Baking and bread-making

Well, it's that time of year again... the last few weeks of school are quickly closing in, and the weather is getting colder by the day, with the occasional California twist of heat and Santa Ana wind conditions.
For me, with my new gluten-free diet, the traditions of baking for Christmas and parties make me yearn for bread! But now I must find an alternate way to make those delicious cookies.

Enter xanthan gum and garbanzo bean flour. No joke; once you take the gluten out of flour, it becomes crumbly and doesn't hold together at all. Trust me. Xanthan gum is a great substitute for the emulsification agent, and a little goes a long, long way. So, I've started using a garbanzo-bean-based flour mix that includes sorghum, tapioca, rice, and fava bean flour - otherwise known as Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. That's a mouthful. Literally.

A handy-dandy bread-maker does all the mixing, kneading and baking for me. All I have to do is pour in the ingredients one by one. I'm going to have fun with this. I can stop it after the kneading and rising stage, and take the dough out to shape it into cookies, rolls, and what-have-you.  What I really want to try is my grandmother's recipe for anise biscotti. That's all I'm telling you - it's a family secret in my opinion. And as everyone knows, you bake biscotti twice - first a flat loaf, then cut it into strips and bake again. Hmmm, maybe I'll even attempt gingerbread.

Otherwise, I've gone so far as to daydream of mixing tapioca flour with rice flour and making shrimp dumplings. Perhaps breading tofu cubes with my gluten-free batter and rolling them in gluten-free breadcrumbs. I'm going to have fun with this... (yes, I know I already said that, but it's worth repeating!)

After all, life is too short to die.

P.S. And Christmas is too wonderful not to make cookies!

Where's the Turkey?

It actually happened. I ate two family meals on Thanksgiving Day, neither of which contained the merest hint of Turkey. How is this possible, you ask? Isn't turkey a huge tradition? Well, I guess some people don't stand by tradition much, except of course for the "thanksgiving" part. I was just thankful there was plenty of food to eat. Besides, I was getting sleepy just with the rest of the food, so adding turkey in the mix would have me falling asleep at the table!

For the first meal, my hosts outdid themselves (albeit sans turkey): a delicious baked ham, pork roast, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes topped with creamy marshmallows, broccoli with Bearnaise sauce, the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, a gorgeous Harvest salad containing spinach leaves, Gorgonzola cheese, whole blackberries, dried cranberries, candied walnut pieces, and poppyseed dressing; a gigantic pumpkin pie for dessert (sadly, I had to leave the crust behind), and stuffing (which I didn't touch). A gluten-free Thanksgiving wasn't so bad after all! I did have to forego the bread bowl of spinach dip which was the appetizer, but that's a small sacrifice compared with the other fare!

My second meal consisted of barbecued chicken, carne asada, tortillas, frijoles negros (black beans), apple and persimmon slices, and homemade applesauce (again, I stayed away from the cake). Again, a gluten-free success. But it's not all about the food.

On Thanksgiving Day, I began by - what else? - giving thanks to God for all my blessings at Holy Mass. At dinner with the family, we each took turns telling about the things and people for which we are grateful, placing cloves in a small bowl as we did so.  Almost everyone mentioned family, friends, shelter and life. I felt tears forming in my own eyes as I gave thanks, the last one to place my clove in the bowl.
It's an interesting reflection that the fragrance of gratitude is a sweet and pleasant one. It certainly is an attractive quality in any person. So, just as I do every year, I resolve to be continually grateful and endeavor to express my thanks more often to those who deserve them. There is, after all, more joy in giving than receiving, and life is too short to die.

What a Storm!

What wet weather we've been having! Every few days or so, it rains. Could it be that California is experiencing a real autumn? Preposterous! - or so you might think. I, for one, am glad to have some real weather.

Sunday's rainstorm reminded me of an old engraving in a children's book of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, the famed Dutch storyteller.  The illustration comes from a story titled "The Traveling Companion", and chronicles the adventures of a young man named John who sets out to explore the world after the death of his father. The tale is not well known, but it is one of my favorites.  After all, John meets a mysterious stranger who takes him on a journey full of enchantment, oddities and true love, and then vanishes, having repaid his debt. The particular image I am thinking of shows the princess in an ermine-edged cloak, flying through the dark stormy sky with a pair of black dragon-like wings and saying to herself, "How it hails, to be sure!" with the stranger behind her holding a fern rod. I bet that image has piqued your curiosity. Oh, and there's also a grotesque ball at which snakes, rats, owls and cabbage-headed ministers dance about in the mountain... just in case you were wondering.

Rainy days make for plenty of reading, but they also provide a great opportunity to sit back with a warm cup of tea.  Not being a coffee-drinker, of course, I enjoy sipping a hot cup of green tea or another herbal tea, minus the caffeine. I am by no means a connoisseur, but I would love to learn more about the thousands of varieties, particularly loose-leaf tea and blooming tea. To this end, I took a little trip to Teavana and looked around. So many combinations of delicious ingredients are infused in their tea blends! One that caught my eye was the Chai-Chai blend. When trying my first cup of Chai tea, I was intrigued by the spice combination and warm aroma. Since then, I've tried a Vanilla Chai, green tea Chai, Chai with rooibos and White Chai. However, I've never tried two different kinds of Chai blended together, as this tea is a combo of White Ayurvedic Chai and Teavana's Samurai Chai Mate.  The reviews all look good, and the only con appears to be the price tag.

An acquaintance just invited me out for a "tea excursion" - maybe I'll suggest we experience Teavana...

After all, life is too short to die.
Now, back to Thanksgiving preparations and the test kitchen...

A Sandy Morning Walk

Well, well, well...
You'll never guess what I found this morning during a beach clean-up service project. Yes, I did pick up some lovely seashell specimens including a perfectly intact scallop shell (!) and a peachy-colored sea snail shell which is just too cute. But the real prize of the day was a large mussel, sealed tight, lying on the sandy shore with three baby mussels clinging to its "beard".  For all those who don't know, mussels are delicious with red sauce - not that I'm going to eat this one. He wandered too far from the sea and I'm wary of pollution in these waters... but that doesn't mean it won't make a fun science exploration!

Okay, okay. I owe you an explanation, right? I was out doing a service project with friends from a local chapter of the Catholic Newman club. We were joining a wider effort at reducing waste on the beaches by picking up trash and recyclables and sorting them accordingly. However, my eye picked out the most beautiful seashells just as easily as it found the stray pieces of colored plastic and weathered styrofoam. It was inevitable - I mean, just how often to I get down to the ocean? Make no mistake, I did my part in cleaning up the beach, and I enjoyed every second of it.

After our hard work, we Newmanites were rewarded with CLIF bars, reusable tote bags, and an envelope stuffed with coupons to local businesses. Not bad for a morning's work, eh? So we headed to Finbar's, a local Italian restaurant that took its name from a parish in Brooklyn populated thickly with Italians.  That begs the question, who is St. Finbar???
I run a quick search on Catholic Online, only to find out that, as suspected, Finbar is an Irish saint, who hails from Connaught and was educated at Kilkenny in a monastery where he earned his name, meaning "light-haired". St. Finbar is the patron of Cork since he founded the monastery that grew into that city, after being ordained bishop. The only Italian connection of his that I can see is in relation to his two legendary visits to Rome. There you have it, the mystery of Finbar's solved. But I digress...
The establishment of Finbar's was homey and classy all at the same time. The food was delicious and the service down-to-earth: I met the manager personally and shook his hand, since we were the first customers of the day. Will I be back? Maybe when I have a little more jingle in my pockets - that's not to say the menu is overpriced, however. It is perfectly reasonable for the quality of food served.

Well, my day wasn't over yet. Next, I visited the cemetery with my mother and little brother. We went to tend the gravestone of my paternal grandmother, bringing fresh-cut homegrown pink and yellow roses. It had been a long time since I had visited that particular cemetery on a Saturday, and the green expanse was accented by colorful flowers and various family members paying their respects. To use an odd expression, it was like seeing the cemetery come to life, as people shared their memories of the deceased and laid flowers over their graves.  Kneeling beside my grandmother's headstone and praying for her soul, I felt all the memories come rushing back. I was only six when she died, but I do have fond memories of her that I can pass on to my little brother, who never knew any of his grandparents. It was windy in the cemetery though the sun was shining, and we all shivered a bit in the cold, sending us scrambling for jackets and scarves.

After that excursion, I had a productive group meeting for a school assignment at a coffeeshop, then finally returned home to inhale some of my delicious seafood soup from yesterday + a little Panda Express chicken, courtesy of my benefactor.  I practiced a few sweet, meditative songs on the piano and retired upstairs to be tackled with a sudden urge to do a little wedding research. All in all, a very full day. But I think I'll sleep better tonight, don't you? After all, life is too short to die.

Strange Seafood Soup

Yes, that's right. I was cooking again... I laid out my ingredients on the counter and started putting things together. First, I fried tofu with chopped garlic and onions, seasoning the cubes with turmeric and basil (some of my absolute favorite ingredients). Then I sliced red cabbage and scallions, setting the latter aside. I put a pot of water on the stove and started my broth with a shrimp base and bay leaf to deepen the flavor.

I found some rice noodles on the top shelf and brought those down, dumping the red cabbage into the pot of boiling water along with some frozen japchae fish rounds. If you've never had japchae, you are seriously missing out. When the cabbage was almost finished cooking, I added the fried tofu and noodles. A delicious smell wafted up from the pot with all those yummy ingredients inside. A little stirring and a couple more minutes later, my soup was ready!

I ladled my soup into a wide-mouthed bowl and laid little squares of dried seaweed at the center, sprinkling the green scallions over the whole bowl.  It certainly looked appetizing! I prepared a cup of green tea to go with my meal, and in seconds I was slurping down noodles with the aid of my chopsticks and a porcelain spoon.

Ahhhhh.... cooking is such a delight. For all those people out there who don't cook, you don't know what you're missing. Preparing food and letting all the flavors meet in a dish is an experience everyone should have. After all, life is simply too short to die, and we all have to eat to live! Buon appetito!

Party time! well, in a way...

The Gala event for PICTURE Art Foundation's latest exhibit was a resounding success!

I enjoyed the food, the company and the art. There was a pleasant, appreciative atmosphere to the evening, despite the chilly wind outside.  Visitors and artists milled about in the various gallery spaces, gazing at canvas after canvas and perhaps making some comments here and there, reading the placards placed next to each work.

At 6:15, the President of the University made a speech celebrating the achievements of the foundation, followed by the president of the Foundation, who announced the essay contest winners and had them recognized by all present. The president of the Foundation then recognized the artists whose work hung on the walls, inviting the crowd to applaud their achievement as well.

The highlight of the exhibit was a collection of paintings by You Khin, a Cambodian artist who passed away last year. His widow You Muoy was present to say a few words of gratitude and express her emotions on this monumental event, the U.S. premiere of his work.  I had the honor of meeting Ms. You later in the evening and thanking her in turn for sharing her late husband's work.

The rest of the exhibit consisted of artwork from around the world, some 110 pieces selected by the PICTURE Art Foundation which display themes related to the concept of "I Have the Right" - with four subcategories: to be free, to express myself, to dream and to love.  One of my favorite artists from this exhibition as well as the previous, "On Being Human: Love, Faith, Shame and Hope", is Ilya Sachar, who uses sand painting and pebble mosaics of colorful stones to bring scenes to life.  Ho Thanh Duc's work was displayed as well, in particular a large canvas painted with myriads of upturned faces in suffering. Another interesting piece to me was a piece of calligraphy by another Vietnamese artist expressing his longing for his motherland - the word "Viet" forms the abstract shape of Vietnam in red, over a golden sun. 

The founder of PICTURE Art Foundation is Dr. Thai Q. Ha, also Vietnamese.  I believe it is his aesthetic to place elegant orchid plants throughout the gallery, a welcoming sign of life in a gallery full of painted canvases and stone sculptures. It certainly works! Whenever I have spare time on campus I tend to wander over to PICTURE for a chat with James, the director, and for a chance to enjoy the high-quality artwork that is continually displayed. After all, life is too short to die.

Learning how to eat again

Corn, it's sure been a while. I hope you folks have all been well.

The middle of November brings plenty of schoolwork, so I haven't been writing as often as I should.  My latest adventures have involved coming up with food to eat. No kidding - I'm trying a gluten-free diet to see if I might have gluten intolerance, since I don't have celiac disease.  Moreover, I'm reducing/avoiding refined sugars and carbohydrates in my diet. This double requirement complicates things; basically I can't eat any bread: since my carbohydrates are reduced to whole grains, fruits and vegetables, I can't eat wheat, barley or rye anyway.

What does that leave? Quinoa, brown or wild rice, corn, potatoes, nopaltillas (tortillas made from nopales - cactus), all kinds of fun vegetables and fruits including squash, bell peppers, mushrooms of all edible sorts, onions and garlic (which contain helpful prebiotic fiber), plenty of beans and legumes to get my complete proteins, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, those lovely tomatoes, etc, etc. At this point, I'm still eating meat and dairy products to help balance things out, and my dinner plates have gotten much more colorful.

Soup is definitely my friend. There are so many varieties of soup which fit neatly into my dietary requirements.  And usually, it's not too difficult to make.  Mmmm, mashed potatoes. I'm generally an experimental cook anyways, but this challenge pushes the bounds of my comfort zone sometimes.  Sometimes I end up making something that is merely a mixture of foods, a result of me going to the cupboards and pointing at random ingredients in succession, then hauling them out and preparing them together.  Fried rice is an excellent example of that. I once ate a bowl of peas with potstickers made from soy protein. I guess pea soup is next on the list. Lentil soup is also one of my favorites, and (you didn't hear it from me) quite delicious with a splash of Ranch dressing.  I ought to watch my fish and shellfish intake, of course - but those are fairly easy to cook and delicious to eat!  I have also been making mixes of nuts and dried fruits for snacking, nothing fancy. Which reminds me, I want to try making root fruits in a roasting pan soon. That is a Scandinavian dish I once saw on a cultural cooking show.  It was made with leg of lamb, but I can substitute something else for the upper rack.

Thanksgiving is sure going to be an interesting meal! I'm looking forward to the food and family. After all, life is too short to die.

Large Spiders

This week has been absurd in some ways... one of them being my extra-large spider sightings. On Halloween, I nearly ran into a spider with a body the size of a quarter, sitting on a strand of web between two trees over the sidewalk.  I told the owner of the house on the corner that he didn't need Halloween decorations - the spider was frightening enough. Moreover, it was there when I left in the morning and when I returned a couple hours later, and in the evening when I set out for school, it was still in the same spot! I considered that abnormal behavior for such a large spider.  Then, a few days ago at school as I was walking along the West Walkway, a large orange-colored spider descended from a tree right in front of my eyes. I stared up in disbelief and wonder at the round little body dangling in the air inches from my nose. Then I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a picture. I can't share it here, but just know that it was comparable in size to the first spider. This orange fellow, however, was missing his back left leg (as you all know, arachnids have eight legs), but it wasn't slowing him down as much as his huge abdomen, in my opinion. I knelt on the ground next to him when he touched down, and followed his progress for a few minutes as other people walked by, oblivious to the little wonder scrambling across the cement at their feet. Only one man stopped, seeing me there watching the little fellow, and asked if it were a spider. I answered affirmatively, and he looked askance at me, then continued on his way.
To explain a bit, I am not accustomed to stopping and taking the time to observe spiders on a daily basis. I wouldn't even say that I like spiders; in fact, my sister ordered me to kill countless little arachnids when we were growing up, but those were usually the Daddy Long-Legs variety or some other harmless tiny sort of spider.  These big guys, well - I wasn't immediately thinking about squashing them. They actually really fascinate me - the two I met this week didn't appear to be poisonous, either.  Spiders can be seen as beautiful, though they frighten many people. You can probably tell where I fall when it comes to spiders: curiosity wins out over the possible danger.
I wonder how many other little specimens I'll meet in the coming week. Perhaps I attract them somehow - or is it vice versa?
Either way, life is too short to die. Onward and upward!