Sunday

Hello. This is Loki.

 

And this is Csonka.

 

They live in my house now. And they are at least partially responsible for all of the nothing going on at this blog for the last few weeks. I mean, they’re freaking adorable. How am I supposed to get anything done?

Really, The Day Job is just as much to blame for eating up quality cooking time. And reading time. And housekeeping and yard clean-up and squash-harvesting time. I’d rather talk about kittens, though.

Loki is all black and rather small. His brother was adopted away from him (we wanted to get both of them) at the local vet clinic, which took some adjustment on his part. We had decided that Loki was a good name for a black cat even before we knew that there were multiple families wanting to adopt his brother (who is just an average-looking striped tabby-type kitten). Since so many people were making a big deal about his brother and ignoring him, Loki was clearly the best name for him. He is a little weird.

 

Csonka is black and white with symmetrical, tuxedo-like markings. He’s big for his age, but is a good big brother to Loki. He only beats him up a little bit, and never at full strength or with claws out. He is mostly sweet and mild, and I was a little surprised that he didn’t get snatched up at the shelter because he was the prettiest, sweetest, mildest load of a kitten there. He was destined to be ours. 

 

Csonka was named Gronk at the shelter, but no New England Patriot is allowed in our house. We went back to a real undefeated team for a big-guy namesake, and so he is now Csonka. (If he continues to grow at his current rate, he will also gain the title Mister, like Harry Dresden's furry beast in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.)

When I’m not trying to keep Csonka from drinking out of the toilet or Loki from climbing up my leg to get at any food-like substance he seems to think I have in my hands, I do cook the occasional meal, including a version of this black bean soup with peppers and tomatoes instead of a jar of salsa, pizzas on the weekend, this Zucchini Cheddar Risotto (there’s still so much zucchini!), and a version of this skillet pasta dish.

When I made up a list of favorite recipes posted in the month of October, I came up, quite accidently, with 31 of them. Since, if my math is correct, that makes one for each day of the month, on Twitter and Facebook, I’m sharing a link to an October “recipe of the day”. I’ll post a page here by tomorrow night with a running list to follow along.

It’s been a while since I really got into a good novel, but I just started Throne of Jade, the second book in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, which is quite good, and easy to read with kittens sleeping in one’s lap.

I’ve also been perusing Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers by Nicole Rucker. This book is wonderful, and I’d love to be baking my way through it.

Autumn is here, and I’ve got to get out to the garden to harvest the buttercup and butternut squash I grew, and clean up the other messes. I can’t wait to cut into those squash and make soup and chili, savory pie, risotto, and salad. I also want to try some new recipes for rosemary cheddar soda bread, jam tart with shortbread crumble, chocolate cookies, apple-zucchini muffins (still!), and apple, pear and pumpkin cakes and pies.

Sitting quietly with a cup of coffee in hand and a kitten in my lap is nice, though, too.

Another post like this one: Saturday Night (from about a year ago)

 

Friday Night

I am particularly enjoying this Friday night. I’m doing almost nothing, but reading, eating graham crackers (leftover from a night of s’mores), and drinking cocoa (yes, even in summer), and that all feels good. It’s a handful of tranquil hours amid some weeks of storminess. And last night’s short sleep disturbed by the mini-explosions of local freedom enthusiasts hasn’t quite claimed its payoff yet.

**I’m spending the evening reading weird and wonderful works, particularly Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison. Novik’s Uprooted is one of the very best books I’ve read in the last year, and on my list of all-time fantasy favorites. So far, I’m enjoying Spinning Silver just as much. The narrative is lyrical and the setting evocative of the kind of magical places I imagined as a kid.

I stumbled upon The Worm Ouroboros at the local library when I went into the sort of back-corner aisle of fiction shelving that houses the authors beginning in “E”. I wandered there while waiting for a library worker to finish shelving in the area I really wanted. (“N” for Novik.) Now that I’ve begun reading this book, I’m wondering if I was mystically drawn there by some kind of spooky library magic or otherworldly sprite. This book, which was published in 1922, is delightfully weird and fantastical. It reads like the deepest ancient folklore spoken by Shakespearean players. I find it slow reading, not ponderous, but detailed, and definitely not boring or tiresome. There’s a chapter titled “The Wrastling for Demonland.” And the chapter lives up to that promise! People, there’s a blurb of praise from J.R.R. Tolkien on the cover. How have I never heard of this book before? Spooky library magic! Anyway, I’m enjoying it so far.

**I wandered out of town yesterday and enjoyed a bit of this

And this (Coconut Almond Fudge in a waffle cone, yes, please.)

 

**I’ve been cooking relatively simple things featuring fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market and a big shipment of heirloom beans I ordered from Rancho Gordo. I like to make a big pot of beans, something like this one, either on the stove or in the slow cooker and serve them poured over rice or other grains and garnished with avocado, cilantro, scallions, or a homemade salsa like this one or this one. I’m the type of person who finds trying different kinds of beans fun, and Rancho Gordo really sells a high-quality product. (They don’t know me nor are they giving me anything to say that.)

**My garden is doing quite well with all the heat and moisture we’ve had. The Sungold cherry tomatoes are promising to be prolific. I am entertaining big dreams of making lots of this pasta dish and this pasta dish and this tart. 

The other tomatoes I’ve planted are producing green fruits, too. I may have been a bit greedy when planting this year. Including the Sungolds, I planted six different varieties of tomato, both slicers and cherry tomatoes. I may be obsessed. There are also thriving cucumber plants and chile peppers, so Gazpacho is coming! I am obsessed and impatient.

Actually, I’m a tiny bit proud of myself for accomplishing as much with my garden as I have so far. The Day Job has eaten my life at an unhealthy level, and, frankly I’m struggling to see the concept of work-life balance as anything but a sick joke. Homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers and summer and winter squashes and lots and lots of herb are something to look to as both a pleasure and an accomplishment.

I’m looking forward to a whole weekend off, a whole two days with the potential for many more pleasurable accomplishments and accomplished pleasures.

Happy summer! 

Friday Night

The last week has been a bone-grinding torture-fest. There was the worst yet in a series of winter storms. There were snowbanks that I couldn’t see over to get out of my driveway. There was air that hurt my face. There were early work mornings and late work nights and long work shifts. There were heavy things to lift. There were deadlines to meet. And there were Balrogs.

I think the only thing that saved me was that I had 2 vacation days this week and I only had to give up a small part of one of them (deadlines!), so I got to spend some time….

Reading…

**Terminal Uprising by Jim C. Hines. This is the second book in the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse series. And I love it! This series is so much fun to read. The story is great, the characters are great, the humor is great. These are among the most entertaining books I’ve read in the last year. If you like science fiction, or humor, or the custodial sciences, you must read Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse!

**The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. Not for everybody, I know, but I enjoy writing fiction, and find this collection of world-building scriptures - from no less than the godfather of fantasy world building - inspirational. (This is where the Balrogs are.) I have listened to the very good audiobook version of The Silmarillion read by Martin Shaw at least twice, but I’ve never read my way through from cover to cover. My husband recommends The Prancing Pony Podcast as a companion work if you really want to delve into The Silmarillion, and I can say that the little bit that I’ve listened to was engaging and fun.

Cooking and baking…

**Pancakes and French Toast. I made two successful hot breakfasts last weekend, including the Fluffy Orange Pancakes I posted, and a rich and delicious make-ahead raspberry French toast. I hope to post that recipe in the next few days.

**Pie crust. I talked a lot about making the crust in my most recent post with a recipe for Spinach and Feta Quiche with Parmesan. I just think it would be really great to get “into” pie making, and I need to get better at making crust. I was inspired by the beautiful book, Sister Pie, by the beautiful Lisa Ludwinski, and went all hands-on. I wish it had been more fun, and I may mess a bit with the food processor, but I truly believe I am one step closer to being a confident pie person. The next few months will tell.

**Risotto. Delicious risotto! Using the same basic formula I posted here and here, I put together a risotto with roasted garlic and black pepper last night. I was planning to make Soup Beans, but failed to make the necessary preparations. We were disappointed, so I really had to come though. This concoction was so delicious, the disappointment has been forgotten! (And I think it cured a cold.) More on this recipe soon.

**Banana Cake. Finally, there was a simple banana cake with multigrain flour and chocolate chips, based on a recipe in Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. I flirted with the idea of frosting it, but, gosh, it was just so munchable, I didn’t want to make the unnecessary extra effort. I’ll get a post together for this cake as soon as I can.

It’s now March, or so I’ve heard, but it looks like it’s going to be a long slog until spring. I hope to continue making pies, maybe even following through with ideas for butterscotch cream pie and Irish coffee cream pie. I have a recipe for some luscious-looking peanut butter bars that I want to try. I’m also missing these energy bars, which I haven’t made in way too long. I guess I have plenty to keep me happily occupied until things get greener again.

I hope your coming week is full of joy! And free of Balrogs.