21 Habits of Happy People

Without facebook, how in the world would we ever catch up on reading random new agey affirmation articles? I really enjoyed this one, it's a good reminder for all of us:

21 Habits of Happy People

Happy Thursday!

The Ark of Taste

A few months ago, Inside Sonoma published this article on rare local foods. Sonoma County has four of the 200 regional foods recognized on the Slow Food Movement's "Ark of Taste" list of foods under threat.

Photo by Ariane, Inside Sonoma

Our specialties include: dry Monterey jack cheese, gravenstein apples, crane melon and mission olives. Have you had any, or all of them? The good news is the Slow Food Movement has heightened awareness and these items are making a resurgence.

What are the endangered foods where you live? Check out the Ark of Taste site to find out.

A Box of Young Coconuts

Last weekend I made my first trip to the Asian grocery store in town. It's time I get away from my Euro-American cooking comfort zone and explore some new terrain. I asked my friend Chuck if she needed me to pick up anything.

"Maybe just a box of young coconuts."

A box? I looked all over the store, moving in slow motion along the aisles as I scanned every product. Thank goodness almost everything had a picture on the package. So many totally unfamiliar ingredients! I had a time just finding the basics to getting my feet wet, like soy sauce, nori, miso and soba noodles.

I finally went to the counter and asked the clerk. "How many boxes?" she asked. "We'll bring to your car."

"Just one." I had no idea what Chuck would even do with these.

Drink them! If you're on board with the coconut water craze, this is the source. They do wonders for getting you hydrated and are a cheaper way to go than the fancy water bottles in stores. Chuck's boyfriend showed me how to hack them open.

Just give them a couple hits with a hatchet, grab a straw and drink!

As to what to do with the rest of the meat inside, I have no idea. Any suggestions? Young coconuts have their own fan page, so that's my first stop in navigating their mystery.

The Purpose Fairy

I read a couple articles from this blog last week and I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been thinking about a lot of things a lot, especially improving my mindset and my world around me.

This list was going around Facebook the other week and I finally learned about The Purpose Fairy, an inspirational blog with "ideas and suggestions about life." I checked out some other articles and got a great daily dose of emotional sunshine. Let's face it, we all need it.

Some great quotes to think about:

Ne te quaesiveris extra - Do not look outside of yourself for the truth


“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”  Ghandi


“Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”


Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to.


“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”Winston Churchill


Beauty is not in the face, but rather a light in the heart.


Whatever it is that you want, you have to want it more for someone else.


"How you treat anybody is how you will treat everybody"


My goodness, I could read for days and I suggest you do the same. I guarantee it will add at least one random act of kindness to your day.

Goddess Dressing in a Snap

I love this salad dressing so much, I would marry it if I could (but others should get priority ahead of me on that waiting list).

But seriously, this is great for so many reasons- it's thick and creamy, it has a little more substance than vinaigrette, but isn't as heavy as caesar. And the best part? It's vegetarian and vegan, so it makes the perfect addition to vegetable dips and salads for those finicky dinner guests (you know who you are).

It's also incredibly easy to make- barely 5 minutes to throw together in a blender. And it tastes as good as Annie's! I got this recipe from Jolinda Hackett- but here's the direct link.

Tahini "Goddess" Dressing

By Jolinda Hackett, About.com Guide

My version of the tahini-based "goddess" dressing found in many health food stores and restaurants. If you like the store-bought goddess dressings, you'll love this easy homemade goddess salad dressing made with tahini, lemon juice and parsley. You might also want to try this recipe for goddess dressing with ginger.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce  (I use a little worcestershire or fish sauce to make it tastier, but then it's not vegetarian!)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp dried parsley  (Oregano also works well)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup oil

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients, except for the oil to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. 

Slowly add oil until well mixed. Dressing will be thick, but you can always add a bit more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

It's Our Right to Know!

Busy weekend getting those garden beds started? Well, before you plant all those tomatoes, check out the Label GMO's site. They even print the reminder on seed packets.

Pretty scary to think of how many innocent little seeds are genetically modified! We can change it, or at least make people even more aware of their food choices.

Happy planting!

And here's the link to Rare Seeds for all your heirloom needs.

Scavenger Cooking

Read my first and second post in this foraging frenzy to catch up! It's time we took our bounty back to the kitchen to get some food in our bellies. On the menu- miner's lettuce salad, sauteed fiddlehead ferns, local oyster po' boy bruschetta, and potato nettle soup drizzled with cream.

I jumped right into the prep while I sipped some wine and shmoozed with my classmates. We carefully washed the nettles and lettuce, peeled potatoes and chopped onions and garlic for three large stock pots bubbling away on a portable stove.

Picture perfect salad garnish of nasturtiums and wild radish seed pods.

Don't forget your gloves when handling nettles! They keep stinging long after you pick 'em.

A kind soul from Marin Organic shucked oysters for our po' boys.

My personal handiwork. I never mind the stinky jobs. Just don't look too closely at my lazy knife skills!

The finished thistle, peeled at the root, boiled and chopped. Like a lovely, deeper, more mysterious celery.

The sauteed fiddleheads, as promised.

Divinity.

Our healthy helping of miner's lettuce, which I forgot to mention in the forage! Impressive how a handful from everyone can quickly add up. Also, the spritely weed on the bottom right is chickweed and usually grows alongside it.

Our finished salad. Notice the wine served in mason jars.

With one of our tour guides, Langdon Cook and some of the crew. Go to his post about the day here and look for yours truly modeling onions and garlic. And then check out our other teacher, Kevin's blog! And then buy both their books.

The dramatic baptism of the nettle to the soup pots. This gets added at the end when the potatoes are all cooked through.

The soup gets combined and then blended. Heating or blending takes the sting out of the nettle, so it can also be added to a raw green juice shake at breakfast. Great if you need ways to get extra protein and super vitamins.

The oysters were quicker to cook, just a little breading and fried in oil.

Technically we didn't personally forage these babies, but with aioli and crostini, they were my faaaavorite. I strategically stayed close to the stove.

Before the fiddleheads got sauteed, we cleaned off all those pesky little hairs for a prettier presentation.

But I still kept my eye on the oysters.

Our gorgeous labor of love, drizzled with cream and garnished with a fern.

And our foraged salad with vinaigrette, walnuts and crumbled blue cheese.

A meal and a food adventure I will never forget. Thanks, Kevin and Langdon!

How To: Slicing Citrus Supremes

With this cold getting me down, I've been trying to hit the citrus and vitamin C with full force. Then I found my knife bag after 8 months of neglect and decided to see where my knife skills were at. But mostly I wanted vitamin C.

I recommend a mix of citrus for a sassier salad. I have grapefruit, naval oranges, and blood oranges. This is the best time for all of them (but sadly, I hear they're not doing so hot in California).

First, slice off the top and bottom where the stems are so you have a flat bottom to rest the fruit on. It gets slippery, so always cut away from yourself. Then start from the top and shave off the rind- it will mean cutting in a curve with a gentle sawing motion. It is best to do this in eighths or even tenths. If you are losing too much meat, then shave a smaller portion. See picture below for a better idea.

Holding the fruit in your hand, VERY carefully slice between either side of the membrane, removing only the juiciest flesh. Go slowly and carefully. And make sure your knife is very sharp. You can hold the fruit in a towel if you're nervous it will slip. (Sorry, I had to photograph this one-handed.)

The cut-out membranes will start to make a little accordion, just keep going. This is crucial French pastry technique. Your friends will think you're fancy!

When you are all finished slicing all the fruit, don't forget to squeeze all the juice out of the little accordion left over. It's the best part, and you will not need to add even a granule of sugar to the mix.

Enjoy, and laugh in the face of colds and flus.

Pink Fuzzy Slipper Cookies

I happened upon these months ago when I was blogging at Craft. They had already been posted on the site, but I bookmarked them to make on a rainy day.

I found them to be especially tempting and fitting in theme today. I broke in my slippers easily after dislocating my elbow. The good news? I'm out of the sling.

The bad news? I woke up yesterday with a head cold/flu and it's taken me down the last two days. Back to the slippies.

Nothing a little recipe surfing eye candy can't fix. Can you believe these are transformed from Nutter Butters? I feel better already.

This is the one of the many amazing creations of Beth from Hungry Happenings. She is especially creative with holiday themes and is a great resource if you're ever in need of a whimsical party dish. Makes me want to get in the kitchen! If I can get out of my jammies.

For the post featured on Craft, click here.