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.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Day 99, reflection, eats
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.
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.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Mid-summer foodstuffs
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.
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.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Day 74, dinner
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.
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.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 66, cherries (what else is there?)
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Day 57, a link (and some eats)
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.
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.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Day 54, a new supermarket
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.
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.
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