. 

Its not like I haven't been cooking at all, just haven't been cooking new and interesting things. 

Despite my initial excitement about sewing, my pattern sits unopened in my stack of mail. Still.

I've started back at school, which is fantastic, but mostly to blame for this lack of cooking. I'm taking a policy class, Environmental Decision Analysis. Its challenging. More so than I initially expected. 

Adam and I will be moving one of these days...which will cause a little jump in my rent, which may, in turn, inspire me to cook once again in an effort to bring more lunches and eat out less. 

Dresses!

Lately, I have been crazy about dresses. Crazy in love with their ease and their comfort. Crazy determined to wear the ones that have been gathering dust in my closet. Crazy dreaming of laying around in the summer sun with bare feet and a dress on.


You can imagine my delight when stumbling upon this little gem of a website: http://www.dressaday.com/

A dress a day!

I am now madly searching vintage pattern sites for a mc calls 8858 and/or a simplicity 3875

Have I ever sewn an article of clothing in my life?

No!

Does it matter?

No!

To sewing dresses!

(or attempting to...)

A Damn Fine Cup of Coffee

Adam and I took ourselves and a very excited Lucy Lebowski to Little Si on Sunday. The clouds seemed to clear once we were about 20 miles out of the city, and the cool, lush, fern covered forest was a welcome break from the concrete jungle we call home.

While not officially an off-leash trail, Lucy was on her best behavior and was free to bound ahead of us, skidding through mud puddles and chasing an endless array of decaying sticks. Impressively, not leaving her muddy paw prints on any unsuspecting new friends she met along the way.

On our way to the trail head, we stopped by Tweeds Cafe in historic downtown North Bend for breakfast. Affectionately known by Twin Peaks fans as "The R & R" since neither Adam or I have seen the show. This means nothing to us. I selected Tweeds because: 1. I don't know of anywhere else to eat in North Bend and 2. Adam has a tendency to favor truck stop breakfast over, say, vegan breakfast like me.

The coffee, actually was pretty damn fine. Despite our tendency towards coffee snobbery. We skipped cherry pie, as it didn't seem an appropriate choice for breakfast before hiking. The issue we immediately encountered was with the menu: crowded, confusing and lacking descriptions. Adam appropriately compared it to a menu you'd see traveling; written in English, but doubtful that the wait staff, the kitchen and the customer have the same idea of what will actually appear on the plate. Our 17 year old, small town waitress was impressively patient with our questions.

A: What is the country mix?
W: Oh, thats the best one! It has bacon, sausage, ham, potatoes, peppers, onions, olives....
A: What about this one?
W: Well, the other one has all the meat in it, but that one is good too. It has...
E: Babe, it has all the meat in it.

I decided on a spinach, mushroom and feta scramble (no, not like the mix, I'd like the omelet, but scrambled, please). I think it was made with six eggs, and I think I ate 1/4 of it before it was impossible to take another bite. Adam supposedly asked for a half order of biscuits and gravy (not vegan, apparently, vegan gravy only exists in the city) but you would have never guessed by looking at his plate. We were defeated by quantity. When I paid the bill, the waitress seemed concerned.

W: Was everything, alright?
E: Yeah. Great. Its just...I think there were six eggs in that.

Drug Bus(t)

This is a repost from an old blog of mine...just for nostalgias sake

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Drug Bus(t). I should probably wait until I´m not tired, or cold and can give this blog some justice....but I won´t because it deserves its own space and cannot be muddled with other, less significant entries. Two days ago - Tuesday - we miraculously escaped Iquique on a bus bound for Santiago after being told by about six bus companies that all buses were full until Sunday. We had planned to stop at other charming locations along the way, but they were all sold out as well, because Monday is Chile´s Independence day and therefore a popular time to travel. The ride from Iquique is 28 hours. The bus was not comfortable, nor was it terribly uncomfortable - but now, almost 26 hours after my arrival in Santiago I still feel like crap, so I suggest that you: 1. Not take a 28 hour bus ride OR 2. Take a Salon Cama bus - if given the option. Which I was not. ANYWAY.... 26 hours into the ride, our bus is pulled over at one of the many toll booths along the way. On comes the police, a detective (his jacket said so!) and a lovely dog. The dog runs up and down the bus...but keeps coming back to the general area we are sitting in. The dogs trainer has him check out the row in front of us, and ultimately pulls off two people: a woman and her baby, and the only other foreign traveler on the bus - both sitting next to each other, one row ahead of us, across the isle. After awhile, the foreigner comes back on...people start asking him if she has drugs and he confirms. Really? Yes, the lady with the baby has drugs. Not just a little bit....but EIGHT KILOS OF COCAINE. So we´re there....on the side of the road, two hours out of Santiago while the police do their checks and take photos and video to document the situation, and finally, we get on the bus. The bus attendant gets on and gives this speech real quickly, of which I catch ¨act like nothing happened when we get to Santiago¨ and I´m feeling a little confused, just then, the woman and the detective get on the bus and he handcuffs her to the seat! Since people were waiting for her to arrive in Santiago the police thought it would be a great idea for her to continue her journey.... Despite the terrible things racing through my mind as to what was about to happen to me when I arrived in Santiago, here I am, safe and sound. Its a shame I can´t follow up as to what happened next, but thats as far as my story about the bus ride with 8 kilos of coke goes.....

(Fish)Food for Thought...

Properly managed, the ocean is an incredible source of protein. I'll add more to this at a later date, but I'd like to point out that we are doing a terrible job:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7413948.stm

and...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm

Burma Superstar

I love Seattle, but San Francisco is turning my blue eyes green. This envy does not result from the lack of permeable surfaces on city streets, but a recent and delicious love affair with Burmese food.

San Francisco is home to Burma Superstar - an awesome restaurant in the inner Richmond neighborhood. I just came home from a four-day weekend in San Fran, where we ate at Burma Superstar twice! The wait can be long, but its well worth it and they will call as your name approaches the top of the list, cutting the annoyance factor down to tolerable.

To start: tea leaf salad, samusa soup and coconut rice. The tea leaf salad is refreshing and complex. I wouldn't have expected a soup with lentils, cabbage, onion and crumbled samusas and falafels to be incredibly delicious, but delicious it was! The sweet taste of coconut rice still lingering on my tongue...I'm ready for Burma Superstar to invade Seattle.

Throwin' Clay

I have an amazing grandmother. The sort of grandmother whose house always smells delicious, who uses words like "davenport", who was eating tofu before you could buy it in just any grocery store and who is delightfully liberal and politically savvy. She will casually reference Deborah Madison as "little Debbie" since she just so happened to have known the Madison family while living in Davis, CA around the time my mother was born, before they moved to Berkeley.

While chatting with my grandmother last Sunday about her recent trip to Fiji for her 87th birthday, presidential candidates and the beginning pottery class Adam and I had just finished, she appropriately compared the satisfaction of pottery to making bread. I wish I could remember her words exactly, because she spoke so eloquently of what becomes of your perfectly wedged clay equal to what becomes of a well kneaded ball of dough left to rise.

Reflecting on my undergraduate education, International Environmental Studies (which has left me with a basic knowledge of of many global, environmental and social issues, and a deep, scientific understanding of almost none of them) I often wish I would have pursued an art degree instead. I am almost always thinking that I should have studied photography. Its easy to get lost in a daydream of being paid to travel and take photos...I often think I am bursting at the seams with creative energy. I lieu of yet another bachelors degree I may not use, I should just try to plan time for more creative activities. Painting, taking pictures, making prints and throwing clay.

Adam and I took a beginning wheel through Seattle Parks & Rec. We were hesitant at first, $180 seemed steep for an art class. After the first class class at the Alki Bathhouse; I think we both felt it was well worth it. As a passerby, I'd always been curious about the space at the Alki bathhouse. Its a tiny studio near the Alki Bakery. The half of the studio devoted to pottery is reminiscent of a summer camp craft house; shelves overflowing with donated glazes, a kiln, adult work drying on shelves with creations from the kids hand building class, and lovely pottery wheels. Our instructor, Janna, was patient and talented. She allowed us freedom to throw what we fancied, while demonstrating proper
techniques, often more than once for the student who missed it the first time around.

The session ran about ten weeks. We headed to Alki for class on Wednesday nights after work. Most Saturday's we spent in the studio too, working our way through fifty pounds of clay, each. Fifty pounds made me about thirty pieces of pottery including the slightly off center pieces from the beginning. Its amazing how glaze and a firing really showcases your mistakes.