dinner
beet risotto with smoked trout,
i loooove making risotto even though by the end my arm always feels like it's about to fall off!
breakfast
whole wheat pancakes with homemade granola,maple yogurt & banana on top
i got these boots for a crazy steal
they remind me of the huge over-the-top winter boots i had as a kid, like snowshoe boots
one of many projects perpetually in progress
i was intending this to be a rug for a present, but when i hold it up it seems like it more wants to be clothing (the back of a dress)-- things become what they want to become!
our mantle is getting over run with things i find
waiting for permanent place.
recipes, loosely:
for risotto (an amalgamation of various recipes):
peel 2-3 big beets and cut into small cubes.
dice an onion.
cook the onion and beets in oil for about 10 minutes.
meanwhile, heat 4 to 5 cups of chicken stock and keep on low on another burner (i heat a carton of pacific brand free-range chicken stock to start, sometimes heating more or sometimes just adding a little hot water if the risotto still needs liquid).
stir about 1/4 cup of dry white wine into the beets and onions, as well as some salt and pepper. stir until absorbed.
when the onion and beets are softened, add a cup of arborio rice and stir for a minute, then add a cup of the hot stock. STIR STIR STIR! constantly, stir.
when the first cup is absorbed into the rice, add more stock in 1/4 cup amounts, stirring endlessly until the liquid is gone and you're left with not-overcooked rice in a pretty creamy broth. at various points in the process, taste to see how the rice and beets are coming along in terms of cooking and taste, and add more wine/salt/pepper accordingly.
stir in fresh chopped parsley and grated parmesan.
top with whatever else you feel like, or nothing (it's delicious as is).
we make this amount for 2 of us, and always always have leftovers for dinner the next night.
pancakes:
sift together--
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 TBL sugar
2 tsp baking powder
then add
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
then
melt about 1/8 cup butter and mix it into the batter.
cook,
top pancakes with whole milk yogurt and granola, i make mine, basically like this:
preheat oven to 350F.
pour few huge glugs of maple syrup into a big bowl
whisk in 2 egg whites (after maaaany granola trials, this came about by accident, i had leftover egg white after needing yolks for tapioca pudding and threw it into my granola on a whim)
as well as a shake of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, about 1/8 cup water or apple juice and about a tsp of vanilla extract
pour oats into the mixture and stir, adding (regular rolled, not quick cooking) oats, oats and more oats until everything is coated and there is no liquid sitting at the bottom of the bowl. add a couple handfuls of slivered almonds to the mix and stir.
spread the uncooked granola (pretty evenly, not too thin or thick a layer, and make sure there aren't many lonely oat bits at the edges, they'll burn) onto greased (i use coconut oil to grease) cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes, checking every now and then (but try not to open the door). turn of the oven, but leave the granola in with the door closed until both the oven and the granola have completely cooled (i often make granola at 11 or midnight, shutting of the oven before i go upstairs and letting the granola cool inside the oven overnight).
add any dried fruits once the granola has cooled and formed clusters.
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listening to:
love -- forever changes
OF COMMODITY AND OF DREAMS
