aileen, January 29th, 2010
aileen, January 24th, 2010
 
If you are looking for a good way to get outside during these long winter months, I would highly recommend snowshoeing, a sport whose glories I was just introduced to this weekend. I am more of a snowboarder when it comes to winter sports and the thought of trudging through the snow on over-sized metal shoes didn’t thrill me at first but I decided to give it a whirl anyways (mostly as an excuse to not have to run around Greenlake instead). I dragged myself out of bed at 6:20 on a Saturday morning (a miracle in and of itself…) and we made it to the trail head by 9:30. After spending some time fiddling with the snow shoes and figuring out how they work (I am still convinced I was wearing two right foot snow shoes) we headed out into the fresh snow. Imagine all the joys of hiking in a winter wonderland minus the sinking thigh-high into snow then floundering to get out again with every step. Instead you trot right across the surface and bravely forge up mountainsides all thanks to the snow shoes.
One of the most important parts of snow shoeing is picking a good trail. The MOST important part is bringing a good trail mix. But of course everyone knows that. We took on Skyline Lake trail up at Stevens pass and the views were well worth the initial uphill climb. But I understand that not everyone is blessed enough to live here in God’s country (that’s Washington state, by the way) so check out trails.com to find somewhere near you. Happy hiking!
aileen, November 19th, 2009
One of the many, small things that I have missed about Moscow is Bucer’s cuban style espresso. I miss all of it: I miss making it, and smelling it, and tasting it, and watching others do the same. I graduated in May, but even now I’m starting to forget many of my favorite little things (which helps me understand why Maria from “The Sound of Music” had to write a song just to remember her favorite things). I was, however, pleasantly reminded of this caffeinated comfort on Sunday when I discovered that a local coffee shop called, “El Diablo” (which is an ancient Spanish idiom for, “the fun-loving, coffee-making devil of the Northwest”) made cuban style espresso. The baristo making our drinks not only knew how to pull a shot, but he also specialized in milky, foamy, latte magic. Here are some pictures of his work.
 Look carefully to see if you can tell what the upper left one is... very clever.
 If you’ve ever wondered how to make cuban espresso, here’s a little how to, just for you, from me to you. The key to cuban espresso is full caramelization of the sugar. I’ve always said that a little bit of sugar in the right place, at the right time can make all the difference in the world, and it does. Put some sugar in the glass which the shot will first pour into. The first part of the shot that comes out of the filter is also the hottest part, but it will cool down very quickly. It is dark, and less foamy than the crema that comes out later, and this is the stuff that can be hot enough to caramelize the sugar. I say “can” because not all machines are hot enough. It’s worth a try on your home espresso maker though because it just might work, and if it doesn’t, then you’ll probably need a lot of sugar in that coffee anyways.
Good coffee is sort of like poetry, you may not like it at first but it grows on you each time you partake. With that in mind, here is a poem I discovered when I lived in Moscow:
Behind the Coffeehouse Counter
You stop seeing people after a while,
and everyone becomes a fragment,
or an enlarged detail obscuring
everything else about them.
She likes her coffee sweet because
nothing about her last divorce was.
He loves mocha frappacinos
but pretends they are for his pregnant wife.
She is a groggy shot in the dark every morning,
but blossoms into a latte with a milky flower for the afternoon.
He is a foaming pint of Guinness,
who tells me he would taste better in Ireland.
In the evening the pipe comes in with his books,
hoping to puff his way from freshman to Inkling.
He is the silhouette in the clouds of Black Cavendish,
studying only his books, and not the women.
My leggy, blue-eyed Americano sits at her table,
and I forget about pubs and coffeehouses.
She sips from her small paper cup as she turns the pages
of books about beakers and Bunsen burners.
These walls are home to a brewery of happiness.
It is a place where man does not live by bread alone,
But by every granule of every bean
Roasted for his happiness.
aileen, October 8th, 2009
A lovely lady I work with was nice enough to give me this Filipino recipe using a bean I had never run across before, mung beans. Apparently they are a great source of protein and eating them with rice provides all the essential amino acids, for those of you who care about that sort of thing. Finding these elusive little beans required an adventure to Uwajimaya, the Asian market in the International District, where I also was inspired to make fresh spring rolls as a side. This was a verbally relayed recipe (I had to ask her to repeat it to me about 5 times before I remembered it, and she patiently did) and so the amounts of ingredients are very much up to your imagination and tastes. But definitely be generous with the garlic and ginger.
- About a cup of Mung Beans, soaked in a bowl of water for 8 or so hours
- 3/4 cup brown rice
- Garlic (lots), roughly chopped
- Olive oil
- one large onion
- About a pound of prawns (or pork, but who wants pork instead of prawns?)
- Generous portion fresh ginger root
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh spinach
Boil the beans for about 20 min til tender. Cook the rice (per instruction, I always wing it with rice and generally get it somewhere close to right). Set aside. In a large pan heat the olive oil til the garlic sizzles when you put it in. brown the garlic lightly then throw in the onions and cook lightly, keeping the pan nice and hot. Throw in the prawns/pork and fry quickly at high heat until cooked through. While the protein is cooking, put in a lot of fresh grated ginger, salt and pepper. Throw in the cooked mung beans and rice and add a little water or chicken broth if it looks a little dry. Right before you are ready to eat throw in the spinach and let it cook just a little bit before serving. Serve alongside fresh spring rolls with a plum sauce and sweet chile sauce.
Oh, and for anyone who knows the answer to the title of this post, please let me know. It really doesn’t make sense.
aileen, September 24th, 2009
I have had this necklace for a couple years now but I never tire of it! It is one of my best antique store finds, discovered at one of the little shops in Union Town, WA.
I almost didn’t buy these boots when I was out on a recent shopping trip… I’m so glad I did now! The low heel makes them very useful and the width of the ankle and calf area make them easy to tuck a slim pair of jeans into without looking bulky.
Its bright colors really drew me to this scarf when I was perusing the streets of Paris this last May. I saw these square, tassel-fringed scarves on most European necks when I was there so I figured it would be a good piece to pick up.
My wish list for this fall include some brightly colored scarves, like the one below, and cardigans to brighten up the rainy months. Something else I have been bizarrely attracted to lately is jeans with low-set back pockets. I don’t really understand this fascination, and maybe once I buy a pair I will be disenchanted but right now I really like the look.
aileen, August 21st, 2009
One of my all time favorite go-to meals is piece of salmon simply done and combined with summery side dishes. Just drizzle the salmon with olive oil, a generous bit of crushed garlic, ground sea salt and pepper and some fresh finely chopped dil. You can either throw it on the grill, or just in the oven (I recommend using aluminum foil for ease of clean-up) at about 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Served with rice and a cucumber or green salad this is a delicious and beautiful meal that can be made in under an hour!
aileen, August 13th, 2009
 Yvette the adventurer  Almost ready... blackberry picking is on the list for later this week!  Going under Montlake bridge is kind of a bizarre experience, you can see the underside of all the cars overhead!
Going from Moscow ID to Seattle was like being brought from a desert wasteland to a lush rainforest in terms of entertaining diversions. In Moscow, if you wanted to ‘do something’ it meant you were going to go to one of the movie theaters, the one in Moscow or, if you were feeling a little adventurous, you went all the way to Pullman. In Seattle, for the price of a movie ticket you can do any variety of things and one of my latest adventures was to Agua Verde, a great little paddle club and Mexican restaurant near the U district. It’s a low-key little place on Boat Street and for an hourly fee you can rent a kayak, double or single and paddle around Lake Union, Lake Washington or a couple out of the way spots nearby. I had had Agua Verde on my list for a while so this Monday, despite the drizzle, my boyfriend Jason (who had shown up for a surprise visit that morning!), my friend and partner on many of my Seattle adventures, Yvette and I headed down and rented some kayaks. They came complete with “skirts” to keep any rogue waves out of the kayak and undersized little vests that sort of swallow you if you don’t keep your eye on them. Safety first. We hit the open lake and opted for the arboretum tour, a great choice I must say. And all that paddling around definitely works up your appetite for some great Mexican food and a margarita… I recommend the mahi-mahi fish tacos!
http://www.aguaverde.com/
 I recently discovered Macrina, a great little bakery and cafe up on Queen Anne. Running past it at 6am I would peer into the window at the bakers hard at work, the smell of fresh baked citrus oatmeal scones, challah bread, and lemon lavender coffee cake drifting from the doorway. Now that I know about it, and it is conveniently placed on the route I already take for running or walking I can drop by for a great breakfast and cup of espresso. The rocket muffin, a dark molasses-y bran muffin with fresh raspberry jam spilling out of the top, is definitely at the top of my list but I try to branch out and try different delectables and I haven’t been disappointed yet. With nice touches like funky artwork by local artists, and the fact that baked goods are made on site, Macrina has a small and personal feel that you don’t usually get from a chain bakery. If you are looking for creative new twists on scones, muffins and coffee cakes and can’t make it to one of Macrina’s locations you can make them the comfort of your own home with the aid of the Macrina Cookbook. Enjoy!  
 Caitlin and Frejya getting their morning excercise  Our amazing breakfast! 
My (ever-changing) work schedule has now landed me with all my mornings free and I’ve found it’s actually pretty amazing what you can get done in a morning if you get up early. Just the other morning Cait and I got up at the crack of dawn (ok, it was 8am) and scooted right out the door to Discovery Park, over in Magnolia. Being the domestic goddess she is, Caitlin had prepared some amazing whole wheat muffins and we packed those along with homemade strawberry jam, butter, honey and, of course, coffee!
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Learning to take a good jumper shot
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takes a few tries
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but once you’ve got the hang of it
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you can pretty much take jumpers anywhere
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we were constantly scouting out things to leap off of
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no matter where we went
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sometimes you would get some pretty funny looks from other tourists
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but i think most of them were jealous of our creativity…
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Double jumpers! For the very ambitious professionals only!
Food is something that’s almost always on our minds (ok, mine at least) and for a good reason. It keeps us alive. But our generation has also seen a lot of heated debates and battles over food and the way it’s produced: organic versus industrial versus local versus sustainable and the list goes on and on. It all ends in the grocery store (or Co-op, of course) and your hand reaching for the $10 jar of organic peanut butter or… the $3 jar of Jiffy.
I don’t even pretend to be anything of an expert on this subject but I ran across a New York Times article by James McWilliams the other day that piqued my interest. It tackles the subject of health benefits of free-range pig farming versus industrially raised pigs and was prompted by a recent study done by the National Pork Board, published in Foodborne Pathogens journal. The study looked at 600 pigs and compared rates of disease-causing agents such as Salmonella, a bacteria, and two parasites, toxoplasma and trichinella, and it showed higher rates of all three in free-range pigs. Most disturbing is the presence of the trichinella, a nasty, often deadly parasite that is not found in any industrially raised pigs. In fact, the pork industry was so sure that this parasite was history that it suggested that eating your pork a little pink would not be harmful. But with trichinella on the loose again doing that could be deadly. This new information is bound to make you wonder whether the free-range option is actually a healthier option. It brings us back to the realization that the tightly regulated diets and medicinal applications that the typical pig goes through before slaughter was all implemented for a reason in the first place, even if these practices have been taken to extremes.
What we’re left with it this: industrially raised hogs are exposed to a barrage of antibiotics and live undeniably pretty miserable lives; free-range hogs may harbor deadly parasites and bacteria. But these killers can all be eliminated by thorough cooking of meat, and the potential health benefits of eating meat raised more naturally (not to mention the superior flavor of the meat) seem to outweigh the risk of food poisoning, a risk that exists with all meat.
So why don’t we all move to the free-range option? Poking around a little more I found out some other surprising facts: pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world and is a $48.5 billion industry. This means that a large chunk of the world, including many developing countries, depends on the production of pork as a major source of protein. This brings us to the other issue with free-range pork production: cost. While the average cut of industrially raised pork clocks in at about $2.90 per pound, you will be shelling out $12 on average for the same amount of free-range pork. I cannot think of many people in America who would be willing to spend more that four times what they need to for a cut of meat, and this sort of cost is just not manageable in many other countries.
So if the issue was simply health and meat flavor, I and probably most other Americans would lean towards the free-range option. But if you add in the cost aspect, and ask that pesky question that we all hate to have to ask: “how would this effect people other than me“…. then the answer to whether or not we should raise only free-range pork is not so easily answered. For now, I think the best option is to have both alternatives on the shelf and let the individual consumer decide for himself in peace.
Me: “boy, I shoud really do my taxes.” This was a good two weeks before the day that you absolutely must have your taxes done though, and it was a Friday night, so of course they didn’t get done. Unless you consider going to H&R Block online, signing in, and putting my name and address in as doing taxes. It just wasn’t last minute enough. It didn’t feel right. Besides, I was missing a W-2 and some other piece of paper from last summer.
Fast forward to Tuesday, April 14th at about midnight and you’ll find me sprawled on my living room floor with my laptop and a pile of papers that were totally unrelated to taxes but had been stuffed in a drawer and looked important. Me again: “I’m missing a W-2. And some paper from last summer. I think I should just do this tomorrow. I can do that right? That’d be ok and I wouldn’t get in trouble for doing it tomorrow, right?” My boyfriend just shook his head. “I think you really should do it tonight.” He had already finished his weeks ago. Ok, ok. Me to my roomate: “I think I can claim you as a dependent. We live together and sometimes I make dinner. Man, I’m tired and I’m missing that paper from last summer and a W-2 so I’ll finish this tomorrow. I promise. What do you have to do to get an extension, anyways?”
April 15th at about 3PM I’m sitting in my car in front of our apartment with my laptop. We didn’t want to pay for wireless so we snoop it from neighbors and for some reason this is the best place to get it. I had found the W-2 and the mystery paper from last summer, which turned out to be a 1099-MISC, whatever that is, and was working away busily. I just couldn’t find a home for the numbers in the 1099. I called a friend, made some things up, hunted down my 2007 AGI (who actually keeps tax information from the previous year, anyways?), and E-filed my taxes right on time.
I wasn’t really surprised when both my federal and state tax returns were rejected the next day. How long do I have before I have to fix that, anyways?
 Pleasant little Moscow surprise yesterday morning! “I’m cold.”
I can’t begin to count the number of times these words pass from my lips every single day. Not only does it seem like I was born with a broken internal thermometer, I also made the great decision to move to Moscow, ID, where it has snowed every month except for August and the temperature regularly dips below zero in the winter.
I hate being cold so much that I do crazy things to avoid it. I do dishes, even though I hate doing dishes, just so that I can be elbow deep in hot water for a while. I find myself longingly eyeing the “snuggie” a hideous wearable, sleeved fleece blanket. The models on the box look so happy, smiling as they sport their hideous unisex, one-size-fits-all getup everywhere from the comfort of their own homes to sporting events, simply because they are warm. I bake just so that I can have the oven on for an hour or two. I eat dinner perched on top of our archaic heater in the living room.
Actually, that heater is a source of a lot of bitterness for me. It sits in one corner of the room and blows warmish air out into the room so that it settles somewhere around the ceiling of the living room, leaving the rest of the house close to outdoor temperature. And it breaks. After it broke down for the 4th time in one week the maintenance guy came by yet again and found me huddled on the couch swathed in every blanket I own, glaring at the heater. ”You” I told him “are not leaving until you show me how to fix that dang thing myself.” So now every time it goes on the fritz I pull it apart and fix it myself and feel very accomplished and self-sufficient.
Pretty early into winter last year I couldn’t take the frigidity of my bedroom any more and I broke down and went to Wal-mart where, for a mere $15 I bought a little space heater, named it Jack, and got an extension cord to go with it. Jack and I were inseparable, I would get up in the morning and drag him all over the house wherever I went, the extension cord trailing behind us. Sure, my room mates made fun of me, and it was a little inconvenient to have to drag Jack all over the place, but I was warm, and smiling. I felt like one of the models on the snuggie box.
At the beginning of last year I was in the depths of depression touring apartment after depressing apartment, all victims of college kids and their famously bad taste. So I sighed with relief when I found this place and realized I wouldn’t have to live in a place reminiscent of a state penitentiary. My guess is that this converted house was built in the early 1900s and the windows at the front entrance are the lovely original diamond leaded glass. It’s right across from the city park and we get a great view of all four seasons from our picture window in the living room.
I benefit from living with a great artist! Those are some of her oil paintings over the sofa.
The kitchen in our apartment is the part of the house that seems to have retained some of the cool features of an older home – funky cabinets and shelves give the room some character.
Most of my meals are eaten standing in this room…
The apartment is small and has a lot of windows so we actually ran out of wall space to display all our pictures! I worked this up and was pretty pleased with it.
There are quite a few strange spaces like this little nook in the kitchen. Thankfully we are all pretty creative and have found good uses for most of them.
I am not a morning person. No one who has ever interacted with me before about 8AM would even think about disputing this fact. Without fail, whenever my alarm goes off I am bleary eyed, disoriented and usually mumbling something including the words “why me” or “it cannot be that time already.”
But there’s one thing that makes me fight the desire to hit the snooze button, roll over and cocoon myself in my down comforters for just a few more minutes. It makes me get up and face my cold bedroom with a dazed smile because I know that it is waiting faithfully for me in the kitchen. This wonder of humanity that makes a person like me do something like that is… toast. Yes, dry bread. I don’t know what it is about it but as I slide a slice of the wheaty-est whole grain variety down into it’s little warming chamber I can’t help but smile. And when it pops jauntily up, browned to perfection I eat it straight, nothing on it.
The other week I decided it was time to branch out a little and maybe try bread with something else in it. Like raisins. So I searched and found and tweaked the recipe you find below. It’s really a great one, just the right sweetness and really quick and simple. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly do.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups water (120-130 degrees)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oatmeal
- In your mixer, combine 1 1/2 cup bread flour, yeast, cinnamon, and salt.
- Heat water and honey in a saucepan over low heat until it reaches 120-130 degrees.
- Using low speed, slowly add water mixture to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until there are no lumps, about 2-3 minutes.
- With your mixer on low speed, add wheat flour and oatmeal half a cup at a time. Then add remaining bread flour half a cup at a time until dough clears the side of the bowl. Dough will be sticky.
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth (apx 5 minutes, but the longer the better) adding the raisins as you go along. Add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time as necessary.
- Turn into oiled bowl and flip dough so that top of dough is oiled. Cover and let rise until double, approximately 60-90 minutes.
- Turn out dough and roll into a large rectangle, or two if you want two smaller loaves. Drizzle with just a bit of honey and sprinkle with additional cinnamon and raisins. Cover and let rise 60-90 minutes.
- If you like a softer crust, brush tops of loaves with oil.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes. Check bread after 30 minutes and cover with foil if its getting too dark on top. If making two smaller loaves, they may be done sooner.
- Remove bread from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
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