Rosemary Cheddar Crisps

This is not a healthy recipe. It's an excuse to eat half a pound of butter.

But since it's the Super Bowl this weekend,  I thought it would be nice to make something a little more interesting to contribute to the party than those mildly depressing trays of chopped vegetables with ranch dip. You don't have to eat them if you don't want to, and they really are wonderful to nibble on with a glass of wine. Someone else can bring the veggie tray.

I cut this recipe out of a magazine years ago, and unearthed it last week when I was looking for something to take to a party. At the party, everyone bit into them, said "Oh, these are rich!" and then took another one (or three). I didn't have any to take home. Another way to stick to your diet: make something so good, that there are no leftovers.

Notes:

• The recipe is easier with a food processor, but the mixing can be done by hand. Just knead it like bread dough.
• Don't make them too big - I tried a few big ones, and they were too much. People feel guilty about a big crisp, but they'll happily eat 6 little ones.
• This is a recipe that lends itself to variation. I can see doing this with gruyere, or gouda with carraway seeds, or even better, jalapeno jack and leave out the rosemary. Just don't use too soft a cheese or you'll end up with puddles of oil, instead of crisp little crackers.  

Rosemary Cheddar Crisps

• 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened.
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the rosemary and process until smooth. Mix in the rosemary. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. If the dough begins to soften too much, chill it again until it is firm enough to handle easily.

3. Transfer the crisps to an un-greased baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Bake the crisps for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on a rack.

Makes about 2-1/2 to 3 dozen crisps. Store in airtight containers.



Yum!





Places to Visit: Alexander Deussen Park



Going to visit the buffalo

This past Saturday was gorgeous; cool and sunny, it would have been criminal to stay indoors. So I grabbed my camera and headed out to Alexander Deussen Park.  

Alexander Deussen is mostly trees, fields and some playgrounds, but there's a boat launch (the park backs up on Lake Houston) a duck pond (if you need to get rid of stale bread) and a small herd of buffalo. Unfortunately, the buffalo were out Saturday, so I don't have any pictures of them. It was mostly a bird and people watching day.

   

Vultures!

I love the combination of signs. Anywhere else, they'd say "Danger! Alligators!" - here it's "Don't feed the animals"

 

 

 

Pelicans are like a line of chorus girls, always facing the same way.

Ducks are more chaotic, which makes them frustrating to

photograph, but more interesting.

 





A birthday party.

The best decorated crawfish hole I've ever seen.

Alexander Deussen is not a fancy park, with statues, fountains and formal gardens, like some I've seen in Europe (and they are lovely) but more in the American style of nature preserve. The trees are a bit sparse right now (the drought killed a lot) but it's a pleasant place to take the dog for a walk, go fishing, or have a family barbecue.





Oscar Season Movies

It's Oscar season, and I love movies. I have a Netflix queue that will take me a couple of years to watch. I have DVDs at home, I even watch old movies on YouTube (Spring Parade - circa 1940 - very sweet.)

But oddly enough, I haven't been to the movies in about 6 weeks. True, the snacks are overpriced, and a lot of directors seem to think what viewers really want is length, but it's mostly because everything is either hyper-violent (Django Unchained, Gangster Squad), depressing (Anna Karenina, Les Miserables), or worst of all: important and/or uplifting (Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook). I'm sure these are all wonderful movies, with deep and important truths about life, love and foreign policy but I can't face them.
 

What I really want to see is this.
 

Obviously, I'm seven.

Pulled Pork and Citrus Slaw

I've done a lot of quasi-French recipes of late, and I felt like getting back to something more local. I also didn't want to do a lot of work or dishes. Carnitas!


seasoned meat, ready to go

Carnitas, in case you don't know, is seasoned pork, slow roasted or braised until it's so tender you can pull it apart with your hands (or a fork, if you're the fastidious type).  The recipe is mostly putting together the seasonings to rub on the meat. The hardest part is zesting the limes.  You dip the meat in the spice rub, put it in the crockpot and add just enough water to cover.  Then walk away, content in the knowledge that 6 hours from now, dinner will be ready and you won't have to do anything but dish it up with some tortillas and coleslaw.

zested limes

And as good as the carnitas are, what really makes this dish is the slaw.  The crunch of cabbage and the zing of the lime juice combine with the warm seasoned meat to make something truly wonderful. Plus you get to use the juice of the limes you just zested for the carnitas. No leftover ingredients rattling around in the fridge. Score! (I know, it's sad that I get excited about that.)

Notes:

• The recipe has you sear the seasoned meat before putting it in the crockpot to braise. I skipped this step as it just seems to burn the spices.
• The original recipe called for a tablespoon of ground black pepper. I substituted a mixture of Ancho chili powder and red pepper flakes because I like things hotter (and I didn't have any black pepper). Adjust the flavor profile to your preferred level of heat.
• Carnitas are typically served in tortillas, but if, like me, you are limiting the amount of starch in your diet, eat them with a fork. It tastes just as good, and you don't have the problem of drippy tacos leaking down your arm. 
• The slaw recipe calls for sugar, but I left it out with no problems.

Citrus Rubbed Pulled Pork (Carnitas)

• 2 pounds boneless pork roast
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon Ancho chili powder 
• 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 limes, zested
• 2 tablespoons oil

1. Combine all dry ingredients and the lime zest.
2. Rub on the pork roast to coat evenly, you may not use all of the mixture.
3. Heat a nonstick crock pot insert or a saute pan with the oil.
4. Once the oil is hot, sear all sides of the pork roast.
5. Once the meat is seared, cover entirely with water (if using a saute pan, transfer to crock pot first). Place in insert in crock pot and cover.
6. Cook on high heat for 6 hours in the crock pot.
7. Once the meat is done, transfer to a 9" x 13" pan and shred with a pair of tongs. (or fingers)
8. Spoon some liquid from the crock pot over the shredded meat to keep juicy. Cover until use.

Citrus Slaw

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 8 ounces raw cole slaw mix (or make your own)

1. In a medium bowl, mix everything together but the cabbage.
2. Add the cabbage and coat well.

Against the Open Concept Floorplan

Now that I have a house, I watch a lot of home improvement shows; and open concept floorplans are all the rage. I understand the appeal. The lack of walls make a space look larger and airier. If you have children, you can see what they are up to. It's very modern. But there is a problem. They keep putting the kitchen smack in the middle of things.

Not my kitchen, but you get the idea

I realize that the kitchen is the new showplace. If people are going to spend money, they spend it on upgrading the kitchen. I like to cook, so a comfortable kitchen is high on my list of priorities. However, I'd still like the kitchen to be at least partly closed off.

Reason One: Onions, and other aromas

I have lived in my lovely, open concept house for 8 months now. The kitchen is very much in the center of the action. And even with the down draft on full blast, scented candles and Febreze, I still wake up to the aroma of last night's onions. Not lovely.

Reason Two: Secrecy

There are things the guests don't need to see you doing. Like scooping out the centers of not-quite-set cupcakes, putting out the grease fire, or scraping the burned part off the toast. What happens in the kitchen is the business of the cook.

Reason Three: Guilt

I cannot relax when I can see the dirty dishes staring at me from the counter. If I'm on my own, doing dishes takes 2 minutes, but a dinner party makes for a lot of dishes. And I am constituionally unable to "leave the dishes 'till later" if I can see them from the living room. A door I could close would make a world of difference.

I know I've already lost this battle, but if there are any architects out there, or a genius who can invent an invisible aroma shield for kitchens, it's something to think about.

What do you want to be?

I have been lucky to have for friends many dynamic women. Women who knew what they wanted to achieve in life. Some are teachers, some ride horses, some are getting their doctorates, some own and run their own businesses.  But me? I'm Luann. (She's the blond on the far right.)

I never really knew what I wanted to do. In school I wanted to get good grades and graduate. That was it. I didn't have a career path in mind. It's not that I didn't think about it. I'm a planner. I like having things mapped out. But I couldn't decide what I wanted to be.

I have never been one of those people with a vocation. I thought back to what I wanted to be when I was a kid, and it changed a lot.  I went from opera singer, to novelist, to photographer, to cartoonist. I even remember a spate of Olympics-inspired gymnastics; that one wore off after belly flopping into the horse a few times too many.

I'm not complaining. I have a job that I'm good at, and it pays me decently. I have a house, health insurance a 401K and a cat. I'm just restless I guess.

Is this it?

Friday angst video

The Diet

I usually post a recipe on Wednesdays, but this week's recipe, a chicken tagine, did not turn out very well. It's edible, but in spite of all the spices in it, bland. So I'm not going to bother you with it.

Life is too short for boring recipes.

So instead, let me tell you about the diet I'm following. As I posted in To Do List for 2013, I intend to lose 100 pounds this year. I'm not following a name brand diet. No Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Atkins, South Beach, etc. - I've tried all of them anyway. Mine is adapted from the many (many) diets I have been on in the past 20 years. It mostly comes down to the regulation of sugar and fat.

Every day I eat:

• 2 servings of protein
• 4 servings of vegetables
• 2 servings of fruit (whole fruit - no juice)
• 1 serving starch
• 1 serving of fat
• 1 serving of dairy
• 1 protein-based snack (usually Atkins bars, but peanuts also work)

 And, of course, lots of water.

I don't count calories. I do measure amounts and I have a cheat sheet listing how much a serving is in my kitchen.  Sometimes I go a little over in the fat/dairy categories (I have been known to count cheese as my protein serving) but in general I stick to the diet.

I suppose a more disciplined person would have stopped recipe testing, but to me the recipes are important. I want eating healthfully to be a normal part of my daily life, and I have no intention of eating rice cakes for the next 40-50 years.  If I tried to do this eating only skinless chicken breasts and undressed salads, I'd quit out of boredom.

I miss wine, and cookies. Oh do I miss cookies. But on the bright side, this morning the scale said 272.2, which means I have lost a total of 9.4 pounds! Only 90.6 to go.

Houston - A Great Place to Visit

Houston was included in the New York Times list of Places to Go in 2013!

Finally, someone is recognizing what I've been saying for years. Houston rocks!

However, Houston is not a city that will wow you at first sight. You have to take some time to get to know it. It's a rewarding experience. Some tips:

Rent a car. Houston is spread out, and while there is some public transportation, it's not a good way to get around the city. Get a car, or stay with a friend who will drive you.

Don't come in the summer - Unless you are from the deep South, (in which case you know better) you won't be able to take the combination of heat and humidity. Even the locals try to spend August out-of state. If you insist on coming in the summer, bring a light jacket. Texans believe in heavy duty air-conditioning.

Eat adventurously - True, there are some great barbecue joints, but to truly get the feel of the town you'll want to get beyond that. Houston is a serious food town and the cuisine is international. Don't be put off by strip center locations. My favorite Vietnamese place is in a revamped Dairy Queen.

Go to the Art Car Parade (May 11th) Everyone should see this at least once. If you can't make it to the parade there is always the The Art Car Museum.

So come on down! The natives are friendly.

Bunheads is back! Yay!

I know real grownups are talking about Downton Abbey, and I like the show, but mostly for the fabulous period costumes and the chance to watch Maggie Smith zing somebody. She does it so well.

"What is a weekend?"

But the show I'm in love with is Bunheads, which came back on Monday. I love the cast, the wisecracks, even the ballet. I loved the writer's (Amy Sherman-Palladino) former show (Gilmore Girls) and I am so happy to see Kelly Bishop again. She has such an air of distinction, even drinking shots in the local bar. (1st episode)

I'm not a fan of ballet. My attention span for a dance performance is 30 minutes (at most).  But one of the things I like about Bunheads is that every other episode or so, there is a little dance. Nothing big or flashy (this isn't Glee), but something that realistically could be done by high school dance students.  And they are wearing costumes high school dance students would have.

The one below not only uses a favorite song of mine but features the girl I most wanted to be in high school. The cool one. She could wear black eyeliner without looking like a raccoon. She could be difficult and unpleasant and not feel apologetic about it afterwards.  Damn! but I still want to be that girl.

Great number. 2 minutes.

Lunch this week: Leek and Spinach Tart

So far, I'm keeping my resolution of taking lunch to work every day. (1 week down, 48 to go!) I have three requirements for lunch food:

1. It has to be portable.  Nothing wet - I've had bad experiences with soups and salad dressings.
2. It has to taste good cold or be re-heatable in a microwave. There's nothing more depressing than a bad lunch.
3. It has to be filling. I don't subscribe to the "grazing" philosophy of eating every a snack every 2 hours. Lunch has to last me until dinner.

And it helps if I can make it on Sunday and eat it for the rest of the week. This is why I'm fond of savory tarts. They are generally good cold, but they reheat beautifully. You can stuff a lot of vegetables in them, and they are relatively easy to make.

Leek and Spinach Tart

This is what I am eating for lunch this week. It is adapted from a recipe for a Greek phyllo pastry filling. It's not bad, but I find it a little one note. I find myself wishing it had more spinach, or pine nuts or green olives to give it more texture and pep it up a bit.  Maybe next time.

Leek and Spinach Tart
8 servings, approximately 345 calories each. 

• 9 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
• 8 cups finely diced leeks, white and pale green part only (I used 4 fat leeks)
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions  - I didn't have any so I used 1/2 cup yellow onion
• 16 ounces full fat small curd cottage cheese, drained in a colander to rid the moisture (or if you can find it dry cottage cheese)
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (preferably Bulgarian) or one heaping cup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• pie crust (I'm using a pre-made crust, but feel free to make your own.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Steam the spinach until it wilts. Cool and then squeeze as much of the liquid out as you possibly can. Roughly chop and then place the spinach in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, saute the diced leeks over medium heat. After about 5 minutes add the sliced scallions and continue to saute until everything is very soft. (this can take up to 20 minutes). Add this mixture to the mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
4. Stir in the drained cottage cheese and feta. At this point taste the mixture. You definitely want to add a little pepper ( I added 1/2 teaspoon) but the amount of salt you add depends on how salty your feta is. Use your judgement.
5. Stir in the beaten eggs. 
6. Put the tart crust into the tart pan and fill with the leek and cheese mixture. Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how long it takes to brown the top.

Dealing with temptation

Today, one of the members of my team has a birthday, and not just any birthday, but her 50th. So it's a big deal. We have decorated her office, there was an announcement and of course there is cake.

And as you recall, I'm on a diet.

I've been doing well. From a high of 281.6 on January 2nd, I'm down to 275.  Not bad for five days. But I definitely want to maintain that loss. I've got a long way to go and this is the first, sugar-filled hurdle.

It's not that I'm starving for sweets, I'm not. But I don't want to announce my diet to the entire company. And the way things are done in this office, refusing a slice of cake would be rude. So I have to come up with a cake strategy.

• eat the cake - life is short, this is a party, and I can skimp on dinner
• take a slice, say I'll save it for a snack and then throw it out when no-one's looking
• take a slice, eat a few bites and then (discreetly) throw the rest away.

I have extra motivation to be good, because a friend of mine is getting married in a couple months and I have the perfect dress. At the moment, that dress is a little small.  So I'm trying to remember that this is not just cake, this is going to the wedding in a really great dress. (I know, I'm shallow, but it works for me.) 

I'm wavering a bit, but that's because it's almost lunchtime and I'm getting hungry. I hope to have more resolve after I've eaten my very healthy and good-for-me lunch.

Pray for me.

Going for a walk

My typical day involves breakfast (sitting), driving to work (sitting), work (sitting), lunch (sitting), driving home (sitting),  dinner (sitting), and maybe some reading, television or blogging (still more sitting).

One thing is clear. I need to get off my backside. Admittedly, I can't walk to work (17 miles is a little far) and since I spend most of my work life in front of a computer, I'm still sitting most of the day, but I can incorporate an after work walk into my routine. 

 I received a new lens for my camera for Christmas and I went out to play with it. All of this is within 10 minutes walk of my house and I didn't know it was there. I really need to get out more.  Who knows what else I'm missing?



Lake Houston

I think it's an eagle, or a hawk. Vulture? Are there any ornithologists out there?

Who thought hoses could be so decorative?



2013: The To Do List

I have heard that there are people who don't make lists. People who go from one thing to the next, as the spirit moves them, and everything just miraculously falls into place. It sounds so dreamy and relaxing.

I am not one of those people. Not having a plan stresses me out. To follow my bliss, I need lists. Lots of lists. I make lists of of everything: groceries, books, places, events. My lists sprout sub-lists, (and sometimes sub, sub-lists). I may not do everything on them, but they organize my thinking and help me get myself moving.

New Year's is traditionally a time for resolutions, but 'resolution' is too grand a term for a lot of what I have in mind. The humble "To Do" List is more my style. These are all things I want to do in the next year. Some are ambitious, some are boring, and I think some of them will be fun. I may not do them all, but if I accomplish even half, my life will be better for it.

• Go to the Blanco Lavender Festival. - I've been thinking about it for years. This year, I want to go.
• Take a vacation out of the country. - I don't know where yet, but I feel the need to get some stamps on my passport.
• Make a photo-book
• Read Don Quixote - I've started it about six times, but never finished it.
• Buy a new sofa - mine is about to collapse
• Three blog entries a week
• Take my lunch to work instead of buying it
• Refinish the living room shelves and my old bed
• Lose 100 lbs -I gained 6 lbs over the holiday - ugh.
• Write a letter to a friend every other week
• Max out my Roth IRA
• Read one novel by Charles Dickens
• Improve my knowledge of MadCap Flare - I want to get beyond basic competence.
• Learn to use the Bamboo I've had in the closet for the last year

That's enough to start with, don't you think?