A way to celebrate

We're on our third snow day of the week here in Albuquerque. No one can remember the last time the city was this cold. nor the last time the University closed for three days in one week. Personally, I'm looking for a way to celebrate.

I moved to New Mexico from the East Coast as a way to prevent my obligatory before-40 heart attack. Living here is a way to help myself learn to slow down-- and it worked, for a little while. But somehow I got caught back up in the hustle and the bustle this fall: I work two 20 hour/week jobs, sit on the boards of two student organizations, and volunteer with two professional organizations in town. Last semester, I worked 7 days/week most weeks. When I wasn't working, it was due to traveling (seven separate trips back to the East Coast last year?!), or due to illness-- most likely illness brought on by my hectic, stress-filled lifestyle.

Given this awareness, I have now come to recognize that this is my tendency-- even if I carve out time in my life, I will fill it (and quickly!) if I am not constantly vigilant against the over-scheduling. One week ago tomorrow, I gave my notice at the more stressful of my part-time jobs. That's an additional 20 hours of time every week I have just reclaimed. UNM responded by giving me three days off this week-- and I am looking for a way to celebrate both my increase in free time, and the early reprieve given to me this week. :) An impromptu dinner with friends and a homemade chocolate cake sounds about right.

Chocolate Cherry Cake (adapted from The Witchy Kitchen)

Ingredients (Cake)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
heaping 1/4 cup dried cherries

-- Ingredients (Glaze)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. vanilla almond milk

-- Method (Glaze)
1. Combine powdered sugar and cocoa in a small bowl; stir until well combined.
2. Add vegetable oil and milk; stir well with a fork until smooth and combined.

Method (Cake)
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Coat an 8"x8" glass dish with oil or cooking spray.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir well.
3. Create a well in the center of dry ingredients. Add yogurt, vegetable oil, coconut milk, vanilla extract and red wine vinegar.
4. Stirring slowly, work from the center out to mix all ingredients together. Continue gently stirring until mixture is uniformly combined.
5. Toss cherries with a scant amount of flour, to coat. Incorporate into batter.
6. Pour into prepared baking dish.
7. Bake in center rack 28 -- 33 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While cake cools, prepare glaze.
9. Invert cooled cake onto another dish; re-invert onto a serving dish, so that the top of cake is face up.
10. Pour glaze over cake; decorate with cherries if desired.

Enjoy-- preferably with a glass of sparkling wine and great friends.

A day for soup

It is colder outside than it is in Alaska, today. This makes me sad, and encourages my longing for warm, soothing foods. Today has been a day for frozen, bursting pipes, cold gusts of wind, and snuggling inside. It has been a day for soup.

Following a late lunch and an eventful afternoon, I took a long, hot shower. I had a lovely glass of Tempranillo (Trader Joe's, $5.99/bottle thank you very much), and a plate of incredible cheeses with pretzel thins. For dinner, homemade miso soup. I hope it warms you some.

Vegan Miso Soup

Ingredients
4 cups water
1 strip kombu
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 block firm silken tofu (the kind in a box, not packed in water)
1/3 cup mellow/white miso

Method
1. Place water and kombu in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduced heat and simmer (covered) for 5 minutes.
2. While broth is boiling, cut tofu into small cubes.
3. Add tofu and scallions to broth; remove kombu piece carefully.
4. Slice kombu into thin strips, then cut the strips into small pieces. Add back to the soup.
5. Reduce heat to its lowest setting; add the miso, stirring slowly and well. It is important not to boil the miso, as that will negate all its healthful properties.
6. When miso is dissolved, remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!

To combat burst pipes and frigid temps

While I'm grateful for a snow day today, I did not move to New Mexico to endure -20* windchills and ice-slicked roads. It seems that Mother Nature is less than concerned with my reasons for living here, though, as these are exactly what I awoke to this morning.

I couldn't decide whether to make miso soup or Greek Lemon and Rice soup, so I solicited some Facebook feedback. Overwhelmingly, my friends advised that I choose the Lemon and Rice. One friend wrote, "The sunniness will be such a wonderful contrast to the weather!" Kristin-- you are a genius, and could not have been more right. Plans in place, I started search recipes, intending to eat lunch at a reasonable hour.

Once again, the powers that be failed to notice my intentions. Even though we left our faucets dripping last night and all day today, one of the pipes in our ceiling burst. Thankfully, we rent this house-- so our landlord has been vacuuming up the water, and the plumber was able to get here this afternoon. After helping to control the damage a little bit, I threw some brussels sprouts and a sweet potato in the oven, then got started on this soup. I think it's the perfect thing to combat burst pipes and frigid temps. I hope it brings some sunlight to you, too!

Greek Lemon, Rice and Egg Soup

Ingredients
2 quarts vegetable stock (I used one quart of rich stock and one quart of a lighter, bullion-based broth because I wanted a lighter flavor)
8 tbsp. short-grain brown rice
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and white pepper

Method

1. Reserve one cup of stock; set aside.
2. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil in a soup pot.
3. Add the rice, and stir well. Reduce heat to a light simmer-- cover and let rice cook for about 35-40 minutes (this is high altitude timing. You might reduce the cooking time at sea level.)
4. Juice the lemons (I used three and a half, but best to measure) over a strainer-- you don't want any seeds in this soup.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks and lemon juice together until frothy. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
6. Add the reserved broth to the egg and lemon mixture. Stir the mixture into the soup pot.
7. Remove from heat, and whisk the soup continually for a few minutes. You want the eggs to thicken, but not to scramble.
8. Serve immediately, drizzled with good olive oil and preferably with both sunlight streaming through the window and a slight self-delusion that it is actually warm outside. :)

Enjoy!

*As a slight aside-- I'm working on buying a camera to post better photos, but things are suddenly tighter around here financially. Anyone with tips for buying a good digital camera on the cheap is encouraged to comment.