Souter's Daily Eats

February doldrums, Pt II

2010-02-17T19:31:00.002-06:00

I suppose you've heard I'm giving the commencement address at my alma mater this year. A trip to Cambridge is what the doctor ordered (perhaps not the allergist, but I can cope). I'm not much of an orator. It should be interesting.

I'm trying to keep the culinary mood light amid the snow and gray. I went bird watching today, and despite wearing three pair of socks, I nearly froze. I'm getting old.

What was there to do after that trek but eat lemon bars. Gert made some for the church potluck Sunday and I of course pocked one or five. I ate those for an afternoon snack with a mug of well-steeped Earl Grey. Just the thing.

February doldrums

2010-02-06T23:51:00.002-06:00

A young friend the other day pointed me to this mishmash of information about me on the liberal blog site Huffington Post. It came out shortly before my retirement. I enjoyed it, I have to say. But felt a pang of sorrow when I saw slide 5 of the photo show, in which I'm wearing my favorite tie that I have since lost.

Enough of that. Is it just me, or has this winter has been particularly harsh? Bitterest one in recent memory. Can hardly keep the fire stoked. I've been a glutton with the electric blanket.

I've also been eating a lot of tomato soup. And grilled cheese, of course. Plain Campbell's is good for me. You just add a sprig of dill. And then for the grilled cheese, a healthy slab of cheddar on buttered country bread. No substitutions. I'm no cheese snob. Frankly, I don't get cheese. And I never want to.

Yule, yule, yule et al

2009-12-19T14:56:00.004-06:00

Well, scratch the post two before this one. I woke up in a seasonal mood yesterday, and it has yet to subside. It is man's prerogative to change his mind, right? (Or does that adage only apply to women? Shame.)

This may be because of the new snow, or the pine boughs I dragged in from outside and hung over the hearth this morning or because Martha brought me half of a cranberry-tangerine coffee cake yesterday leftover from her choir practice — the kind bedecked with the most satisfying cinnamon crumble on top and a generously plush interior. I could eat just the crumble part with a spoon. I try not to.

I'm thinking about being experimental this weekend and trying my hand at a coffee cake of my own, copyright Souter. I brainstormed three possible combinations: almond and chocolate, pear and cardomom, or chocolate pear almond. Which would you choose? I am leaning toward the latter.

A hungry hike

2009-12-10T00:41:00.003-06:00

I hike most every day, 8-12 miles in the mountains. It gets more fun and challenging as the air cools; I've perfected the number of long john layers I need to keep warm. Hiking keeps me engaged in the earth. Truly religious.

But today, I forgot to take along my packed sandwich, and it put quite the chink in my plans. I was more than halfway through my hike when I reached in my knapsack for my ham and mustard on rye only to find my binoculars and some antiquated lip balm. I was famished and the disappointment of not having my sandwich seemed to deplete my glycogen stores with all the more expedience. Luckily, always prepared am I, and I was able to subsist on a baggie of raisins I had brought with me another day but hadn't eaten. Those little things powered me through to the end.

However, upon returning home, I immediately gobbled my forgotten sandwich, plus another.

Some new food

2009-12-06T20:03:00.002-06:00

My friend told me about this cooking web site called "Epicurious." Clever. Have you heard of it? Anyway, according to a large picture their front page, Christmas is coming. Well, I never. Ho ho ho hum, correct?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas. I like walking to midnight mass, I like the smell of a pine bough, I even delight in a jam thumbprint or two at Martha's annual party. But really, just another day. And I could do without a cake shaped like a yule log, which I encountered one year.

But back to this web site, "Epicurious." On it I clicked "Easy Menus" and then "Healthy Winter Dinners" and found a recipe for chive-corn muffins. Health is good, and I thought the recipe sounded good, so I made the muffins. It turns out I didn't have chives, though. And I dislike spicy food, so I omitted the cayenne pepper. So I suppose I just made corn muffins. They turned out well, however, puffed and golden as the recipe predicted.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit I ate four good-sized muffins for dinner and two bananas for dessert. Oh, and some chocolate ice cream. I'm not sure how that ended up in my basket at the store this week.

Breakfast in the morning

2009-12-04T09:20:00.003-06:00

When I was at Oxford, breakfast wasn't much -- principally greasy meats, beans and white bread. (Strange how English and Southern cuisine are so similar at times. Which is to say, devoid of nutrition.) I'll for the most part eat anything, but beans for breakfast toes the line. It's a bit much. Throws me off.

So I ate a lot of toast there. Toast, for me, is a given, I rarely eat bread raw, so to speak. White toast with butter, rye with cream cheese, wheat with jam. No permutations. I write this with nostalgia because my toaster oven, bless its heart, exploded on me this morning, singing my shirt and filling my kitchen with an acrid smell that has yet to dissipate. So no toast for me. I nearly ate the bread I laid out untoasted, but decided better of it and had a bowl of cereal. Sad but true.

Breakfast in the evening

2009-12-03T19:14:00.003-06:00

I had for dinner tonight what my old college pal used to call a "one-skillet deal meal:" Eggs, bacon and potatoes all fried up in the same cast-iron pan, at the same time. If you're feeling particularly raucous, you can break the egg yolks and create a mishmash with the ingredients (I believe in nicer magazines they describe this preparation method as "rustic").

I declined to do the rustic approach tonight. I like to enjoy my food compartmentally, so I split the skillet in thirds with my eye and fried each component as it was.

You might say this breakfast-for-dinner sounds rather uninspired, and I might normally agree with you, but tonight I substituted a yam for a regular potato. Root vegetables, I believe, are a gift; nothing is as splendid as the jeweled yam, cubed and spotted with oil, salt and maple sugar, roasted and then fried to a crisp. Yes, I do not think anything quite compares. Worth keeping your egg yolks intact.

Somewhere in New Hampshire ...

2009-12-01T13:35:00.005-06:00

Hello friends, readers and foes: A joyous post-harvest season to you all. I'm back now that apple season has ended and I can focus on my Internet writing again. I had my last Jonagold the other day — it was a bit mealy, signifying that it was time to bring out the woolen blankets and stoke the fire.

The death of apples also means that delicious orange crops are imminent. It is a wonderful thing. I bought five oranges today, early yet, but why not? They were irresistible, stacked just so in a pyramid at the grocery store. Here's a full report: The Sunkist navels are vivid-looking, but the inner fruit is rather pallid and sour. Still, the scent of a citrus peel is enough to make me crave even a vinegary orange. I always peel oranges, never slice. These days, I live for anything that comes in segments. Ah, the life of a retiree.

Day 99, reflection, eats

2009-08-13T00:23:00.005-05:00

I looked back at some of my old posts today. It's always good to reflect on things, and how easy the internet makes that.

I'm no champion poster (nor do I claim to be) but I feel as if I've certainly traveled some distance since I first began this blog a mere 99 days ago. July, it appears, was my month of gastronomic/olfactory existentialism. I'm not sure what to make of it, besides chuckling to myself about how powerful that nectarine was.

I may have changed in how I interact with technology, but oddly enough, the one thing that's remained stable in my life during this transitory time is my diet. Quite a comforting notion. Reinforcing this observation, this morning I had oatmeal, for lunch a turkey sandwich and another pork chop for dinner with leftover cucumber sauce. And for dessert, what else but apple mash. I wake to eat and take my eating slow.

Mid-summer foodstuffs

2009-08-08T21:48:00.003-05:00

So you may or may not have read a bit about what I've been doing — that should explain my absence to a point. Truth is I've been suffering a bit of arthritis lately, and moving an old man into an old home could motivate a mixture of decay I'm not ready to cope with.

The diet has been good, consistent. Summer berries, tart yogurt, chicken on the barbecue (bought a new grill. Frivolous, sure. Worth it, yes); nothing supremely notable. I do read Gourmet Magazine from time to time — I wish someone would make me these blueberry muffins — and last night I riffed on this recipe to make a delicious and indulgent pork chop.
I subbed provolone for fontina because it was all I had on hand, and it was flavorful to an extreme I was not quite comfortable with. Needless to say I was ready for a good bowl of bran this morning.

Day 74, dinner

2009-07-18T19:09:00.004-05:00

Feeling more and more like a lame duck around here ... which is just fine by me. It's a good time to be alive, and also to eat fresh fish (editor's note: I've never been known for my segues).

Hailing from the Northeast, I didn't eat much fish growing up, only the occasional lake trout or cod, usually beer battered or bastardized in some other way. I went to Maine one recent summer and indulged in more than a few lobster rolls, but past that, I'm hardly a Mediterranean dieter, as they say.

My friend Martha, however, is a fishophile (pescaphile?) and is always cooking up some strange and delicious sea creature (it was at her house I first had squid, thrown with baby lettuces, red onion, cilantro and a lemon pepper dressing. To die for).

I've always wanted to master fish preparation, and salmon was on sale at the market so I snatched up a fillet for dinner. Per Martha's advice, I should have grilled it, but I am sans grill (the old Weber finally kicked the bucket) so into the broiler it went. Since preparing the fish didn't turn out to be much of an adventure, I placated my excited nerves by making tzatziki. It turned out to be so scrumptious I nearly ate it all with a spoon before my fillet was cooked.
I suppose I learned my lesson for next time: skip the fish, double the sauce.

Day 66, cherries (what else is there?)

2009-07-10T21:58:00.004-05:00

The mark of a good summer is when your weeks come to revolve around the cherry harvest. By nature I am not one to even approach gluttony in my daily habits; I enjoy indulging now and again in small ways (i.e., my predilection for pudding) but no food holds any power over me. Except cherries.

But I think there is more to cherries than the taste and the nutrition. Yesterday, while polishing off a 2 lb. bag of Bing cherries after dinner, as I am wont to do during July's dog days, I thought about how soothing the rhythm of cherry-eating is: Select a cherry, the firmer the better, de-stem it, putting the stems on my tea saucer or, if the environment suits, throwing them into nature, pop in mouth, chew the flesh, omit the pit (again, to tea saucer, off the balcony, out the kitchen/car/office window). Select, de-stem, pop, chew, omit, over and over again. Cherries are indeed some kind of poetry.

Do you like red cherries or white (Rainier) cherries? Either suits me, though I'm partial to the classic variety. At the market, I like to select each cherry by hand, weeding out the ones with imperfections. It can take me 20 minutes to assemble a bag, only to consume it in half that time. Such is life.

Day 57, a link (and some eats)

2009-07-01T23:05:00.003-05:00

I found this blog while scouring the Net today: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/

Apparently I'm not the only D.C. food blogger!

I can't speak for the Obamas, but I like home cooking more than restaurant fare. Tonight I made a fantastic pan of buttermilk cornbread (recipe here) to go along with some chili I had stashed in the freezer for a rainy day. No rain today but still wanted the chili. It's a free country, after all.

Day 54, a new supermarket

2009-06-28T23:57:00.004-05:00

I tried out a new supermarket this weekend — new for me, at least — Trader Joe's on 25th Street. I was impressed by the prices! Lacking in good produce, though.

I got some great products besides my quotidian staples. There were many interesting things I though about trying, but I ended up with a bag of Australian black licorice, which is delightfully chewy, almond butter (which was the star ingredient in a positively delectable afternoon sandwich with apricot preserves on wheat toast, I'll have to try cashew butter next), a tub of European yogurt and a box of organic corn cereal. I usually don't go out of my way to buy organic, but it looked good and the price was fairly right. Needless to say I had some for dinner and I think the extra 50 cents spent were worth it.

Day 50, a white nectarine

2009-06-24T12:55:00.003-05:00

Let it be known that I love food and I love to eat — I think that goes without me typing it on this blog. But there exist occasions on which I become lodged in a "food rut" and eat the same things serially. Why does this happen? Well, I know what I like and I often want the same things again and again. For instance, I love apples, so much so that I eat them when they're out of season. Consequently, I eat subpar apples for at least nine months out of the year. But I trick myself into not minding because I enjoy the fruit so much.

But there comes a point in my months of oft-repititious eating when food consumption becomes less of a sensory experience and more of a stop at a decrepit gas station to refuel the body, so to speak. The turkey and spinach sandwich I ate yesterday lacked thought, character and vigor, but did manage to power me through the afternoon. The apple I had alongside it was not the stuff of legend, but provided me with essential vitamins and minerals. But this is not what food is about.

I was feeling a bit down while having another turkey and spinach sandwich for lunch today. Like a schoolboy, I still look forward to lunchtime and whatever mood-lifting concoction it brings; another halfhearted sandwich was not making my day any better. I was also not eating in anticipation of my dessert, a white nectarine. It's still quite early in the season for these nectarines, but I foolishly bought some a few weeks ago because I was so delighted to see them at the fruit stand. Needless to say, the one I tried then was tasteless and mealy and I shamefully disposed of it after two bites, along with the surplus. But this past weekend, like a moth to a flame, I decided to take another chance on the white nectarine. Thinking conservatively this time, I purchased one.

So there I was yesterday, pitifully munching on my anti-sensory sandwich, preparing for disappointment with my first bite of nectarine. I was positive it was going to be a dud.

But I was wrong.

The nectarine was not perfect. It was yet unripe and hard to the touch (you can see why I feared the worst!). But despite this, its taste was absolutely exquisite — sweet, robust, seasonal. Each bite was rife with pleasure. As its nectar dripped on my clothing, my books and my desk, I praised the arrival of the summer fruit, and the return of my active tastebuds.

Day 48, the summer soup

2009-06-22T17:38:00.003-05:00

I've never been one to drink my meals — I find mastication entirely satisfying and necessary for satiety — but I've taken to subsisting on cold summer soups as of late. My heartburn has been giving me trouble and besides sleeping with four pillows under my head and indulging in a Pepto Bismol nightcap, the summer soup is a delicious antidote to my ailment as well as a way to acquire proper nutrition.

Those of us with GERD are aware that spicy and/or fried foods are the first off the diet roster when symptoms flare, followed closely by glorious, luscious tomatoes of all size and color. This means, unfortunately, no gazpacho. But I've found a formidable substitute in cucumber mint soup. I use half of a medium cucumber, a cup of Greek yogurt (I like Fage 2 percent), a tablespoon of chopped mint, crushed ice and salt and pepper to taste. I blend the mix, it takes about two minutes, and then I have a fresh, clean, seasonal meal. Do you have a favorite summer soup I could try?

Day 41, lunch and dinner

2009-06-16T11:49:00.002-05:00

I did a real number on the cashew jar this morning and didn't have much of an appetite for my sack lunch, so I had it for an early dinner around four p.m. Today my brown bag contained a thermos of lentil soup (from a can, I confess), a Pink Lady apple (a varietal I've never tried before and picked up by accident — I usually eat Fujis or Galas — it was quite delicious though, nice and tart with an understated crunch) and a peanut butter sandwich on sourdough. I always grind my own peanut butter at the grocery store, it's legions better that way.

I'm about to crack into my pint of coffee Haagen-Daaz to close the day. I wish I had some ice cream cones, but alas.

Day 39, weekend wrap-up

2009-06-14T21:20:00.004-05:00

Had a simple weekend, the humdrum sort, which was fine by me. This morning after church I made banana pancakes and went for a walk around the city, completing my regular errands, which today included stops at the market and the barber. I also stopped at a convenience store to replenish my supply of spearmint chewing gum — I can chew up to a pack a day if I'm not mindful.

I spent the rest of the day munching my fresh market goods — local carrots, radishes and strawberries — while rereading an old volume of Tolstoy. For dinner I concocted a garden (kitchen sink) omelette with spinach, tomato, bell pepper and scallion. The trick to a good omelette is not scrimping on the butter. Use a thick pat to coat the frying pan and your omelette will cook up golden and delicious.

I had some more strawberries for dessert. At this point in the season, they're so tender that if you don't eat them all right away, they'll go bad. So I do what I can, which today meant polishing off the carton. I finished off the night with half of a Hershey bar I found in the back of the freezer.

Day 37, breakfast

2009-06-12T09:46:00.003-05:00

A secret is that I always have a bag of granola in my desk. I like it perhaps more than the average person. I'll eat virtually any kind of granola: nut and raisin, vanilla almond, cranberry orange, ginger walnut, even — I shudder to admit — coconut macaroon. I like to make my own, too, sometimes coating the mixture in cocoa powder for some additional decadence.

This morning I had bowl of apple cinnamon granola, which I got from the bulk bin at the grocery store. The apple chunks in it are somewhat modest for my liking, but it has a very good crunch. I like to eat granola dry and have fresh fruit on the side — today I had a cocktail of sorts with canteloupe, orange slices and grapes. I also had a generous handful of bing cherries — still fairly expensive this early in the season, but they looked so good at the store last night, I couldn't resist.

Day 35, post-midnight snack

2009-06-10T23:50:00.005-05:00

There are times when I am stricken with some mild insomnia, and tonight is one of those nights. There's little worse in an old man's life than being so powerless you cannot even influence your body's dormancy (especially at one in the morning). I've tried different things to abate my sleeplessness — herbal cures when they're on sale, warm milk of every grade and even Tylenol PM, although the feeling (or lack of feeling, rather) I had from the drug the next day was enough to make me want for acute and perpetual alertness.

These days, I don't mess around — about ten years ago I discovered (or rediscovered, really) the one thing that will, without fail, concurrently elevate my serotonin levels and lull my inner child to rest: banana pudding. It's absolutely uncanny how a pot of banana pudding puts me right out. I use Jell-O brand, the kind you make on the stove with some whole milk and maybe a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

I'm off to make a batch right now. Hopefully, come tomorrow morning, my stamina will be suffering from minimal damage — and I can have pudding for breakfast, too.

Day 35, catching up

2009-06-10T13:23:00.003-05:00

Hello, friends — I apologize for my absence. I hope you can understand that I have been laying lower than usual at this certain time, but in this day in age such requires a more careful, concerted effort (and less of an Internet presence). Even though I shut off my Macintosh for a while, I've still been eating well and regularly, and have a few things I'd like to share with you.

Weekends in New Hampshire, which have become the norm now that spring is in the air and my career is on the wane, have been edifying and clarifying, nutritionally and otherwise. Last weekend I took pleasure in some prodigious early blueberries. They begged for a simple syrup, so I doused a bowlful with water and sugar and let them marinate overnight. Let me tell you, what a delicious snack.

At the homestead I also prepared some rosemary crispbread, which was quite a feat for me — it's double baked, and requires the attention that an infant demands. It needs to be coddled, encouraged and set straight every once and again. Well worth the effort, though, and quite delicious with tomato soup or sandwich.

I've also been making another summer favorite — iced tea. It's just so simple, how can one not enjoy tea over ice? Any variety suits me fine, but I've become quite attached to a glass of cold rooibos. Something about the color and the bold, round fruit of the tea, which is flavorful without being tart or sharp — implies summer is around the bend. And it is!

Day 17, snack

2009-05-22T16:18:00.006-05:00

One of my clerks was munching on a bag of prunes the other day and I remembered how much I liked them (the prunes, that is).

An old companion of mine used to make tea-soaked prunes habitually. They're not the most glamourous snack — let's all do each other a favor and spare ourselves discussion of the spinster connotations a fragrant, bloated prune evokes — but I find them quite delicious, as well as simple to prepare.

I like to soak my prunes in black tea. A weak mix is good, two cups or so depending on how many you want to eat. I just drop some prunes into a jar of brewed tea, close it up and let nature take its course in the refrigerator for a few hours (overnight is best).

The prunes should plump up considerably and become heavy with tea. Be forewarned: the texture and composition of a tea-soaked prune is a bit off-putting. I like to eat the prunes plain, but my companion always had them in the morning over yogurt, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Day 15, dinner

2009-05-20T18:49:00.005-05:00

Do you enjoy coffee in the evenings? I admit to being somewhat of an "addict," although I dislike that term. But somehow my first and last meals of the day are not complete without a pot of the black stuff. The LA Times reported the other day that coffee is actually fairly good for you, a hunch I've always had. My only problem with it is occasional heartburn aggravation, but I take the good with the bad.

What do you use to make your coffee? I've been using the same Mr. Coffee four-cup for fifteen years, and it makes the best cup (or four). I like my brew strong in flavor but thin in consistency. And black — always black.

My "eats" have been run of the mill these past few days — the grain mill, that is. For breakfast I have been on an oatmeal kick (this seems to be perpetual), lunches are homemade breads, leftover chicken and vegetable soups. For dinner tonight I mixed a can of chickpeas — such a hearty little protein source! You would never know — with tomatoes, cucumbers, the juice of a lemon and a good grating of parmesan for a simple spring salad. With bread and, of course, coffee.

And I think in a bit I'm going to dip into my bag of chocolate-covered peanuts.

Day 12, breakfast and lunch

2009-05-16T12:32:00.003-05:00

Friends, hello. Been bogged down with work, meetings ... hardly a second to think about my gastronomic needs and impulses, although I've been trying. Suffice it to say I've been eating many peanut butter sandwiches (sandwich in left hand, pen in right. Ambidextrousness at its finest).

The weekend is here to soothe my stresses. After a nice run this morning, I had a heaping bowl of oat bran with a third of a banana sliced on top. I ate the other two-thirds of the banana mashed on pumpernickel toast. I like oat bran over oatmeal at times for its finer gauge, it seems go down easier while still providing ample satiety.

I am taking advantage of the spring vegetables available. Between reading marathons this week I did have time to concoct a batch of cream of asparagus soup. The color is really the most wonderful part of this soup.

I think I just heard a rumble of thunder in the distance! My friend Eve is going to come pick me up in a bit and we're going to go to a farmstand in Virginia. I've packed some tomato sandwiches for the ride.

Day 6 dinner, Day 7 breakfast and dinner

2009-05-10T13:21:00.005-05:00

Last night I had my friend Eve over for spinach pie. She brought glorious tomato cucumber salad and a lemon meringue tart. A fine meal with good company. And some wine — unusual for me, but I was somewhat goaded by the warm winds of spring and my own desire to toast the next phase of my life.

Today I celebrate the memory of my mother, Helen. French toast was her favorite breakfast, so after church I cooked up a batch using the bread I made the other day and an egg wash with cinnamon and vanilla mixed in. Topped with Grade B maple syrup and berries, it was delicious.

My breakfast was large and late so I think I'll skip lunch today. I already know what's on the docket for dinner — a hearty slice of leftover spinach pie, eaten cold on my balcony with a glass of iced tea. And, of course, another slice of tart, eaten in the same fashion.

Day 6, breakfast, lunch

2009-05-09T16:38:00.003-05:00

I think I'm the rare man who doesn't really enjoy the weekend. I become distressed by my desire to be sluggish and while a day of relaxtion and recuperation is instrumental in good health, I think two days of such prescribed sloth is excessive.

As such I try to use the liberal amount of time to my best advantage by reading for work and pleasure and engaging in light yet adventurous exercise. I adhere to a normal schedule (althought at my age, I'm not so strict as to dismiss the possibility of luxuriating in a nap or two).

I cook for the week, too — I like to soak a big pot of beans for lunch over the week and maybe bake a loaf of bread. That's what I had for lunch today, and it was a fine meal: pinto beans simmered with garlic, olive oil and spinach, along with wheat bread (my own recipe). I made too many beans and probably have enough to last me a month.

Breakfast was some plain yogurt, bran flakes and an orange, and I had coffee today. I think in a bit I'll make some popcorn on the stove.

Day 4 dinner, day 5 breakfast and lunch

2009-05-08T13:06:00.003-05:00

I had a late dinner with friends in the city last night and by the time I got home I was much too fatigued to work this machine. We ate at Zed's, an Ethiopian place in Georgetown, and I'll leave it at that. Ethiopian never sits well with me for whatever reason. When I got home I had a few handfuls of spelt pretzels to settle the score, per se.

For breakfast I had the only boxed cereal I'll buy — shredded wheat (the large biscuits). Shredded wheat, in my mind, can only be eaten with strawberries and I bought some the other day so that was that. Really an excellent way to start the day, despite my unstable stomach.

I'm holding off on lunch until I feel back to myself. I have more tuna salad packed though, and a glorious late-season orange.

Day 4, lunch

2009-05-07T12:29:00.002-05:00

My big surprise lunch contains ... tuna salad! Wait, stay with me. It's worth reading on.

I'm not one to boast about my cooking ability, but tuna salad is something I can do well. The secret is beets, and although I used to take the time to roast them, I've been buying the vacuum-sealed ones lately and have been amazed at their exemplary taste.

So here it goes: a can of water-packed tuna (I use Starlite), cubed beets (red or golden, if you can find them), diced celery, garlic and yellow onion (as well as some minced green onion), salt and pepper, a few drops of lemon juice and healthy sprig of dill. I usually throw a hardboiled egg or two in there, forgot it today (perhaps on purpose because of my breakfast).

Mix well, but not thoroughly; I like each element to retain its character. Sandwich between slices of pumpernickel bread. Slice diagonally. Perfect.

Day 4, breakfast

2009-05-07T06:44:00.001-05:00

Up with the cows again. Eggs today, for a change, scrambled with a bit of yellow onion and lots of pepper. At 69 I'm still working on my technique.

Ate the eggs with the heel of an old loaf of bread (broiled) I had stashed away in the freezer. That's what that thing is good for. It increases thriftiness but also the need for butter on your toast. I had a cup of Earl Grey and a short glass of cranberry juice. Packed a snack for my morning walk — an apple (Gala, I think) and some white cheddar. Looking forward to a good lunch today ... stay tuned.

Day 3, dinner

2009-05-06T18:19:00.004-05:00

It's going to be a late night for me at the office, so I brought my dinner along with me: cold roast beef and some corn salad that I made this morning (and have been sneaking spoonfuls of all day). My recipe — prior to the fresh corn harvest — is sauteed frozen corn, cherry tomatoes, snap peas and carrot coins in a dijon vinaigrette (2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic/sherry vinegar, 2 tsp mustard, garlic, salt and pepper). It's kind of a strange mixture, but it reminds me how close summer really is. I bought a sourdough roll at the bakery this morning while on a walk and I ended up eating the roast beef on that. All in all, a good meal.

Day 3, breakfast and lunch

2009-05-06T14:15:00.006-05:00

Despite my newfound interest in technology, I forgot to blog this morning! The Internet is already losing traction in my daily routine, even though I like it very much. It is indeed a curious place — I know Antonin's feathers have certainly been ruffled by the unfolding of this story.

Not that I have anything to hide — I don't — but I do want to make an effort to become more connected with younger Americans by shedding some light on my life. On my last post, a commenter named Leigh asked me to extrapolate on the general store in Weare that I usually patronize. It's called the Weare Center Store and is rather bare bones, but satisfies any citizen's basic needs. From there I purchase bread, milk, eggs, cheese and seasonable produce. Oh, and my favorite treat, Oreos.

Back to today. The morning really got away from me! I prepared breakfast last night, actually — a cup of oats soaked overnight in the refrigerator with a handful of raisins thrown in. Letting the mixture sit for eight or so hours results in a rich, satisfying emulsion when put over heat in the morning. The raisins plump up like little milky balloons — it's very good. A dash of cinnamon on top, and the secret of great oatmeal: a small heap of salt.

Lunch was the same as yesterday: a tall ham sandwich. I had some big carrots on the side — horse carrots, we always called them. And some jellybeans from the bowl on Pam's desk, which were a bit stale. Is it one month past Easter already?

Day 2, bedtime snack

2009-05-05T21:20:00.002-05:00

I used to extol the virtues of going to bed hungry, but lately I've been finding that a little something puts me right out, such as a bunch of grapes or a couple or ten of the aforementioned saltines with a smear of peanut butter.

Tonight my hand reached into the pickle jar. Half-sours, naturally, and they were good at the time but I regret the choice somewhat at this moment. No matter how thoroughly I brush my teeth, I am bound to wake up with the echo of a pickle on my tastebuds. Note to self.

Day 2, dinner

2009-05-05T17:17:00.004-05:00

I had a hankering for seafood tonight but I got caught up in a brief and then a box of chocolates that John's wife sent me after my "big" announcement. I ate the caramel cremes and gave the rest to the clerks. Needless to say I didn't have time or the stomach to make it to the store to see what was on sale.

So leftover split pea soup it was. I ate two bowlfuls with at least half a column of saltines. I could have put away the entire box, but my good sense saved the day.

Day 2, lunch

2009-05-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

I packed myself a ham sandwich for lunch today. I sometimes feel the need to come to the defense of ham, especially to the foodies in the office who all seem to be preternaturally obsessed with bacon. Bacon is tasty, yes, but a bit over-the-top for me. I can't take it in large quantities.

Ham, on the other hand, is such a simple, sweet meat. My favorite lunch place in Boston serves a ham and apple sandwich, what a wonderful combination — the smoky ham, the tart apple and a thick, nutty bread to act as a buffer between all the flavors.

I've tried recreating that sandwich to little success. Instead, when left to my own devices, I prefer thinly sliced cuts of meat, piled between some slices of seven-grain toast. No condiments on this one.

To round out the meal, a yellow Bartlett pear and a can of soda water.

Day 2, breakfast

2009-05-05T07:45:00.003-05:00

The morning is especially quiet today, which I appreciate. The Obamas must be out of town. When I'm at home in Weare, I like to rise at 5 a.m., have some cheese toast and then go for an early hike. Four or five miles gets my heart rate up. Then come home and have a few soft-boiled eggs, and maybe some more toast to replenish my energy stores.

In Washington, I typically jog at night, but today I arose early for some reason and got a run in before work. Three miles is enough for me. I don't like to eat much before my jog. Today I had half of a banana, God's fruit. I was feeling abnormally hot afterward — it's finally warming up here — so I fixed myself some cold cereal. I buy Heritage Flakes from the bulk section at Whole Foods and I like them very much. I ate a good bowlful with a cup of one percent milk, the other half of the banana and a mug of orange juice. I used a mug because all my glasses are dirty I didn't feel like doing the dishes last night.

I only drink juice over ice. Is anyone else like this?

Day 1, part II

2009-05-04T17:13:00.003-05:00

I had such a pleasant weekend in New Hampshire, relaxing and seeing friends. Grace and Ed had me over Saturday for a wonderful meal that featured a pre-season strawberry pie and homemade chocolate ice cream. I won't lie and say I only had one helping.

I'm back in D.C. now, pants a bit tighter but mind on high. I'll be here for the forseeable future tying things up. I think I will sell my apartment eventually, so let me know if you're interested. Ruth, I know your daughter was looking for a pied-a-terre here, it would be perfect.

On to the food. For a snack today I had some Newman's Own spelt pretzels at the office. Sometimes I need a bit of salt in the afternoon. I also had some tea — Irish breakfast. I know, Irish breakfast in the afternoon. I am more radical than everyone thinks. Ha.

Dinner was at home — I like to take my final meal for the day quite early. I ate a thigh and a drumstick from a chicken I roasted several days ago. I like to do this from time to time; I can live off a bird for weeks. Nothing liked baked chicken. I use this recipe, which I swear my mother should get credit for.

On the side, I had frozen peas cooked with butter and salt. More apple mash for dessert. I put some whipped cream on it (the real stuff).

A new life — day 1

2009-05-04T12:35:00.001-05:00

Hello, friends. I have been toying with the idea of starting a food web log for awhile now, but I had some obstacles in my way — one being that I was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the other being that I didn't have the Internet.

But now that I'm retiring after a 19-year tenure on the federal bench, I finally have time to explore some nouveau things on my own terms in between roof repairs, finch-watching and deciphering this contract for RoadRunner High-Speed Internet (?) with Time Warner. This is not a place to talk politics and the law, although I'm sure those things will rear their fine heads every now and then. This is about the joy of quotidian sustenance.

I'll start with what I've had so far today. I don't have a digital camera (yet), or a cell phone, so bear with me and use your imagination for visual supplementation.

Breakfast: I had oat groats and some frozen apple mash leftover from the fall's harvest. I make it every winter by reducing apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. It's really quite good. I also had some coffee, Maxwell House.

Lunch: I got carried away reading articles about me online (was taken aback by that lovely Kim Roosevelt piece on Slate! Was wondering what he was up to), so lunch was late and larger than usual. I normally have a yogurt and an apple. I prefer locally-made yogurt, the more sour the better, but if I have to go commercial I like Stonyfield Farms low-fat blueberry. All that aside, today I had a turkey sandwich — Boar's Head brand, with sprouts and Hellman's on wheat.