Meatballs!

How I love them. These were made according to my Moroccan cookbook, with cilantro, paprika, and onion, though I did substitute buffalo for beef. I am, apparently, the sort of person who has buffalo on hand.

Lamb with Chestnuts and Cinnamon

What a success. My mother got a tagine (Moroccan, conical-topped, earthenware cooking dish) and a number of Moroccan cookbooks for Christmas. I was so taken with them that I ordered the books and a tagine of my own. The tagine is not here yet, but the books are, so last night I took Authentic Recipes From Morocco, by Fatema Hal, for a test run with the above-named dish. Lordy, was it ever delicious; spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric (because I didn't have saffron), and orange zest (because I didn't have orange blossom water), it was rich and deep and mellow and I couldn't get enough. In general I have been convinced for a long time that I have much to learn from the school of spices-in-savory dishes school of cuisine; this recipe suggests I'm right. For those who don't like chestnuts (hi Mom!) it would have been just as delicious without them.

New Year's Eve Calamari

fried, with roasted brussels sprouts and a glass of Lillet Blanc. We went to bed at ten, but the meal was a little celebration all by itself.

African Groundnut Stew Pt. III

Did you forget the link to this wonderful recipe? Here it is again:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/african-groundnut-stew-recipe.html

For the vegan in your life, or for anyone else (who doesn't have peanut allergies) it can't be beat. I made a big pot last night, with the following modifications: I left out the chilis and added half a cup of coconut pulp and a bag of kale.

Herringbone Rib Socks

Another knitting project done. Yay! But, I'm still on vacation and now have no active project. Ack!

Christmas Lentils

Here in LA, ho ho ho. A number of people needed to be fed today, including a vegetarian sister, so this is what I put together:

1 bag lentils
1 onion
2 carrots
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 ribs celery
1 C barley
2 cloves garlic
A whole buncha water
Adequate salt

No points for originality, I know, but it can't be beat for deliciousness.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

A stellar soup, born of the desire to use up our last CSA delivery. It (the soup) contained:

2 onions
1 garlic clove
1 butternut squash (in little cubes)
1 bag of greens, chard and kale
1 can of Great Northern beans
2 C chicken stock from a squishy yellow box
2 C water
1 C coconut puree
1 whopping hit of curry powder

That coconut puree is something I buy from the same place I buy my coconut oil (tropicaltraditions.com). It's essentially what's left after they press the oil from the coconut flesh, and is a terrific thing (in my opinion) to add to a soup or stew or ice cream or cookies etc.

The spouse gave the soup five stars.

Junya Watanabe, Spring 08 RTW

Oh man. Junya, messenger your stuff right over and I swear I'll wear it every day, everywhere. Ok, maybe not the head dresses, but seriously, anything else you want.

Aerogarden Pesto

On whole-wheat pasta, with salad. I tend to use a lot of parsley in my pesto these days, because it grows abundantly in the Aerogarden, and because I once heard that it cancels out garlic breath.

Cashmere Baby Blanket

This is a baby blanket for my imminent second grandchild (ok, my husband's second grandchild). The pattern is called "Hemlock Ring" and is actually a doily pattern; instead of knitting it with slender cotton on tiny needles one knits it with fluffy wool on big needles: behold, the magic of scale. Knitting is so weird. This pattern is actually incredibly easy, but looks complex, whereas I have labored for hours and mastered tricky new skills in finishing the ribbing on a cuff in a way that no one will ever notice.

Flounder

breaded in cornmeal and fried; unbelievably delicious spinach, and quinoa. The fish was a disappointment, because I managed to overcook it while still leaving the cornmeal kind of floury-tasting. I don't know why the spinach was so delicious; I just sauteed it in a little butter and for some reason it exploded into a layered flavor bouquet in the mouth.

Catch up

Yikes! What a busy week. But last night: fried chicken, brown rice, roasted cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli. But much more importantly, I made cookies! I haven't done it in ages. Here is my number one recipe:

Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat the oven: 325 degrees

Cream:

1 C coconut oil
1 C brown sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
2 t vanilla

Beat in:

1 egg

Stir in:

1 C whole wheat flour
3 C oatmeal

Optional:

chopped nuts
raisins

Scoop the dough into nice big scoops (with a cookie scoop, if you have one) and flatten slightly on the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Chicken Sausage

with quinoa and salad.

Pork Chops

with brown rice and roasted cauliflower and broccoli. The vegetables were from our CSA, and so good i ate a whole head of each.

Clapotis

You wouldn't know it from the infrequency of my posts, but I am in fact knitting like a fiend. The problem is that I have so many projects going at once that I rarely finish one. But I finished this one! It's called "Clapotis" and over 7,000 people world-wide have made it so far. I can see why; it's lovely.

Pork Chops with Gremolata

with quinoa and sauteed chinese cabbage. Gremolata: diced parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, except that I didn't have a lemon so used grapefruit instead. Pretty good!

Pan-Fried Orange Roughy

with brown rice and salad. My new dressing of choice, after a decade of lemon juice and olive oil, is rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Kale-Beet Slaw

I have the gamest husband in the world. Last night I put before him a dinner of roasted butternut squash, quinoa, and a dark (almost black) melange of kale, beets, and ginger, dressed with sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Did he flinch? Yes. But he bravely sampled it and declared it delicious, backing that claim up by eating heartily. Bless.

Lamb Chops

with fried potatoes and salad. It's hard to beat the basics.

Sorry About That

A busy week. But last night we had: a frittata made with leftover roasted vegetables (cauliflower, shiitakes, and garlic), swiss chard sauteed with onions and ginger, and garlic-herb toast. It was all delicious, though in retrospect I might not have combined three dishes packing such distinct and powerful flavor-wallops.