One of the Just So stories (The Crab that Played with the Sea) has a poem at the end comprised of shipping line names. In fact, here it is:

CHINA-GOING P & O’s
Pass Pau Amma’s playground close,
And his Pusat Tasek lies
Near the track of most B.I.’s.
U.Y.K. and N.D.L.
Know Pau Amma’s home as well
As the fisher of the Sea knows
‘Bens,’ M.M.’s, and Rubattinos.
But (and this is rather queer)
A.T.L.’s can not come here;
O. and O. and D.O.A.
Must go round another way.
Orient, Anchor, Bibby, Hall,
Never go that way at all.
U.C.S. would have a fit
If it found itself on it.
And if ‘Beavers’ took their cargoes
To Penang instead of Lagos,
Or a fat Shaw-Savill bore
Passengers to Singapore,
Or a White Star were to try a
Little trip to Sourabaya,
Or a B.S.A. went on
Past Natal to Cheribon,
Then great Mr. Lloyds would come
With a wire and drag them home!
You’ll know what my riddle means
When you’ve eaten mangosteens.

When I was small the only thing I got out of that was a passionate desire to eat mangosteens. Now it reminds me to talk while I can to old people because they know things; things that will vanish without trace when they die. I was thinking about this walking through Jericho the other day – the weird geo-vibe of the place you grew up won’t affect anybody else and will totally vanish when you do.

Anyway, I have now eaten mangosteens. Ian brought some in about a year ago to the office*. They were amazing. They are the size of a small apple, balls crafted in shiny dark red paper, and inside they are segmented like tangerines, but with no fibre. Textured like a good pear, flavoured like a lychee. Ambrosia. Ian says we can get them in Singapore, but because of the dye in the skin they’re banned from most hotels.

*this was also the occasion when we sent him off to the upstairs kitchen to eat his horrible smelly durian in isolation and someone from another office called the gas board. Durian is amazing. You can also get that in Singapore, but I don’t think I will. Cheesy mango with a sock-scented flavour of corruption all its own. The only person I’ve ever met who liked it as much as Ian was Pippa the dalmatian, who licked the empty container for about 10 solid minutes, till we took it away from her. This feeds my conviction that Ian, like all the best people, is secretly a dog.

What?? Tuesday Already!! AND December 1st?? Where did November go?? Where did the last week go?? At least there is TWD!! Otherwise it would be sad to know that time passes THAT quickly.

This week the bakers of TWD played with Poached Pears and Pistachio Custard and made Dorie’s Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart chosen by Lauren of I’ll Eat You.

I really hadn’t planned to make this. Not a wine person. Even though I cook with it I don’t really care for the taste (wait, didnt’ I just say that for the DB Cannoli??) But then my friend, Nancy, gave me the link for Dorie’s Honey Poached Pears and that changed everything. I only poached two pears and made 1/2 recipe of the custard. I made the full crust recipe (and froze 1/2) and came out with 3 mini tarts.

While it isn’t that colorful (and therefore not as photogenic) it was tasty. I used all the pistachios I had for the custard, so used candied Pecans (left from the Sweet Potato MSC Cuppys.

The only problem was that the pistachio custard overpowered the mild honey/citrus flavor of he pears. (The fragrance in the house while the pears were poaching in the honey/cinnamon/citrus syrup was HEAVENLY!!) The crust, the pistachio custard = Keepers!! The poached pears – not so much.

Go visit the other TWD bakers and see their tarts. You won’t be disappointed!!

BTW: sorry about the pics. It’s so dark so early it’s hard to get some good light this time of the year.

I blogged the other day about joining Calorie Count, the free website with some great tools to help people keep track of what goes in (food, etc.) and what goes out (calories lost through exercise and even just sitting around doing nothing).

Well, I’ve kept 2 full day diaries and here’s a snapshot from yesterday:

Activity Log

	Automobile or Light Truck (Not a Semi) Driving		50	162
	Showering – Toweling Off (Standing)		10	32
	Automobile or Light Truck (Not a Semi) Driving		50	162
	Calisthenics – Home Exercise, Light or Moderate Effort, General (Example: Back Exercises), Going Up & Down From Floor		30	170
	Aerobic – General		50	526
	Walking – For Pleasure, Work Break		10	57
	Total Calories Burned			1,109

Food log

	Water – Mineral Or Tap			750	0
	Brownie		C-	8	32
	Water – Mineral Or Tap			350	0
	Breakfast
	Egg, Whole – Cooked, Fried		B-	46	90
	Bread, Whole-wheat, Commercially Prepared, Toasted		A	25	77
	Butter – With Salt		F	7	50
	Lunch
	Biryani – Chicken			350	511
	Dinner
	Chicken, Leg, Meat Only – Cooked, Roasted		B-	190	363
	Papaya, 1 med. – Fruits		A	304	120
	Dark Chocolate – Chili		C+	10	50
	Potatoes, Mashed, Home-prepared, Whole Milk And Margarine Added		B	210	237
	Orange Juice Original – Tropicana Pure Premium		B	180	83
	Beef, Ground, 90% Lean Meat / 10% Fat, Crumbles – Cooked, Pan-browned		B-	25	58
	Peppers, Sweet, Yellow – Raw		A	186	50
	Snacks
	Bananas		A	118	105
	Kiwi Fruit, (Chinese Gooseberries), Fresh		A	76	46
	Apples		A	212	110
Total Calories Consumed					1,982

If the tables above don’t display properly, just click on the title of this post to view the post in full screen.

That’s a calorie deficit of about 873 calories, if the estimates above are to be believed. They say you should avoid having a deficit of more than a 1000 calories a day or your body goes into starvation mode. And they say you should have a deficit of at least 500 calories a day (and therefore, 3500 a week) to lose 1 lb.

The Calorie Count tool is really helpful, and easy for me cos’ I frankly had no idea how my food was adding up each day and where I could make cuts or raise my intake healthily.

Paul teases me about it, pregnancy books joke about it, but it’s a serious matter when you’re pregnant… what to eat!?!

Now that I’m pregnant, it seems I think about food an awful lot. And talk about it. And crave it.

So I thought I’d share a few pictures of the food we’ve been enjoying here over the last few weeks. Everything was made from scratch! Anything in particular interest you? Comment and I’m sure I can convince Paul to share the recipe!

Foods include:

• refrigerator pickles
• corn tortilla taco shells
• mozzarella sticks & dip
• eggrolls
• cucumber salad
• spicy eggplant
• roast chicken

This is the second post in a series leading us to a strategy for mission in Geita, Tanzania.  In the first post, church planting: mistakes in missions, I stressed a desire to trust God himself to draw men to him, save them, assemble them, and mature them.  These tasks are not my job; so I want to ensure that I’m not attempting to steal away God’s role in church planting, and that I’m not expected by others to do so.  I also want to adopt as simple a method for church planting as is possible.

Fruit is the natural result
of a transformed
and obedient life in Christ.

The first parable given in the book of Matthew is that of the “Sower and the Soils” in 13:1-23.  And this parable, appropriately enough, serves as both an introduction to parables and instruction on how to hear them. Jesus describes the good news of his kingdom in terms of seed that is sown in four different types of soil — mankind is the soil, and there are given four possible ways to receive kingdom principles.  I think we’re often much too quick when reading this parable to assume that Christians are the fourth, and good, soil.  Let’s look at the soils:

1.  The seed that falls on the path is quickly stolen away by Satan.  This soil hears the gospel, but is unable to respond, because it has not understood its meaning.  This person never becomes a Christian.

2.  The seed that falls on the rocky soil is able to grow quickly, because the shallow soil above the hardpan rock is rich and full of nutrients.  But the plant’s roots cannot go deep into the ground, and so it soon dies.  This soil hears and understands to an extent, but doesn’t let the gospel take firm hold in his life, and so when hard times or temptations come, the once vibrant plant dies.  This person becomes a Christian, but isn’t standing firm in Christ, and therefore eventually falls away.

3.  The seed that falls in thorny soil is able to grow, and even to form roots deep into the ground.  But it is surrounded by thorns that steal away needed nutrients, and the plant never becomes fruitful.  This soil hears and understands the word, but allows non-Christian worries and a desire for possessions to choke it, preventing it from being what God intended.  It’s important to note that this individual becomes a Christian, and as far as the parable tells us, never falls away, but rather remains unfruitful.  I would suggest most modern-day Christians fall into this category.  We’ve heard the gospel, understood it, responded to it, but are not willing to give our lives fully over to God; there seems to be an obedience issue here.  And as a result, we will not experience the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as God intended, nor will we be successful in bringing others to Christ.  And even if we were “successful,” we’d likely only convert people over to the same unfruitful form of “Christianity” we ascribe to — one in which worldly concerns are chief.  [And a version of religion in which we’re in danger of being cut off from Christ and burned, John 15.]

4.  The seed that falls on good soil grows to maturity and produces fruit — more than would ever be expected or even imagined.  This person hears the gospel, understands it, and apparently applies it in such a way that he experiences life just as God intended.

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.     Matthew  13:15

Understanding the gospel in its fullest sense nurtures and requires obedience.  It also produces fruit in the lives of Christians… and naturally.  I remember preaching on this text in one congregation, and one of the shepherds told me after services that I was right, we need to be more fruitful in our evangelistic efforts.  And so he intended to come up with some kind of program that would help the church to do so.  I didn’t tell him that he’d missed the point completely.  Trees don’t plan activities and develop programs in order to bear fruit.  Fruit is the natural result of a transformed and obedient life in Christ.

There are two ways in which I want to apply this text to our strategy for mission.  The first of these is that, until we are good soil, there can be no successful “strategy” for mission in our churches.  Until God’s purposes are more important to us than our possessions and worldly concerns, we’ll never be a fruitful people.  Until we can hear the gospel and understand it in such a way that we’re obedient to it, we’ll never experience life as God intended.  Until understanding the gospel means more to us than grasping the concepts and gaining knowledge about them, we won’t live transformed lives that bring glory to God.  Good soil produces healthy trees, healthy trees produce healthy fruit, and healthy fruit in good soil repeats the process.

The second application of this text will be the next post in this series, in which we’ll discuss a Bible study method that promotes and encourages hearing the gospel, understanding it, and being obedient to it.

Today was the first day of my training for the Tokyo Marathon 10K per the plan I created on Runners World’s Web site.

The first few weeks look like this:

Mondays and Wednesdays will be used for strength training and I’m taking Friday and Saturdays off to rest.

I was pretty happy to only have two miles on the agenda for today because after starting this second job, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the longest days ever!

My run was good and I was able to maintain a sub-10:00 mile at a comfortable pace. (It’s super difficult to hit the set pace without a GPS.)

I think breakfast gets the credit for my run going so well.

A big mess of yogurt, granola, banana, and pomegranate arils fueled me through my first class and my run.

Along with a little yoga for runners to stretch out my sore hips, too.

But by the time I finished with my workout, my stomach felt so empty and hollow. It was practically screaming to be fed. Running works up my hunger beast every time.

Post-morning snack, it was laundry time. I do laundry on Tuesdays between jobs and I needed to take some shirts to the laundromat to shrink them back to the right size. But I needed to eat lunch, too.

What’s a girl to do?

I tossed our wet clothes in a dryer, paid the machine to do it’s thing, and biked about a minute to the closest grocery store to grab a sushi lunch. I didn’t even know what was inside the brown pastry-looking things.

I was willing to take my changes because I was hungry and low on time. And I’m glad I did because it was delish. Just plain old rice inside the pastries (tasted sweet).

Back home, dry clothes in tow, I whipped up a quick dinner to bring along tonight to job #2. (Yes, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are so long that I must bring my dinner to work.)

Spaghetti with marinara sauce and seasoned chicken it will be, along with two small pieces of cornbread. Yummy… I hope!

I’m definitely still getting the hang of this two-job a day gig I have going on. It will take some time to master my schedule and figure out what works and what is an epic fail, but I will get there.   

The key lies in planning ahead, I think.

By the way, for those of you who wished me good luck and were wondering how my first class at job #2 went, my first class went pretty well. It wasn’t exactly what I hoped, but it’s always a mixed bag with kids, right? A few of my students from last night’s class were still sad the old teacher left, so it might take a while for them to warm up to me. I’m up for the challenge, though!

Hot spot for avos this week… ripe and 99 cents at “To The  World Farm” veggie stand located at 655 Grand St. in Williamsburg (between Leonard St & Manhattan Ave)

Next up on the list…. Avocados and avocadonts! Looking for interesting avocado uses (do’s) and also past recipes, experiments, etc. that have resulted in an avoca-don’t..

Avoca-do #1 – Find that your avocado isn’t as ripe as you had hoped? Try slicing, mixing in a bowl with olive oil, sprinkling with salt, pepper (and chili powder if you like it spicy) and throw on a grill pan!

The first time I saw one of these I was mesmerized.  A genetic mutant?  A lemon gone bad? 

It’s a Buddha’s Hand Citron (although this is a quite stubby one – they usually have long “fingers” that reach up into the sky, like a cupped hand reaching to the heavens, ready to catch rainwater in its palm).  Last year I bought one and let it rest on my counter, filling the entire kitchen and house with its unbelievable citrus scents, a natural potpourri of lemony-limeyness.  It eventually rotted, and I threw it out, never having used it in any dishes.

However, the fruit can be used as lemon rind would be, and you can use the pith as well, as it’s not as bitter as a regular lemon’s.

Tonight, I minced a slight slice (about two tablespoons) and mixed it with some other ingredients to make a sort of raita: half Greek yogurt, half sour cream (full fat, both), two tablespoons crumbled Bulgarian feta, two cloves crushed garlic, a teaspoon of minced red onion, two tablespoons minced cucumber, a teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley that I had frozen from the garden, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.  I served it with a salad of Tokyo bekana (an Asian green from Smallwood’s Veggieporium), sliced red onion and avocado, quinoa and a spicy Hungarian lamb sausage made by Lothar Erbe, a master artisan butcher from Germany who uses local ingredients whenever possible.  Lothar sells at the Smart Market in Purcellville, VA, on Saturdays, entertaining everyone with his “Hanz and Franz” accent and pleasing those who purchase his meats.  This variety is a lamb bratwurst that is called (phonetically) “chibopchichi.”  It is one of my favorites.

The Buddha’s Hand, which likely originated in Northeastern India or China, can also be sliced and used on salads or inserted under the skin of a roaster chicken.  In season in the U.S. from November through January, the fruit in other areas of the world often is given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples.  I have been a student of Buddhism for the past three years, therefore I know that food is diminished in light of nourishing your soul through meditation, in hopes of finding inner strength and enlightenment.  However, searching for these qualities in sources provided by Mother Nature has to be in line with these beliefs.  Expand your horizons and try something new.  You might just discover that peace can be found in the most unpredictable of places.

Sorry for being MIA yesterday, Sundays when I head back to school are always hectic!

I got up around 8 and went for one last jog in the valley – 3 miles in about 29 minutes. It wasn’t the easiest run ever – I didn’t have to convince myself to take it easy, I was just too tired to go near my normal 9:30 pace. Oh, I also had the genius idea to not eat or drink anything beforehand. My stomach wasn’t happy about that. Plus it was cold. Once you haven’t run during the winter in you know, four years, you (I) forget that the bitter cold of a New England winter makes it hard to breathe. BOO.

I came home and had some brekkie:

Arnold is still number one – sorry Mr. Pepperidge. I packed up Marge (my car, who is large and in charge) and left a little after 11. Back to reality comfort stop: Whole Foods Glastonbury – the best I’ve been to. After spending way too much time and money, this is what I came out with:

I’ve only been searching for two months …

I also had this when I got back to the cizzar:

After dropping all my stuff off at my room, not unpacking at all discovering that someone hit/took my passenger’s side mirror at WF, I headed straight to the library. My late cubicle lunch:

Stonyfield Pumpkin Pie Opinion
Taste: Good, but not like pumpkin pie. Well, maybe if it was made with 10% pie filling and 90% water. 2/5.
Texture: After not eating yogurt that didn’t originate in Greece for the past 6 months, I was dreading the watery texture of normal yogurt. But it was pretty thick and creamy! 5/5.
Fill Factor: This breakfast held me over pretty well through a class and the gym. I wasn’t starving by the time I ate lunch 4 hours later, just normal hungry, plus I went to the gym. Guess that 1% of fat did its job. 5/5.
Ingredients: “Cultured pasteurized organic low fat milk, naturally milled organic sugar, organic caramel color, organic carrot juice concentrate (for color), pectin, natural flavor, organic pumpkin juice concentrate (for color), vitamin D3.” How can caramel color be organic? And perhaps the pumpkin juice concentrate should be for taste and not color … ? 3/5.

Spent 9 minutes on the Stair Master at the weirdly busy gym before someone left my favorite elliptical and I hopped on that thing faster than this guy:

Source

No shame. Execept for this scene:

Source

Lunchers at the deskie:

Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Last year I had seen a special on the food network that featured Ina Garten’s Mixed Berry Cheesecake.  Ever since I saw that, I’ve always wanted to make that yummy looking cheesecake.  So for thanksgiving this year, I decided to go for it.  My family isn’t big on pumpkin pie so I didn’t bother with any desserts that had pumpkin in it.  I thought this cheesecake would be perfect because they all love cheesecake.

This cheesecake was delicious!  My hubby and father in law couldn’t get enough of it!  The texture of this cheesecake is a lot lighter than most cheesecakes I’ve made.  I really love the texture, it was light and fluffy and didn’t feel like you were just eating a block of cream cheese.  Although it is a bit more work, it is so worth it!

I love Ina Garten.  She’s one of my favorite chefs on the food network.  So far, all of her recipes that I have tried have always turned out great.  You really should give this a try!

Ingredients

For the crust:

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

nocoupons

• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

nocoupons

• 1 cup red jelly (not jam) such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry (I used strawberry)
• 1/2 pint sliced strawberries
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 1/2 pint fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss berries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fresh fruit really does make a difference

I had my wisdom teeth removed a couple of days ago, and I am fucking sick of soft fucking food. I could not eat another fucking pudding cup or spoonful of fucking applesauce or bowl of mashed fucking potatoes if you put a fucking gun to my head. I’m an adult, goddammit, not an infant. I want real food. In fact, I want to overcompensate for the fact that I’ve been eating mush for the last three and a half days and eat something that makes me feel money*.

You’ll need:
Brie, sliced thin.
One loaf of french bread. Doesn’t matter how fresh, as long as it’s not fuzzy.
At least one pear, sliced thin. Variety’s up to you
Walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 300. If you like, toast the walnuts over low heat in a pan until they’re fragrant. This isn’t necessary, and, if you’re ravenous like me, you can feel free to skip this step.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper or something else that won’t catch on fire or make you sick.

Cut a couple hunks off the loaf of bread and slice each bit in half. Lay the bottom of each slice on the baking sheet. Line with slices of brie. Top with sliced pears, then more brie. Sprinkle with walnuts. Top the whole thing with the other half of the bread.

Stick it all in the oven for about ten minutes, or until the cheese is melty and the bread is brown.

Enjoy hot from the oven like the fabulous bitch you are. Money.

Also, let it be known that if I suffer any trauma to my surgery wounds from this, it was totally worth it.

*(Ignores the fact that she already had the walnuts and the pears and that the brie and bread were on sale.)

So I’m looking through my kitchen, knowing that I have to be at work at 7:00 AM tomorrow and therefore have to get to bed early, but wanting to eat something that doesn’t come wrapped in cellophane. I see some avocados on my counter top. That’s the ticket! I love avocados!

I pick one up. Kinda squishy. Probably not good for slicing onto sandwiches. Guacamole’s great, but I have no corn chips, and I’m out of tortillas. And anyway, I was kind of hoping for something a little… less healthy.

Hrm…, I say, holding one of the avocados level with my face and thinking out loud. Hrm… Self, what can I do to make this extremely delicious, obscenely nutritious piece of fruit horribly unhealthy?

Oooh! Oooh! I answer, I know! Put cheese and bacon on it!

I like the way you think, I think.

You’ll need:
-A couple of ripe avocados
-Bacon, meat or compressed vegetable byproduct. Whatever.
-Cheese. I used cheddar and mozzarella.

First, cut each avocado in half lengthwise.

No, I take that back. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Second, cut each avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from each and discard it. The pit, I mean, not the avocado. If you jumped the gun and threw away the avocado, pull it out of the garbage, brush it off, use it anyway, and serve it to someone else. If you’re eating alone, I guess you’ll have to make a decision about your own culinary limits, but let’s not waste anymore of my time on that.

Scoop the avocado meat into a bowl and mash it with a fork. If you’re a vegetarian, scoop the avocado’s bright green stuff that it won’t miss at all into a bowl and mash it with a fork. Keep on mashing until most of the big chunks of avocado are gone.

Put the empty avocado skins on a foil-lined baking pan. You don’t have to line yours with foil, I guess. I do because my baking sheet was given to me by my brother and has some mysterious, unscrubbable stains on it. If yours are sufficiently clean, go ahead and skip the foil (though it does make clean-up a little easier in the end).

Now that we’ve spent some time communing with nature (and aluminum foil), it’s time to break out the bacon. Unless you’re using the fake stuff, in which case I guess you are still communing with nature, if nature routinely compresses vegetable matter into strips, dyes it pink, boxes it up and puts it next to the Boca Burgers in aisle 12. Anyway, if you’re using the real stuff and will be cooking it in a pan (which should be ready to go on medium heat), dice it up before you cook it. If you’ll be cooking the real stuff in a microwave, or if you’ll be using the fake stuff, it’s probably best to dice it after it’s cooked. I don’t have a microwave, though, and I used real bacon, so I cut it up and threw it in the pan to fry for about a minute and a half.

When the bacon’s cooked, put it between a few sheets of paper towels. Announce to the spoons that you suspect the bacon of witchcraft and have sentenced it to trial by ordeal. Then press down on it to get all the grease and devil worship out. If you feel motivated, make up some stuff that sounds kind of Biblical and say it through clenched teeth. If you’ve got a friend over, have them wield a pitchfork. When it’s sufficiently pure of spirit and free of grease, sprinkle the bacon bits in the bowl of mashed avocado. (This is also known as the Giles Corey method, and, yes, I will be trademarking the phrase, so suck my left big toe, Rachel Ray. Couldn’t trademark “E.V.O.O.”, could you, bitch?)

Place a grater over the bowl of bacon and avocado and shred some cheese on top of it. I used cheddar and the leftover mozzarella from my gnocchi recipe.

Mix everything together and then spoon the mixture into the empty avocado shells. I take that back. Use a spoon to place the mixture back into the empty avocado shells. If I didn’t make myself clear, one of you would have complained about how hard it is to get mashed avocado out of your junk, and then I would have laughed until I threw up, which would have spoiled my dinner.

Put the avocados into the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top of the mound in the middle is just barely brown and a little crunchy. Remove from oven, put on a plate and enjoy the taste of rich warm avocado mingled with the artery-clogging goodness of bacon.

And because there’s nothing more American than taking something reasonably healthy and adding bacon to it, if this recipe didn’t make you dissolve into a heap of patriotic tears, you are no friend of mine, Frenchie.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go eat my dinner before things start getting hypoglycemic up in here.

The production of canned green asparagus has begun to revert to its seasonal slowdown for the summer months of January and February in Peru, as crop yields sharply decrease due to the spike in temperatures. This follows very good harvests, and high production levels in November and December. Overall, there have been no unexpected results from the recent harvesting. Price levels have remained stable, as most factories are committed for deliveries through the end of 2009. It is anticipated that canners will be looking for higher priced contracts for the finished goods for shipment throughout 2010. This is a result of their razor thin margins on existing contracts, and the weak financial status of the canned asparagus industry in Peru as a whole.

McLane Global recommends that customers continue to take advantage of the very attractive pricing still available for canned green asparagus. Demand in the USA has been on the rise, and is expected to continue during the winter months. Canned asparagus remains one of the least expensive items in the canned vegetable category.

FRUITS

As previously reported, the unsold stocks of all tin sizes of canned peaches have dwindled sharply due to an unexpected shortfall in overall production of canned peaches in China. Most canners have already sold out of foodservice sliced peaches, with U.S. importers expected to receive their final deliveries in January of 2010. In the same vein, the overall availability of retail sized tins has been dramatically reduced.

The packing of canned pears has been continuing at both optimal levels and pricing. Yields from the last crop were more than adequate and production of finished goods is on-going from the fruit held in cold storage. The canning of fruit cocktail is also ongoing. However, as peaches are an important ingredient of this item, certain canners have been forced to announce increases in their offers for the final product.

McLane Global recommends that customers react quickly in covering all of their fruit requirements through to next summer’s new canning season.

MANDARIN ORANGES

The new packing season which commenced at the end of October, and generally runs through mid January has been severely adversely affected in regard to overall tonnage of fresh fruit. It is now a certainty that the total of product processed for canning will be significantly curtailed, and shortages in supply are expected, particularly for fancy grade product. In Zhejiang Province, there is a 50-60% reduction in fruit, while the areas of Hubei and Hunan are seeing a reduction of 40-50%. In addition, the sizing of the fruit being harvested is 60% Large to Extra Large segments, which is not suitable for packing 11 oz. tins, the most important tin size in the USA market. This is putting considerable upward price pressure for raw material for small to medium sized segments, Additionally, sugar prices, used in the production of the syrup is costing producers 50% more than last year.

McLane Global strongly advises that retail customers react to this very serious set of market conditions, and cover all their requirements for 2010, as soon as possible. We feel that although not as pressing as issue on foodservice sizes, an early end to the production season can cut short any the normal stockpiling which canners might have anticipated. At this point in time, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that all sectors of the market would be well advised to cover their needs on a timely basis.

MUSHROOMS

In a situation very analogous to that of mandarin oranges, this season’s new harvest of mushrooms has been likewise negatively impacted. The most important growing region of Fujian is experiencing a decrease in total harvesting of raw mushrooms in the area of 35-40%.  Other significant growing regions of Shandong and Sichuan are seeing their crops reduced by 55-60% against last year’s totals. Another significant factor in determining overall availability is the fact that there has been a sharp reduction in the number of Chinese firms exporting to the USA.

McLane Global is urging customers to take decisive action in covering all requirements through the first half of 2010. Canners are very reluctant to make either large or long term commitments due their pessimism in the supply situation, and their expectation that a currency revaluation against the U.S. dollar is in the offing.

OLIVES AND OLIVE OIL

The harvesting of olives for both oil and table olives is continuing in Spain, Although there are no significant problems in the crop, the total tonnage will be somewhat lower than last year. Of particular note in this regard, is the smaller harvest of large sized olives, especially the Queen variety. The other major factor adversely affecting landed prices is the continuing weakness of the U.S. dollar versus the Euro. The pricing paid to the farmers is, naturally, paid in Euros, and the Spanish packers have now converted all offers to U.S. importers to this currency. Although the harvesting is expected to continue into December, the major cost components have already been established.

McLane Global recommends that customers place their requirements in an orderly fashion, as needed. No significant spike on the FOB pricing is anticipated. The major question mark in the landed cost equation will be the possible fluctuation of the U.S. Dollar versus the Euro.

PINEAPPLE

Production of the winter crop commenced in October in Thailand and the fruit supply has gradually been increasing. The peak of the harvest is expected around the end of December which is later than normal. The current field price to the farmers is running between 4.30 to 4.50 Thai Baht per kilo, which is quite low. This is due to the weak demand which canners have experienced as yet from European buyers. However, the price of empty tins was increased by 7% in the fourth quarter of this year, and a second round of price increases for tinplate has been announced for the second quarter of 2010. The Thai government has now intervened in the market, and forced the packers to hold the raw fruit price paid to the farmer, at no lower than 4 Baht per kilo. The winter harvest is expected to be in line with previous years but the summer crop next year is expected to be seriously short due to the lack of rainfall in the growing regions of southern Thailand.

McLane Global recommends that customers begin to look at their needs through the spring of 2010 when demand normally increases. In addition, it is expected that European buyers will begin to move the canned market higher once their stocks ultimately need to be replenished.

It may seem odd, but I’ll eat an Avocado for lunch. While cutting one open today, it occurred to me that they’re actually a confusing kind of fruit. You can’t eat the skin… you can’t peel them… what do you do with them?! Here’s some simple steps for opening an avocado. (This one is a little under-ripe. When they’re ripe, they’ll give a little when you squeeze them (but if they’re soft and squishy, they’re probably over-ripe.)

1. Run a knife around the avocado, cutting through the skin and flesh, and just touching the pit. Make sure the knife goes through the place that the stem originally was.

2. Twist the two halves in opposite directions. They’ll separate.

3. To remove the pit, slice a knife into it. Press down hard on the knife to make sure it’s lodged in. Then twist the knife parallel to the flat surface. The pit will pop right out.

4. To make slices of the avocado, run a knife down each half at whatever thickness you want. You can do this while holding the avocado, but make sure the knife doesn’t go through the skin. If you’re afraid of cutting yourself, do this on a counter. Then take a large spoon and go around the edges. The slices will fall out perfectly.

If you want cubes, you can just run a knife in the opposite direction before you use the spoon. Basically, with an avocado, you can do all the cutting before taking out the flesh.

I’ll eat each half with a spoon and a little oil and vinegar. The hole where the pit once was is a perfect place to put some salad dressing.

You can use the slices in a salad. This salad has olives, toasted almonds, spinach, tomatoes, chèvre cheese (a soft goat cheese), and a little balsamic vinegar. And of course, avocado.

Decemberists – Crane Wife 3

I honestly don’t know what to say about this song. It opens The Decemberists’s album, The Crane Wife with a mix of bittersweetness and determination. Yes, I, too, think it’s odd that you’d open an album with a song that is in a series of 1, 2 and 3, but it’s such a lovely introduction to the album that I wouldn’t have it any other way. The album opens in the middle of the story and eventually makes its way back to the beginning.

In recent news, The Decemberists will be releasing their multimedia project next week! Here Come the Waves will feature pieces of the band’s album The Hazards of Love accompanied by animated shorts created specially for the occasion by filmmakers Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka and Santa Maria. I just learned that there will be a screening in Boston! Oh, goodie!!

Don't know what to do with all these lemons!

Two summers ago, the folks at The Natural Gardener recommended that I try a potted Meyer Lemon Tree on my porch.  It gets a lot of indirect light and then a blast of late afternoon sun.  I have friends who have attempted the potted lemon experiment to no avail so I had low expectations.  Knowing that it needed lots of TLC, I covered it up last winter for every near-freeze and meticulously watered it during the worst drought of the last 50 years, and then fed it fish emulsion every month.  Low and behold, I got blossoms in spring that smelled amazing!  Then they were tiny lime-looking fruits for months and months, and then this November, they actually started turning yellow.

Meyer Lemons

I attribute all of it to the fish emulsion. I could visibly tell a difference every time I fertilized it–leaves would deepen their green and new leaves would sprout.  I’m sure that the other efforts helped a little, but that fish emulsion is magic.  (even if it is the stinkiest stuff I’ve ever smelled despite the label claiming it’s deodorized).

My toddler was ecstatic when they turned yellow and immediately announced “Let’s make wemo-wade!”  It’s a little difficult to explain to a two-year old that Meyer lemons are more floral and less lemon-y than your run of the mill lemonade lemon.  Since he was my primary plant water-er all summer, I had to let him enjoy the fruits of his labor.  Alas, the excitement of pouring a few squeezes of juice, sugar, and water into a glass and gulping it down more than disguised the fact that it didn’t taste like Country Time.   He has now taken to snatching them off the tree and asking for lemonade at the most inconvenient times.

I’m going to need to come up with something to do with all these beautiful lemons before they go bad.  They are gorgeous as a table decorations but I feel even more obligated to serve them up when I see the price for them in the grocery store!

Meyer Lemon and Saffron in bouillabaisse

The Meyer Lemon skin has very little pith so it's good for zesting.

Cette recette a été choisie parce que nous cherchions un cocktail à base d’ananas !  Nous aurions du utiliser un rhum ambré jamaïcain mais nous n’avions en réserve que du rhum Barcardi ( un cubain) c’est ce qui explique la différence de couleur à la fin !

J’ai trouvé la recette de ce cocktail dans “le livre le petit larousse des cocktails”.

Le jus d’ananas était un Pago qui à la très bonne habitude de donner une mousse très onctueuse.

Voici la recette de ce cocktail au rhum:

• 5 cl de rhum Bacardi et non rhum ambré comme préconisé dans la recette.

• 11 cl de jus d’ananas Pago

• 2 cl de citron vert

• 4 gouttes d’Angustura bitter

• 5 cubes de glace

Au final et avec quelques petits arrangements (le rhum blanc !) cette recette de cocktail est plustôt très bonne. La mousse bien agitée, prend le gout du cocktail. Le petit gout d’Angustura revient bien tranquille après le citron vert …. c’est un très bon cocktail facile à réaliser, avec le rhum approprié il aura une superbe couleur..

On réessaiera avec du rhum ambré….

Okay, so we’ve talked about intuition for the big things…and intuition for the hard things…let’s talk about intuition for the small things…

This is the most exciting intuition for me, some days, because it is an immediate validation of my mad gifts.

And also… because it makes life that extra 10% better.

So, intuition for small things…like picking the best fruit or picking the best thing to eat on a menu (notice all this food stuff), or finding parking…

You are going to use the same technique we’ve used all month:  Take a deep breath, ask the question, feel for an answer.  But you’re going to do it over and over again in a short window of time.

Produce Department Pickings

Let’s start with the celery. Close your eyes and run your hands over the celery, lightly.   When I feel the right celery, it sounds like I hear a little “ding” in my head. But it’s subtle. Just a little “Pick me!”

When you feel it or sense it, put that in your cart.

If you’re not sure where to start in the produce section, close your eyes and ask, “What should I pick?”  Something will spring to mind.

Is it weird that we’re in the produce section, closing our eyes and running our hands over the produce?

Yes.

And it’s awesome.  It’s all kinds of awesome.  If anybody looks sideways at you, you just say “I’m absorbing the nutrients with my mind rays.”

That will shut them right up. And make them move away from you. Hey look! More room to do your shopping. Sweet.

The Inevitable Mind Bump

You might get overly excited. Or upset. Or you might not feel like you’re getting a answer. You might freak out! You might find yourself holding a jicama and wondering, “What is this thing?”

Take another deep breath. And then remember that you are picking vegetables and no one is going to die if you pick the wrong one.

Then trust yourself. Be light with yourself.

Go about your grocery trip (you can also do this with flowers, cheese, whatever. Processed foods, not so much).

Then when you go home and cook up your food, see if it’s not just that little bit better.  Or even a lot better.

At a Restaurant-

Run your index finger over the menu, and see if you sense a ‘ding’. Or you may hear a voice say, “Get the Panini”.  If so, get the panini!

If you hear a voice say, “Get the panini and share it with Bridget,”  I’m sitting behind you.

Parking

If you are looking for parking, listen for a voice saying “Go Right”. or “Go Left”.  Or whisper, “I need Parking.”  Don’t be frantic. Just be light.  The parking will be there.

You can get really good at this if you practice.

Remember to Validate

When you pull into the awesome parking spot, say, “Thank you!” and then say “Good Job” to yourself for intuiting the perfect spot.

When you eat the tasty food you’ve intuitively picked say, “Thank you!” and then of course, think, “I’m so awesome” about yourself.  or “I’m down with my mad intuitive skills” or whatever the cool kids are saying these days.

Maybe instead of Validate, we start saying “Gratidate”- an amalgam of gratitude and validate.

Woot! Yay! You are getting Good at This!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

And that, my friends, is the end of Na-No-Intuit-Mo… Tomorrow we enter the month of Dark and Light.  We go Esoteric. And we tell jokes.  We touch the scary spots.  And Drink some cocoa.

And on Dec. 5th! We have a divine download! Woot! Join Us! $10 to change your attitude on Abundance!

Yummy              Fresh               Tasty           

It’s our favorite vegtable soup: Green beans, parsnips, rutabago, celery, onions, beef soup bones, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, pepper, beef broth or vegtable broth.  

Enjoy the fruit too, oh so very gooooood.  Tamarillo : Food of the Incas.                                      

Avoiding gluten, the protein found in wheat as well as grains rye and barley can be a challenge, but there’s no need to wave goodbye to your favorite foods.  If you suffer from gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, you can build your diet from vegetables, rice, corn, legumes, fruit and other tasty gluten-free foods.

Vegetables, Fruits, Seeds and Nuts

All fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts are gluten-free.  Be aware of packaged, processed vegetables and fruits such as jellies, preserves, soups, nut butters and processed, pre-made meals, which may contain gluten.  You can easily prepare homemade soups, salsa, smoothies, dressings, marinades, parfaits, casseroles, salads, chutneys and nut or seed butters using fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts in their natural state.  Green, leafy veggies such as kale, collards, chard and spinach are great options steamed as a side dish or tossed into a green smoothie.  Hearty veggies such as carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, squashes, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower and legumes are perfect for making chili or stew, while artichokes, avocado, asparagus, celery, Brussels sprouts, corn, peas and peppers are tasty in a stir-fry or stuffing.  As for fruits: apples, oranges, grapefruit, berries, melons, bananas, pears and peaches are a flavorsome addition to smoothies, desserts or parfaits with yogurt and nuts.  Try freezing grapes for a satisfying, refreshing treat and create a homemade trail mix using nuts, seeds and dried fruit for a convenient snack.  Looking for flavor? Fresh herbs add a powerful aroma and zesty taste to any dish; toss rosemary into marinades or cilantro into gazpacho.

Dairy, Eggs, Meat

Eggs and meats are gluten-free, however, be sure to read the ingredient list for processed meats such as luncheon meats, breaded variations and sausage, which may contain traces of gluten.  Dairy is gluten-free, as well, however processed dairy such as ice creams, yogurts and butters may contain gluten.  Enjoy any of the following in their natural state: chicken, beef, bison, ham, turkey, eggs, seafood, lamb, fish and wild game.

Flours and Grains

All forms of wheat, barley and rye contain gluten; however, there is a vast array of naturally gluten-free flours available, which are created from beans, seeds or nuts.  Oats are naturally gluten-free, however, cross-contamination may occur during processing, therefore purchase oats with the certified gluten-free label.  The following gluten-free flours and grains can be enjoyed guilt-free: rice, buckwheat, teff, corn flour, corn meal, lentils, flax seed, potato, polenta, millet, soy flour, tapioca, quinoa, amaranth, almond meal, arrowroot and gluten-free flour blends.  These gluten-free options require easy prep and can be used to create a hot breakfast, casserole, stir-fry or dessert.  If you have trouble adjusting to gluten-free varieties, try adding fruit puree such as canned pumpkin or prune to moisten and add flavor.

As a rule of thumb, steer clear of processed foods and reach for foods as close to the original source as possible.  Using fresh ingredients rather than pre-made, processed options is a safe way to ensure a gluten-free lifestyle.  Your best bet is to prepare meals at home so you have control over the ingredients and ensure there is no cross-contamination with gluten.

Regarding my $25 Give Certificate, the nice folks over at Open Sky are offering a limited time $25 Gift Certificate Promotion…so head on over to Open Sky and check out my fabulous products to use your $25 free gift certificate.   Here’s the information you’ll need to get shoppin’ at Open Sky and receive your $25 certificate:

The Healthy Apple’s coupon code is: talli2509

Rules:
-          $25 off coupon
-          Good for any OpenSky item
-          No minimum purchase
-          Free shipping
-          Limit one per customer
-          Starts: Monday, November 30, 2009

I had some kiwi in the morning. Lately, I practically eat one every day! I just love its sweet and sour mixed taste. Also, it’s good for a day’s start:)