JBG Organics volunteering

Just so you don't miss the takeaway: Please think about what you eat and how it got there. Try not to waste food. And use less plastic/throwaway packaging whenever you can. 

The other day I didn't have to head into my internship because my coworkers were out of town for a meeting. I decided to sign up to volunteer at Johnson's Backyard Garden farm because when you volunteer for 5 hours, you get a box of veggies. I also have become more curious about farming since my mom grew up on a farm, going back to Kansas for my grandpa's funeral reminded me that I wanted to get a better sense of what it entailed, and visiting California for work and seeing the farms and fresh food pushed me the extra mile. I understand farming conceptually, but I have very little experience with the actual labor and science of it.

I worked at the greenhouse, which meant that I started out by seeding Kohlrabi into 46 little planters with 128 little seeds. There was this little suction board with 128 little holes on it, and I shook the seeds out until there was one in each and then poured off the extras. Then I set it on top of the tray with some soil in it, turned off the suction, and then set everything back up again. Repeat 46 times. Once the seeds were all in, I got my hands real good and dirty filling up the rest of the planter boxes (excuse my incorrect terminology) until they were level with the top. I made a grid on the pavement of all the planters so that we could water them a few times. Because I was doing winter seeds, the greenhouse guy took them back to store in a cooler until it was time for them to actually start growing.

My next task was to weed out in the greenhouse itself. This got... hot. It was about 100 degrees while I was working (8 am - 1 pm), which meant, I'm guessing, that the greenhouse was 110+. I certainly felt it. I got a bit woozy in there, especially being in jeans and such. The planters covered the floor of the greenhouse, so in order to get back and pull weeds, I had to drag out a row hop over alternating clear patches I created, and balance while I pulled weeds and then came back. I did not love it, but I think it was because I was getting tired and very hot. It was nice to get a big bucketful of weeds though, in terms of seeing your work make a difference. That was definitely one bonus of the work as a whole. I was a bit surprised at how many dead butterflies, moths, and crickets there were, but it made sense once I thought about how enticing it would be in there but then hard to get out and then very, very hot to survive in. I also pulled weeds outside around the greenhouse, and while it was a big relief to have some wind movement and less humidity, the direct sun wasn't too much of a break.

My last little task was to move out some peppers that had grown up enough that they were almost done with the greenhouse. I set them out on this pallet area so they could get some water while they adjusted to the sunshine and spent more time in the greenhouse (I think) before they got sent full-time to the fields. Good luck little guys!

Finally, at 1, after drinking two 32 oz gatorades and my water bottle, I picked up my veggies (transferring them to my reusable bags, of course) and headed home. Phew! My neck and back were very sore, and I was pretty excited for my shower. I think I will definitely volunteer again when my schedule allows (and perhaps when it is a little cooler) to get experience in the sorting/loading space as well as out in the fields for a harvest or something.

More than anything, it really made me appreciate even more how much, I mean an incredible amount, of work goes into every single thing I eat. I already work so hard not to waste and to buy exactly what I'll eat, whether at the grocery store or restaurants, but this was further incentive to do my best. And it also made me feel like food was so cheap even though sometimes I bemoan prices in my head while I shop. I know organics and local foods are sometimes a little more expensive, but you're paying to have people take care of your food, and people just need a little bit of money. And as the guy I worked with said, JBG was great because Johnson pays a little more than minimum wage. Where would we be without people farming our food, and yet they only get minimum wage most of the time? I'm not going to get into the politics of it all and subsidies and all that headache, but I do think there are serious, sad problems with our value system of work in this country (and probably around the world). Farming and education are two of the most important jobs that exist, the end, and while teachers make more, there is such a low level of respect and tribute paid, financially, to those absolutely integral jobs.

Please think about what you eat and how it got there. Try not to waste food. And use less plastic/throwaway packaging whenever you can. 

Also, tell me what kind of veggies I got! I'm not 100% sure about exactly what's what, so I welcome any insights. 

pumpkin/squash soup

Another throwback! In fall of 2009, when I was beginning my cooking exploits, I was talking to my friend Andy online and he told me about a soup that he makes. I don't think we had squash available the next time I went to the market, so I just followed the recipe using pumpkin instead. At least as far as I remember. Anyway, the recipe looks good and what I ended up with tasted good. Plus it was my first foray into cooking homemade soup, which I ended up doing pretty frequently in the cold months. Inevitably, it pretty much cooks itself, tastes good, and makes a lot of food.

As you can see, I'm still trying to figure things out. This probably was one of the first times I used the oven other than to heat bread or cook asparagus (which I only knew how to do because my college boyfriend used to cook us dinner frequently once he graduated and lived on his own; I just sat around, teased him, and looked pretty). Eryn and I liked this soup; it was a bit sweet, but it still worked as a dinner.

In Morocco, our kitchen was pretty limited: cups, plates, bowls, silverware, three pots, one skillet, knives that I routinely bent/broke until Courtney sent me a nice set of three stainless steel ones (thank you!), and that's pretty much it. Did I mention measuring cups or spoons (or blenders or any other fancy gadgets)? Nooo. Because I didn't have them. So I used actual cups and spoons and eyed it. Recipes like Andy's were nice because I could just sort of estimate and it was fine. And since I had no choice but to measure imperfectly and just try it out, it gave me confidence when using formal recipes (like SK) to just do my best with what I had. If I was missing a spice or a particular type of cream, I just used what was similar (like in this recipe, I just mashed it up as much as I could). I estimated what a teaspoon might be or a 1/4 cup. The food generally turned out fine. Probably not perfect, but fine. It kept me trying things and experimenting, and now I'm rarely discouraged by a recipe because it looks difficult or complicated. I know to just do the best I can with what I have.

Andy’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
butternut squash (or pumpkin)
4 apples, quartered and cored (next time, I would maybe leave the skin on because it is so flavorful, especially if you do have a blender or don't mind chunks)
3 cups of chicken/vegetable stock (or water)
spices, cloves, olive oil
lemon/lime juice


Quarter a butternut squash and rub the exposed flesh with olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet in the oven until soft at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Quarter and core the apples and bake until the flesh is soft.

Let it cool, and scoop it out of the rind with a spoon into a big pot. Add ~3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (to keep it vegetarian) or water, some spices, maybe a little cloves, salt, and a glug of olive oil. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Puree with a blender. You can stir in some acid when you serve it - either lemon or lime.

first attempts

So I said that I would write some throwbacks with some of the recipes I made before I started the blog. First, however, I thought I would show some of my first recipe-less disasters attempts at cooking myself a meal. As mentioned, I really couldn't cook at all before I went to Morocco to start life as a recent college graduate with a real job in the real world.

My fellow recent postgrad, Eryn, and I bonded together to feed ourselves (and generally spend every waking moment together, I'm only exaggerating by about an hour of individual time a day), and it was not pretty for a while. I really had this thing against using recipes; I wanted to be able to make good food based on my own know-how. Now, I realize that your own know-how comes after you research, learn, practice, learn from mistakes, and so on. Then you know what goes together and how flavors and ingredients work and so on.

Finally, I decided to give in and use recipes, starting with my beloved Smitten Kitchen, where I first learned how to produce something that tasted good by my own hands and raw ingredients. Before that, Eryn and I, we had some blunders. Things improved a bit and we were thrilled and proud; though looking back, I think that we may have overreacted. At least that tells you about the quality we started out with...

Wow, a really delicious Moroccan beef hamburger..sub..thing with soggy fried potatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus. 

An everything-but-the-kitchen-sink fritatta? What could be better?! 

 Proud of my ability to cook mushrooms. 

See? I really did start out with baby, baby steps...

YES! Cooked mushrooms! A true success story! 

At least we were using healthy, fresh ingredients: eggplant, mushrooms, and asparagus with rice 

Pasta with a homemade sauce that probably tasted good in spite of looking black and unappetizing.

Bon appetit!  That's frozen spinach, frozen peas, chicken, and mushrooms, cooked "Chinese" style, 

aka with butter and soy sauce. 

As we gained confidence with our fabulous cooking skills, 

we started introducing meat into our cooking exploration.

Now, a more respectable pasta dinner. Its the end of the beginning.  

gadgetry

No, not a kitchen gadget, one for the blog! I recently discovered how to create quick little response boxes at the end of every post. So now you should see three options at the end of all posts here on kitchen to kitchen, and you can share what you think about each post once you've scrolled down to the end.

The options are:
i'll make it
looks yummy
no thank you
So, if you feel in accordance with one of those reactions, just click the box and it will record your response. Also, if you think we're missing some obvious option, let us know and I'll go in and add it.

Any other feedback, requests, advice, comments, etc? Either post a comment or email/facebook Katie or me (if you know us), and we will do what we can to keep you happy.

Also, blogger tells me that our little blog has had over 1000 hits since we started it back in October, so thank you for coming by and having a look! It has definitely added to my culinary experience and exploration to play with taking pictures and get to post about how things worked out. It has also encouraged me to keep trying out new recipes so that I can keep sharing.

Note: I just wanted to make a little note of something in case people have noticed that I post quite a bit more often than Katie does. While teaching is absolutely a full-time job, it does give me most of my nights and weekends relatively free. Katie, on the other hand, is working a full-time job and taking night graduate school classes at the Harvard Extension School (I think I have the name right), along with some other things that take up her time. I've heard that she is cooking and has things to post, but I suspect that her life is just a bit busier than mine. In the meantime, I have free time and am enjoying cooking as a significant part of my personal winding-down time and hobbies, so that's why I am the one dominating the wires for now. 

cinnamon and honey

The other day I got a forwarded email from my mom touting all the amazing medicinal benefits of cinnamon and honey. Now, the claims are pretty bold so it is a little hard to believe that these two simple, everyday spices/foods can have such an incredible and beneficial effect on our health and no one knows it, but on the other hand, Americans today seem to much prefer and believe in pills and medications over using lifestyle changes and food to improve their health, so I can believe that some or all of this could be true but that Americans wouldn't give credence to such simple homeopathic solutions.

On a non-cooking related note, I have had horrible eczema my entire life. It was miserable, ugly, and humiliating for me, and I visited so many doctors and tried so many medications throughout my childhood and teenage years that didn't work, so I assumed it would never really get better. When I moved to Morocco, I bought a book on my kindle one day because it sounded interesting. It was called You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty. I was definitely skeptical when I started reading the book, but the author explained things well and it all made sense, so when I came to parts that professed that allergies were caused by being dehydrated, and I knew my allergies caused my eczema to act up, I decided to give his methods a try. I started drinking the recommended amount of water and stopped using my allergy pills. I was really and truly shocked at how much better my skin got. For the past 9 month, then, I have barely used any medication for my skin, which is a huge contrast to the steroids, allergy pills, and other variety of medication I used regularly for the first 23 years of my life. In addition to being happy that my system has probably flushed out at this point most of the medications I was putting into it on a regular basis, my skin doesn't look like I have a disease, except for all the scars. So after that experience, I am a little more likely to believe that simple attention to incorporating something into your diet and routine can have a really wonderful impact on your health.

So, before I pasted in the text about cinnamon and honey that my mom sent me, I wanted to do a little research and see what I could find about cinnamon and honey and their medicinal value. I will go ahead and paste the email text in now, and at the bottom you can find some sources I found that are related to or support the claims made. I also want to say that I don't know who wrote this email, and I haven't tried any of the treatments myself, it is just something I found interesting and curious and thought I would share.

Cinnamon and Honey 

Honey is the only food on the planet that will  not spoil or rot. It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality, honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call "crystallizing". When this happens, loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, turn off the heat and let it liquefy. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey. 

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:  

It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases. 

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists: 

HEART DISEASES: 

Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins. 

ARTHRITIS: 

Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the 

Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon honey and half teaspoon cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain. 

BLADDER INFECTIONS: 

Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder. 

CHOLESTEROL: 

Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic 

patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: 

Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses. 

UPSET STOMACH: 

Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root. 

GAS: 

According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas. 

IMMUNE SYSTEM: 

Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases. 

INDIGESTION: 

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals. 

INFLUENZA: 

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ' Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu. 

LONGEVITY: 

Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old. 

PIMPLES: 

Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.. 

SKIN INFECTIONS: 

Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm, and all types of skin infections. 

WEIGHT LOSS: 

Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one  cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow  the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet. 

CANCER: 

Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day. 

FATIGUE: 

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr.  Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M.. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week. 

BAD BREATH: 

People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day. 

HEARING LOSS: 

Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. 

Now for my research findings, though let me say that I didn't really read through all of them terribly closely or check them out too stringently. I just wanted to see what was out there. 

• Cinnamon medicinal value, wikipedia
• Honey in medicine, wikipedia
• Cinnamon against mosquitos
• Cinnamon and diabetes
• Book about medical benefits of spices and seasonings
• Honey as topical antibacterial agent for wounds
• Honey as treatment for infections
• Honey as treatment for cough
• Honey as aid for burn treatment

formative food feelings and recent recipes

Katie told me she's going to do a sort of kitchen survey post soon, which I am excited to see and read, and am planning on piggybacking afterwards, but until then, I just downloaded some recent pictures off my camera and thought I should post them. I know I posted several already from my time cooking here in Bulgaria - vanilla roasted pears, braided lemon bread, tomato and corn pie (what a hit!), homemade pop tarts... I think that's it. Anyway, here at Pink House, the four ladies each have assigned dinner nights so that Sunday through Wednesday, we only cook dinner one night a week and get to have a nice sit down family dinner. It's fun to cook for four people and I quite enjoy the family ambiance - we all sit and discuss our days, funny stories, enjoy eating together, etc. I also am a big fan of tradition in general.

Another thing I wanted to mention after reading Katie's backstory is that my family also was always really insistent upon family dinners. I don't remember them as distinctly before the separation/divorce (I was in 5th grade), but I know they happened every night. After the divorce, they became a really important part of the time spent with whatever parent - Monday nights were always with dad and on a school night, dinner is the main activity, so that became a really big deal with him. Then, when we had weekends with dad - Fri, Sat, Sun - we were pretty much only allowed out one night a weekend (I say we, but I am pretty sure things loosened up a lot for my sister once I moved away to college, but this is all from my perspective, of course) and family dinners were a major thing to be planned in advance. With my mom, while we still alternated weekends, I think more about the regular Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday dinners and having our habitual places at the dinner table, mom next to me, pinching my arm fat or forking my elbows when I talked with my mouth full or put my elbows on the table; Ebe across from mom, facing the kitchen so I could sneak faces at her when I went in for more milk or water. I can't really remember what we ate or too many details other than a few specific nights (once I tried to cook and made a sundried tomato pasta that tasted good but I was miscalculated the portions, so we had a ton of food, and it looked weird and brown and I was eternally teased in my household until I started cooking impressive food recently) and that I definitely argued with my mom a fair amount and thought she was just such an idiot. Now, though, I look back and even though it is all very fuzzy, I appreciate having had spent so much regular time with my family. Even if they aren't spectacular memories, they clearly have made an impression on me because communal dining and having regular dinners with my team in college and friends since has been one of my daily joys.

I also have been thinking quite frequently lately, though I don't think I will go too deeply into it now, that there are a few somewhat negative side effects to this strong family connection to meals and dining. I don't remember really thinking about food or focusing on food much before the divorce - of course, I can't say how much of that is because elementary school kids probably don't think about food much in general as far as nutrition - other than liking Mexican food and queso and ice cream a lot. But after the divorce with mealtime becoming such a major familial act, I feel like I started fixating more on when and what I would eat. On vacations, it is one of the most important aspects -  meal plans, special treats, local cuisine, etc. Sometimes I wish that food wasn't something I loved as much as I do because I think I fixate and depend too much on it for pleasure and fellowship. In college, I thought much less about food than I did in high school or postgraduate life because I was so engaged with crew, classes, and boyfriends that I didn't need food in the same way - I found camaraderie with my team in boats and on the bus, I was intellectually stimulated by professors and in class, I was generally loved and cared for by my boyfriend. But in high school, struggling with dramatic relationships and friendships, not naturally fitting into the social world, denying the difficulties of a divorced household, assuming the roles of head of household well beyond my age and maturity, food was a comfort and a consistent joy. After college, I moved to another country, had a difficult and frustrating job, lived in a narrow and limited social circle, and discovered food as both entertainment and sustenance, as well as one of the few things I could exert any control over in my life. On a more promising note, though, I have found that cooking and interfacing with the sight, smell, and texture of the food throughout the process has heightened the pleasure that I attain from the dining experience and I don't feel the need to keep eating beyond satiation. Also, as I am overall quite happy with my job, living situation, and daily life here in Bulgaria, I am hoping to depend less on food. I do think, though, that I still struggle not having the relationship bonds that I had in college, so I think that is why cooking is something I still really enjoy - even though it's a manual task, it somehow fulfills that absence in my life.

I guess I digressed a lot. My apologies, it's very much a part of my personality to sidetrack, but I am able to assert that I generally am able to get myself back on subject and wrap things up. To prove myself a reliable source, I now give you some pictures:

making granola bars in Pink House kitchen, wearing my roommate's adorable apron

 braided lemon bread

 homemade pop tarts

 zucchini ricotta galette

 chopped garlic, parsley, and romaine and grated parmesan for romaine pesto

 romaine pesto in gutted raw tomato

 tomatoes with romaine pesto

 romaine pesto and egg stuffed tomatoes, ready for baking

 romaine pesto, tomato, and parmesan bruschetta

 romaine pesto and egg stuff tomatoes, bruschetta, and broccoli on a bed of lettuce 

(my monday dinner: sept 27)

 homemade granola muffins - no available baking dishes, so why not?

 homemade pizza dough with improvised romaine and basil pesto

 my Italian host mom's tomato sauce recipe

 pesto and mozzarella pizza, pasta with tomato sauce, and granola muffins

(my monday night dinner: oct 4)

My Italian host mom's tomato sauce recipe, told to me in so many vague words and gestures at our kitchen table in Siena, translated by me from Italian to English:

cover bottom of pan with olive oil 

add 2 chunks of garlic, smushed, and ¼ onion, chopped

add canned tomatoes, with liquid (400 grams), smush into pan (use fork or other utensil to smash tomatoes up in pan)

boil/cook for 15 minutes

add oregano and basil, salt and pepper to taste

Sometimes I add fresh basil with the tomatoes, caramelize the onions first, or add mushrooms with the onions. I have also made this when I didn't have canned tomatoes by boiling fresh tomatoes in a little water and adding some regular tomato paste if available. This takes a little longer, but it still makes a decent tomato sauce. I have read other recipes for making tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes that you blanch and then peel and deseed, so that is another option. I find that the longer and slower you cook the sauce, especially with fresh basil and well cooked onions, the better it tastes. Regardless, it is generally a crowd pleaser. 

backstory: kat

As described briefly in our bio/introduction, I didn't really start cooking at all until I moved to Morocco and discovered that I would be feeding myself and that my roommate was equally inept at cooking for herself. Our first attempts at meals were disappointing and frustrating. We bought great fresh produce from the local markets and put common ingredients together, only to have lackluster results, both in appearance and taste. Even after it started visually resembling food a bit better, our "cuisine" still stood far wide of the mark of satiating our taste buds. I love food and started feeling desperate and irritated. In addition to being hungry for a good meal, my ego was not enjoying a challenge without even sporadic triumphs. I can't remember now exactly how it happened, but I think me cooking truly edible food started with me recreating some recipes vaguely described to me by my Italian host mom, Pia, on one of my last nights in Siena in 2007. She had mentioned handfuls of ingredients and cooking suggestions to make homemade tomato sauce for pasta, vegetable soup, and a chicken and rice dish. Despite the lack of distinct, measured ingredients and descriptive instructions, her "recipes" came out winners. My roommate and I were thrilled to discover these foolproof meals, us playing the fool. I started playing with combinations that sounded familiar - Asian stir fry, vegetable soups, etc - using whatever in-season vegetables the Maarif market and Acima had to offer, and started feeling more sated by my meals. These experiences gave me some confidence that perhaps I lacked guidance more than ability, and the next indelibly influential step was finding Smitten Kitchen. I am not even sure how or where I linked to the site, but it changed everything. I started off with her recipes for homemade pizza dough and bread without timetable. I was thrilled and complimented to hear my roommates and coworkers exclaiming that my pizza was delicious and they had never had such luck with bread. My small successes propelled me on. By the end of the school year in Morocco, I had experimented with several SK recipes:

·      Caramelized Onion and Cauliflower Tart

·      Homemade pizza dough

·      No knead bread

·      Chicken Tacos and Salsa Fresca

·      Homemade thick, chewy granola bars

·      Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

·      Rosemary flatbread

·      Walnut pesto

·      Jacked-up banana bread

·      Asparagus, artichoke, and shiitake risotto

·      Bread without timetable 

I also tried a handful of recipes (fried eggplant, potato chips, date and ginger couscous pudding, overnight yeast pancakes, candied orange wedges, baba ganoush, Israeli hummus, pumpkin gnocchi, apple pie) from other sources, and despite their success, SK was the one I swore allegiance to. I am sure a lot of it has to do with her aesthetic - the site is clean and neatly organized, simply designed, and features several pictures for every recipe. As a visual learner, I appreciate seeing her steps, especially in an aesthetically pleasing presentation. She is honest and experimental, giving me the confidence not to follow the recipe exactly.

This is a necessity for me if for no other reason that living abroad dictates that you will not be able to find everything for every recipe. Sometimes, you can find better things, but not always. In Morocco, my kitchen was very sparsely furnished, so I cooked using regular spoons and water glasses for measurement, the same two pots and one skillet for cooking, one glass casserole, and one baking sheet. Learning to cook without correct measurements makes you realize how flexible most recipes are. Having vanilla beans readily available but no vanilla extract, candied ginger pieces but no breadcrumbs, and so on makes you realize what spices are interchangeable, replaceable, and unnecessary. Fresh, in-season fruit and vegetables are always best, and I love cooking with a seasonal flavor (like pumpkin and squash for fall), their recipes seem to complement the weather and my mood.  I prefer hand- and home-made to store-bought whenever possible, half the charm is that its never as perfect.

And most importantly, I learned that cooking, being in the kitchen, was the best therapy for me. My brain is always running a million miles a minute, overanalyzing anything and everything I encounter and experience, and working on a concentrated tangible task is the only time I have noticed it stopping and focusing on one controlled thing. I think that is why I loved book making and painting illuminated letters in Siena so much - there was no space for the error that would occur if my mind drifted. Unlike many of my teammates and friends, working out rarely offered the same escape. So cooking became my regular diversion, an opportunity for peace of mind, concentration, and the chance to create something physical - a rarity in my life of verbal communication and typed words.

I am 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and I have to wake up to teach four hours starting at 8 am tomorrow, so I will finish this in a future post tomorrow - I wanted to post images of my favorite recipes or best pictures, in my opinion. Until then, добер вечер, good evening!