JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Autumn Walk

When life gets terribly busy, it is lovely to have a boy around who can remind you about skipping stones, examining autumn leaves, and leaping over the rays of sunshine that make it from canopy to forest floor.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

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A Tale of Three Ketchups

 

For Camp Rainbow's Veggie Week, my friend Isabel suggested making ketchup/catsup with the kids.  Perfect!  A trip to the farmer's market for veggies...

 

  

After discussion and perusing some recipes, we decided more than one batch would be fun.  Ketchup isn't made from just tomatoes and there are a lot of styles out there, so we could do a taste test.

Chopping veggies...

 

 

 

Nikki's batch, made ahead of time by her hubby, John, was mostly tomato and onion.  Isabel's recipe was from a Dutch cookbook and had the same ingredients, but also apples and raisins.

   

I used the 1975 edition of The Joy of Cooking, scaling the recipe down so it used 3 pounds of tomatoes rather than 13.  (Click HERE for a handy online tool for converting a recipe to more or less servings.)  In addition to tomatoes, the recipe calls for onion, mild red pepper, brown sugar, allspice, cloves, mace, celery seed, peppercorns, cinnamon, mustard, garlic, bay leaf, and cider vinegar.  Whew!  

  

Cooking it all down...

 

After everything in the pot was cooked soft, I used an immersion blender, strained it, and then blended it again.  It could have used a little more cooking down, but the result was a yummy, medium-thick sauce.  Isabel and I had recipes that yielded ketchup within about an hour.  Nikki's recipe cooked down for ten hours over low heat!  (We're now contemplating crock pot ketchup.)

  

What do you put homemade ketchup on for a taste test?  Homemade french fries, of course.

 

 

 

From left to right...
My sauce was watery but had rich, spicy flavor like chutney. 
Nikki and John's sauce had classic ketchup flavor and was the kiddo fave.
Isabel's sauce had a fruity depth to it.
All of them were wonderful alone or swirled together.

It was a little stunning that three pounds of tomatoes became less than two cups of ketchup.  The Heinz and Hunt companies must go through box cars of tomatoes to churn out all those squeeze bottles of the stuff.  But I plan to make ketchup again.  It is so much fun to play around with various ingredients and come up with a signature flavor.

Camp Rainbow:  
A summer play/exploration group for kids and their families

Explanation of Camp Rainbow 
Week One:  Careers and Jobs -- Restaurant and Bank
Week One:  Careers and Jobs -- Pizza Parlor
Week Two:  Native Americans
Week Three:  Wet and Wild (water creatures and wetland habitats)
Week Three:  Wet and Wild -- Home Aquarium
Week Four:  Natural History (mud pies and fake rain count, right?)
Week Five:  Art All Around Us -- Georgia Museum of Art
Week Five:  Art All Around Us -- Patterns
Week Six:  Produce -- Fruit -- Berry Picking 
Week Seven:  Produce -- Veggies -- Making Homemade Ketchup
        

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When Do the Helper Elk Show Up?

Such a lovely drive home from Tennessee yesterday. 

 

 

 

 

When we reached the valley floor near Cherokee, North Carolina, we pulled in at the Oconaluftee Visitors Center.

   

On the road just outside the Center was a yellow diamond-shaped sign.  Eli started to read it, but it whizzed by too fast.  "It said 'Elk Crossing,' " Brian explained.  In a bright, excited voice, Eli repeated, "Elf crossing?  ELF crossing?!  We're between our house and the North Pole, so the elves go across here?!"  Instantly I could picture it too -- little elves zipping past on sleds anytime snow dusted the valley.    

A few hours later, as nice as it was to be home again, I thought about those elves and wished they were around to help deal with stuffed suitcases and dirty laundry reeking of old campfire.  With plenty of time left to crank out toys for next Christmas, maybe they would pitch in a little around here.  Or even a helper elk would be fine.  He wouldn't have opposable thumbs, which is a handicap when it comes to housework, but even if he'd just lick up the cracker crumbs under Eli's chair...

Eli has the day off for a teacher workday and we'd planned an adventure to Atlanta, but now we're both sick with colds.  The day has become endless flow of coughs, Kleenex, and kid movies while avoiding the whole unpacking mess upstairs.  But here's what I'm daydreaming about:

  

Homemade s'mores

 

The Lodge provided a basket of s'more ingredients, but I brought some of our homemade (and square-shaped) marshmallows to try as well.  Yummy! (The homemade version melts faster...and burns faster.)

 

A breakfast spot with a view

 

Fresh cinnamon rolls and this outside the window... 

 

And a lodge room balcony with a view too

 

A cozy bed

 

 

Ahhhh.  A hot bath was just the thing for this sick mama.  And the Lodge bathtub has little doors that swing open so you can see the mountains during a soak.

 

Or a view of a chocolate-faced boy.  (In my opinion, both are stunningly beautiful, although the mountains are a bit quieter.)

 

The little details like warm terrycloth bathrobes waiting in the closet, tiny round soaps that smell good, and...

 

A cup of tea whenever you need one.

  

Maybe I don't need a helper elf or a helper elk.  Maybe I just need to do a
U-turn back to Gatlinburg and the Lodge at Buckberry Creek!  (Click HERE for the Lodge's website.)  Many thanks to my sweet husband for planning a wonderful birthday weekend!  And two thumbs up for the nice folks at the Lodge.  The breakfast server showed Eli the magic of using a coffee stir as a teeny straw, the night clerk cheerfully made us a campfire and searched out unbroken graham crackers, plus when the room cleaner found out I was stuck there sick, he brought me a snickerdoodle.  The little comforts helped salvage a long-awaited trip partially ruined by illness.  I doubt a helper elf or elk could do better.
  

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Colonial Williamsburg

A dear friend got married in the Washington DC area this weekend.  As we contemplated the travel to attend, we thought about how long it had been since we had a vacation.  The challenges of Brian's new career and all the work of the summer's move seemed to still hang on our shoulders.  Hmmm.  We padded the trip with extra days.  History geeks that we are, the pull of Colonial Williamsburg was great.  And in the mellow season of early autumn, it is peaceful indeed.

 

The pace is slower.  

 

The natural world is close at hand. 

 

The seasons and the weather and even the phases of the moon seem more relevant to daily life. 

 

There's a heathy dose of yesteryear living.  I love learning about the way life was a few centuries ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

There are the pleasures of shopping, but a different sort of shopping.  
For Eli today, it was all about the joys of a pop gun.

 

For me, it was the sensory pleasure of getting away from slick packages and thousands of choices.  The recreated colonial world that you move through here is pared down but also full of texture and scent. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like being surrounded by weathered wood and brick.  I love the crunch of gravel pathways littered with autumn leaves. 

 

 

This is just the peace we needed. 

 

Click HERE for the next post about Colonial Williamsburg.

Click HERE for photos of our lantern ghost tour.   

 

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Summer Joys #6 -- Lemonade

 

One of my regrets about living in California is that we never had a lemon tree.  We knew lots of folks who had them and plucking a fruit for some fresh juice or zest while you're cooking just sounded so nice.  Luckily, my friend Sara shared her lemons.  We used them several times to make Gentle Lemonade.  Mmmm!  So good and nicely balanced.  Click HERE for the recipe.

 

 

We moved back to Georgia last year and imagine my surprise one winter's day while taking a walk when I looked up to see a small lemon tree in a neighbor's yard.  North Georgia gets too cold for lemons.  How did they do it?  The next time I saw my neighbor out gardening, I stopped to ask.  With a laugh, she invited me up the driveway to see.  The lemon tree is planted in a large plastic pot that sits on a wheeled coaster.  On frosty days, she just rolls the lemon tree into her garage!

Oh, the pang of regret, wishing I'd brought some California lemons back east with me!  Then came time for my husband to take a business trip to the Bay Area.  A quick text message to Sara and soon familiar, dear lemons were on their way.  We used them to make lemonade for a family party, carefully saving the seeds to plant.  In addition, Sara sent us some cuttings.  Those poor plants traveled over two thousand miles in a suitcase, their ends wrapped in damp paper towels and aluminum foil.  It took them several days to reach me, so I wasn't sure they'd stand much of a chance.  But I got them a big pot and some good quality organic soil.  To prepare the cuttings, I snipped off the ends, giving each a fresh, diagonal cut.  I let them sit in a vase of lukewarm water overnight to make sure they were hydrated and then dipped each cut end into Bontone brand rooting powder before planting.  I found them a spot with partial sun and made sure the soil didn't dry out too much.  In the first couple of weeks they lost a lot of leaves.  Then the remaining leaves started to perk up.  A month later, I can't promise success, but they are looking good.  

Between the seedlings and the cuttings, we soon hope to have our own lemon tree even if it may be a while until it is large enough to bear fruit.  My neighbor says her small tree, about three feet high, produces enough lemons that everyone in her family gets a lemon meringue pie for Christmas.  Now I'm daydreaming of batches of lemon curd and lemon tarts.  And, of course, lemonade.

 

Thanks, Sara!  And thanks, Brian, for carefully ferrying my potential lemon trees home!

Local buddies, I may be successful and end up with more lemon trees than I can handle.  Let me know if you would like to adopt one when they are bigger.

 

Exploring summer joys to soak them up...

#1 -- The Beach

#2 -- Ice Cream

#3 -- Seafood

#4 -- Sudden Rain Shower (and playing in it!)

#5 -- Thunderstorm at Sunset

#6 -- Lemonade

This post is linked to The Magic Onions website's Friday Nature Table as well as Creative Friday on Natural Suburbia.

 

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Mysterious May

Royal Warrant of Appointment

The first time I traveled in the United Kingdom, I was a little in awe when I came across product packages that read, "By appointment to her Majesty the Queen...."  How fun it would be to bestow your seal of approval on the products that please you most!  Of course, that doesn't mean the queen gets those products for free.  But maybe she gets the right to call some company C.E.O. on the carpet if they change a product formulation in a way she doesn't like.  Ah, wouldn't that be lovely?!

On my blog, I created a category entitled "Simple Pleasures & Indulgences" that really functions a lot like a Royal Warrant of Appointment except that it carries absolutely no clout.  (Sigh.)  Still, it is fun to share happy finds with my friends.   

"By appointment to her Majesty the Queen of JourneyLeaf"...

     

The charm of these chips is that they are different.  They are baked rather than fried, so they are not greasy but have a great crunch.  They are shaped like a cross between French fries and little baguettes, which somehow makes them fit nicely as a handful.  And, most of all, they have a salty seafood flavor that is anything but run-of-the-mill.  The down side is that they smell decidedly "wharfish" when you first open the bag.  Two seconds later, however, that puff of pent-up shrimp fades, leaving behind a mild flavor that makes them the perfect picnic food for the beach but also a big hit at parties.  Whenever I take these places to share, someone almost always reacts with, "Ohhhh, man.  What are these?!  Where can I get some?"  The answer to that last question is "your local Asian grocery store."  The chips are from Tokyo, so we first found them in a Japanese store called Ichiban Kan.  They are popular enough, though, that most Asian stores carry them.  Do be careful to look for the pink dots.  Calbee Shrimp Chip bags with green dots are also yummy but contain a good bit of spicy wasabi. 

So now you know a secret beach picnic snack to wow your buddies.  
Go forth and enjoy! 

 

 

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Daisy

Definitely girly stuff on the blog today.  (I think my father-in-law must be good-naturedly rolling his eyes right now.)  

A few days ago I got a pedicure and the lady went crazy adding flowers to my toes.  (Click HERE and scroll all the way down for a picture.)  Today my niece and I got busy trying our hand at nail flowers too...  

 

We discovered that Amazon has tools to help put various size dots of polish just where you want them...

 

We went out to find some fun colors of polish just right for daisies...
(I used all Sally Hansen brand with #120 Diamonds as a base, #360 Mellow Yellow for flower center, and #300 White On for petals.) 

 

Goofy happy with the results!

 

My niece did her nails all in pink with blue and gold polka dots all over.  Here's her picture of it... 

We had a lot of fun and Eli watched the proceedings with great interest.  So he got a little nail art too...

 

          

 

Here's a video for a more sophisticated version:

  

 

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Butterscotch Evenings

 

 

 

 

Butterscotch Steamer

1 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon real butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla 
Dash of cinnamon

Adapted from Yummly.com

Warm mixture in a small pot over medium heat.  Whisk to froth and immediately pour into a mug.  Drink in a cozy spot.

Roasted Butternut & Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

When it comes to my past life in Northern California, it is my friends I miss the most.  (And I've been horribly out of touch while traveling and then unpacking/settling, so I do apologize to any of you reading this!)

I also miss places and things.  Eli's music class.  The gorgeous, untouched watershed lands near my old house.  Cool summer evenings.  And I miss a few culinary discoveries of the past four years too.  Ah, what I wouldn't give for a shrimp plate from Cactus Taqueria or a frosty scoop of blackberry-lavender sorbet from Ici!  The San Francisco butternut squash pasta sauce I discovered at the Berkeley Bowl West grocery store is an item I was able to bring with me, carrying three carefully-wrapped jars back east.  Although Dave's Gourmet is available online, it is $9 a jar and that's before shipping.  I decided I'd try to make some myself.

 

It was a fun adventure.  I started out looking at the label for Dave's sauce with its three main ingredients -- butternut squash, red pepper, and tomato paste.  And then I turned to library cookbooks and online recipes.  

 

I've cooked butternut squash many times, but I always cut it in half and cooked it upside down in a pan of water.  Now I learned that cutting it into cubes and roasting it (sprinkled with salt and black pepper) creates a different flavor.  The squash caramelizes.  Mmmmm.

 

In the end, I came up with a sauce that is less sweet than Dave's (which contains evaporated cane juice).  And my food processor couldn't make a sauce quite as smooth.  Oh, but I don't care.  I really love this sauce!  I'll still buy Dave's whenever I come across it, but this version inspired by it will be a regular in my repertoire.

 

See that happy face at supper?  Little guy doesn't realize he's eating four veggies -- squash, pepper, tomato, and lots of onion.  The finished recipe makes a lot of sauce, so I've frozen it in various containers to use over pasta, in lasagna, and for homemade pizza sauce.  I left some in the fridge and used it as a dipping sauce for carrots too.

Here's the recipe.  It is long, but I put in all the tips in case a newbie cook is using the recipe.  Practiced cooks can just skim the recipe and they'll know what to do.

 

Roasted Butternut & Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 large butternut squash (about 2.5 pounds)
1 large red (bell) pepper
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste*
½ teaspoon dried sage, rubbed into fine dust
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place a wide, thick-bottomed pan atop the stove over medium heat, adding a couple of teaspoons of oil and the onions.  Toss to coat and then cook the onions for about a half hour, stirring occasionally.  After about ten minutes, add salt, garlic, and butter.  Stir often enough to prevent sticking and adjust heat as necessary to let the onions soften and caramelize.  Add a few tablespoons of water if needed.  Remove from the stove when the onions are soft, limp, and golden brown yet still juicy.

2.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and then scoop out seeds and stringy pulp.  Cut squash into cubes roughly the same size (about an inch), trimming off the skin as you go.  Discard seeds, pulp, and skin.  Toss squash pieces with olive oil and place on a jelly roll pan.  (You can line this with parchment paper or foil.)  Put in oven and roast for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The squash is done when you can mash the pieces easily with a fork.

3.  Cut pepper into about six slices, trimming away and discarding seeds and stem.  Rub the slices with olive oil and set aside.  After the squash has been cooking about 15 minutes, add the pepper slices.  Continue to stir occasionally.  The peppers are done when they can be mashed easily with a fork.  (If they still need cooking after the squash is done, I lift them out with a fork, dump the squash cubes into a bowl, and then put the peppers back into the pan for more oven time.)  When the peppers are done, trim away any blackened skin.

4.   Puree the squash cubes in a food processor (or with a blender) until smooth. You’ll also need to puree the onions and peppers, but your food processor may not be able to hold everything at once; it is fine to take turns pureeing items.  Once everything is pureed smooth, blend together and add tomato paste and seasonings.  If possible, let stand for a few minutes so the flavors can “marry.”  Then you can stir, sample, and add additional seasonings if needed.  Thin with water or broth if it is too thick.  Serve warm over pasta.

Makes about a quart of sauce, enough for about eight servings.

*I'll be honest.  I liked the sauce better with only half a can of tomato paste.  But I couldn't bring myself to toss out perfectly good tomato paste, so I stuck the rest in there.  Still darn yummy, if I may say so.

Peace and Noodles

No matter how wonderful the place where you're going and no matter how prepared you are (or think you are), moving is stressful.  For us, a balance between time with dear friends, quality parent/child time, and nature time makes for a powerful balm.  Today, after a lovely lunch with friends and a good naptime, Eli and I spent the afternoon revisiting favorite spots.  

Blake Garden in the Berkeley hills is one of those places I find myself thinking of often.  I visited for the first time a few months after arriving in California.  My mothers' group took a walk there, all of us with wee ones in arms.  Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation of new motherhood, but there was something pleasingly dream-like about the experience.  Whenever I go back, I still find a real peace there.  Old growth trees.  Flowers glowing in late day sunlight.  A reflecting pool occasionally rippled by a water strider bug or a surfacing koi.  Tucked away in a nice part of town so it feels secluded yet safe, Blake is a treasure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked and climbed and worked up an appetite.  Papa would be working late, so we were on our own.  Off to the "Gourmet Ghetto" section of Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley!  Inside the Epicurious Garden (which takes the idea of a food court to a whole new level), there is the Imperial Tea Court.   

 

To get there, you pass through a lovely courtyard complete with a tiny stream and fountains -- enough to make you forget the urban setting. 

 

Pick out tea from an amazing collection...

 

 We chose Jasmine Pearls, individual leaves pressed in tiny, tight balls...

 

Even Eli loved sipping on a warm cup.  (Mostly water, but he got a little of the flavor.) 

 

What we really came for, though, was hand-pulled noodles.  Once we put in our order, the staff got to work with fresh dough.  The noodle strips are stretched by pulling but also snapping them against the countertop.  Eli loved watching the deft motions of the cook but also hearing the sharp crack of dough on board. 

 

How were the noodles?  Ohhhhhh.  Divine.   There's nothing quite like them.  They are a cross between chow fun noodles and dumplings, wide and firm and slightly chewy.  The savory broth is rich with flavor and swimming with fresh vegetables.

 

Eli was impressed from the first bite. 

 

Of course, the noodles did have their challenges.  But Little Guy ate every shred of noodle without coaxing and downed a full plate of tiny shrimp dim sum as well.   

 

The food is excellent.  If you're tired of overseasoned and overcooked food at restaurants, this place is decidedly different.  The staff is also quite friendly, welcoming a messy three year-old with broad smiles and inviting us to peek across the front counter to watch the noodle show.  (I wonder if I could convince them all to move to Georgia with us?)

We left with full tummies.  But even more, our afternoon left me feeling like the jasmine pearls -- fully steeped in happy memories and quality time, unfurled and relaxed like tea leaves resting at the bottom of the cup.