Month Two: The Slow Come Together

It's raining today.  Nothing unusual about that, seeing I live near Seattle. But, what is different this afternoon is that I can actually hear the rain on my roof.  Normally the rain is so light, that the huge cedars that surround me filter the drops before it reaches the house. A lot of time I only clock it's raining by looking in the pond behind the house, just past the stream.

Everyone was afraid the rain would bother me.  It doesn't.  Now I won't lie, the two full weeks of nothing, but rain that occurred a few weeks back, wore on me a bit, but not in the way I imagined. I didn't feel sad or blue, I just felt...annoyed.  It makes me appreciate when the sun does peek out.  Like yesterday, the sun came out for about 45 mins, so I rushed out for a quick break and planted myself in it's beams. In the south I never appreciated the sun. Due to humidity and high heat, it was something I worked hard to avoid.  I was like a vampire, running from cover to cover, trying to never let the rays touch my skin. Now I regularly sit in the sun, which feels oddly wrong, but oh so right!  Funny how habits can change when you change your geographical location.

Last week we had a full week of sun, with impossibly beautiful weather.  The highs hovered near 70 and as I rode the back roads into Lynnwood, I surfed my hand out the car window with child like pleasure. Man I love living here!  They say the fall and winter months will test me, but I will have a photo therapy lamp, a stack of reading material and plenty of kdramas to keep me occupied. Oh! And writing ideas. ;)

Thrift shopping here is a dream. I was able to pick up a really good office chair for about $13.00 and a small bookshelf for $6.00.  This has improved the working from home environment 10 fold. Since I have comfortable seating and organized access to my work materials, my work day now flows well and production has improved. That's always a plus when you work from home.

I was also able to pick up some really great plates. I love the colors and will use this to base the decorating theme of my kitchen area.

Although the thrift shops are so filled with great items, I'm not just grabbing anything just to fill up my house.  I have the necessities, so now I will wait for things that really appeal to me to reveal themselves. This home will really represent me in a way that no other home has before. Simplistic and eclectic will be the overall theme. I plan to keep possessions down to a minimum, so never to have the overwhelm clutter I had before.

Speaking of possessions, I was also able to pick up a bathroom rug (feet get cold out of the shower), wine glasses (because those are definitely a necessity), and a really cute lap blanket for my couch. (Because it's still chilly here at night and in the mornings.) I did refrain from picking up nicknack's. I am limited on space and I still have lots of boxes being shipped from Arkansas.  I do believe quite a bit of it will find it's way to the thrift shop bins. I foresee a second wave of decluttering on the horizon.

I am still visiting H Mart regularly. I am now familiar with it's set up and can easily find whatever I need. Unlike the past trips, where I just wandered up and down the aisles, overwhelmed. I'm also, finally at the place where I'm just picking up favorite Asian cuts of meats, a few speciality items for new recipes, and things to restock my staples. I was also able to purchase some soju glasses, which look like plain ole shot glasses, but they were cheap and I really liked the idea of having the (supposedly) real thing.  Let's just say they have and will continue to be put to good use.

A couple of Sunday's ago, I spent the day in the Asian District of Seattle with my sister and our friend Carri.  The dim sum we encountered there was so good, that we nearly ate ourselves sick.  Encouraged to step outside my comfort zone, they urged me to order chicken feet.  I'm pretty adventurous food wise, but this was something I had seen in my k-dramas, but had never considered trying.  My sister made it clear she was never going to try it, so don't even ask.  Carri, who is half Korean, was curious, but had never gotten up the courage to take the plunge.  I  guess I was to be her guinea pig on this.  I really was going to take the challenge and tried hard to get our server's attention, but by the time she made her appearance, I was too stuffed with all the plethora of food we had ordered.  Next time, Carri, next time.   Errr....well next time we have dim sum.  Because I have been promised the best Bahn Mi in Seattle on our next visit to the Asian District.

Seems I am talking mostly about things Asian right now.  That's just because it happens to be my focused interest of the moment. Not that I will ever not be all about all things Asian, because it's a culture that has always spoken to me, even as a small child.  I blame it on my uncle "Geddy", who brought me back a blue silk Mandarin suit and several dolls from one of his many tours in Korea.  Also, my grandmother's house was filled with Japanese art and decor, so  I guess you can say it's a family thing. Eastern culture, be it Hindi, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese, just has always appealed to me, this is the reason I have studied so much Eastern religion, philosophy and history.

I'm finally getting into a routine.  It's starting to feel like 'home' to me now. This phase in my life feels right, in a way nothing ever has before.  Like I'm finally in my element. And that's a great thing indeed.

I sorely miss family and friends, but Skype is a wonderful tool for the next best thing to being there.  I don't miss the hot weather though.  Love you my Arkansas family, but I won't be home to visit until winter. ;)

Meanwhile, I'll just sit here and enjoy my cup of hot tea, the rain on my roof, a k-pop idol crooning soft love songs to me on my computer, and my warm furry companion, Phantom Bobaggins.  I've found bliss. Namaste.

One Month: Dream Realized

The view from my window

Since 1996, I've had this dream.  A dream to move to the Seattle area.  Even after a disastrous first visit (record snow fall kept me house bound for the entire week I visited), just that one day of touring the city and view of the mountains was enough to get bitten by the bug. Although life got in the way, compromises had to be made, others had to come first, still in the back of my mind, it was ever present.

Last year I made a decision.  With my son fully raised, it was finally a time where I could put myself first.  This decision was not without a lot of thought and planning.  See, I don't usually move quickly about big decisions, but when I finally do settle on one, it damn near impossible to stop me. It also took a lot of sacrifice, one of those being I temporarily had to abandon writing.  That included this blog and another I blog I have had for years.  After much sacrifice and an unbelievable amount of money, I finally stepped off the plane, into my new life, on April 1st. I let out a deep breath of relief.  It was like I had been unknowingly holding my breath for all these years.

The move was not complicated, but it wasn't without it's many challenges.  The hardest thing? Besides leaving my family and close friends, the most difficult aspect was basically divesting myself of 90% of my belongings.  Ever try to get rid of 45 years of accumulated memories and possessions?  The first phase was pretty easy.  There were so many things that needed to go naturally.  Things I had no attachment to and just cluttered up the place. The last phase was the hardest, letting go of well loved books, years of accumulated gardening stuff, costumes and prized collections. I had to assess what was really important to me. Suprisingly, that came down to very little.

I  moved to Lake Stevens WA with two suit cases, a laptop, and my cat, Phantom Bobaggins. A month later, that is still where I stand.  I have exactly 20, small boxes of things, a hope chest, one dresser, a sofa size painting, and a Victrola to ship eventually.  That's it!  Not much to represent the last 46 years of my life, but I'm okay with it.  Because I get to do something most people never get the chance to.  I have wiped the slate clean and am starting from scratch. I find it hard to articulate the feeling.  It's a bit like defying gravity. I never have felt so free.

As hard as this past year of preparation has been, finally getting to this point was like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  At 46, I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life.  It's ridiculous how much I smile now.  I was able to lease a little cottage by a gorgeous creek in the country. It's close enought to Seattle, to enjoy all it has to offer, but far enough away to gain some peace and quiet. The cottage has that alpine ski cabin feel and I perpetually feel like I'm on vacation.  I'm surround by these massive cedar trees and just down the road I have a spectacular view of the mountains.  I'm awestruck by the magical beauty of this place every single day. At any moment I expect to see gnomes and sprites. I have to constantly pinch myself and remind myself that no, dear, you are not merely dreaming, this is actually your home now.

I'm walking distance from my sister's place, which is a godsend. We spend most of our afternoons walking the insanely beautiful Centennial Trail.  I am enjoying getting to know the flora and the fauna around here, which far differs from the Southern United States. Many nights I sit by my creek, mediating, while being soothed by the babbling brook sound of water.  I spend weekends helping my brother in law farm and look forward to all that yummy, organic produce soon to come.  I'm getting quite the farmers tan, which amuses me, because I'm so fair skinned that I rarely tanned while living in the South. Who would have thought I would finally tan in Washington State of all places?

So many things about this state is a dream come true for me.  Clean eating is a breeze here.  My brother in law supplies me with fresh eggs, hormone free, free range, organic chicken meat, and fresh, salt water fish.  The guy just up the road from me sells organic beef, at a reasonable price. Local and sustainable living is just a way of life around here, so I feel right at home.

I have the exposure to different cultures, that I have been craving.  A new Asian friend has clued me into the most awesome of Asian markets, H-Mart, where I confess I must learn a little self restraint. I spend wayyyy too much money every time I go. There are so many ethnic stores around here, that I never have a problem finding the ingredients to make great exotic dishes.

Homemade spicy dukbokki with kimchi

 I have also discovered a really great Korean restaurant in Redmond.  The food was so good, that I couldn't stop eating it!

Stone Korean Restaurant

I am in thrift shop heaven! My sister and I have scoured the stores in the greater Seattle area and have found the most awesome of stuff.  I may end up completely furnishing my house with thrift store items. Like I said before, I came with only two suit cases full of clothing, but relying on my knowledge of the usual cool climate, I only packed long sleeve items.  Due to unseasonably warm weather this past week (we hit the low 80's this weekend), I had to go buy some summer clothing just to survive. I found so many great piece in the stores in Redmond, that I may never buy new again! I'm really excited about my new "used" summer wardrobe!

I guess this is all for now.  It's my birthday today.  I'm going to spend the day outdoors, soaking up that vitamin D and appeasing the earth mother in me.  Tonight my family has a small dinner planned for me.  I couldn't wish for a better birthday present, than to be right where I am, doing exactly what I am doing. Sometimes planning and taking a risk really pays off.  I know it's only been a month, but I think I got the windfall. Namaste.

Another's Trash, My Treasure

Several weeks ago, my son's friend asked me if I would be interested in a rotisserie oven and a bread machine. It seems that his grandparents were moving and they were just going to toss these things. I told him sure, bring them to me, I can certainly put them to good use!

The rotisserie was still in a box and had never been opened.  It seems that his grandparents received it as a Christmas gift a few years back and never found a use for it. What a shame that they never found out how completely awesome this gift was, but I am over joyed with my good fortune.

He also told me the bread machine had only been used once. His grandmother found it harder to use than she thought it would be, so she just stuck it in pantry. Believe me, it looks like it has never been touched and unlike the grandmother, I don't find it hard to use at all. As I type, my house is filling with the awesome smell of fresh bread.

These are two items I have seriously contemplated purchasing lately.  I have seen several bread machines at the thrift store, but they were still  a bit pricey and I am kinda of leery about buying appliances used for a good sum of money.  You never know if it's going to work right until you get it home and if I'm gonna spend over $20 on it, then it better work!

Both the rotisserie and the bread machine has seen weekly use, since received.  I have gotten into the habit of roasting several chickens each weekend, to save on cooking time for meals during the week. I have also found that it is very easy to roast veggies for Meatless Monday's and seafood is so easy in this, that I have no problem keeping my my promise of eating fish at least once every week.  I have dozens of recipes to try out and I'm sure you will see many of them here in blogs to come. The best thing about it, in this hot weather, I'm not heating up my house with the oven! This is definitely a plus.

Today I am making honey wheat bread. It is very simple and oh so good! If you have the time, I suggest you make two loaves, because it never lasts very long around here.

I am also making a rotisserie pork tenderloin, soaked in a apple cider and brown sugar brine and topped with a ginger peach sauce. Green Beans Provencal with Herb Roasted Potatoes.

For the brine I used this recipe and doubled it for a 4 lb pork tenderloin.  I let it soak over night, but no longer than 12 hours.  Please remember to make sure that your pork tenderloin is not enhanced.  The label will indicate if it is enhanced.

Now, the peach sauce is all my own. Find the recipe below:

Peach Sauce:
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
 4 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

Mix brown sugar, vinegar, soy, cornstarch, ginger and cinnamon in small saucepan. Bring to boil on low heat; simmer 5 minutes. Add peaches; simmer 3 minutes longer. To serve, spoon warm peach sauce on pork tender loin.

Adventures in Eating Salmon: A Non Fish Eater's Journey Part 1

Baked Teriyaki Salmon
Mango Kiwi Salsa
Honey Lime Corn Relish

If you are are a regular reader, then you know I am not a big fan of fish.  If you are new to my blog, I'll keep the history lesson short.  Up until five years ago, with the exception of shell fish, I did not eat fish.  In the past five years I have acquired a taste for salt water fish, but one of the things that was still a hit or miss thing with me, was and is, salmon. 

I have wanted to like it.  On occasion, I have enjoyed it grilled, usually with a ginger glaze sauce.  But I have never managed to cook it myself, where it was even edible, much less enjoyable.  Nevertheless, I have pledged to keep trying until I can manage to consume salmon, on a somewhat regular basis. In that spirit, I purchase a couple of nice salmon steaks to experiment with. 

One of my great pleasures in life is trying new recipes. Some of my very favorites come from the Cooking Light magazine.  In the latest issue, they had a recipe for Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with Mango Kiwi Salsa. The picture set my mouth a watering, so I gave my son the task of procuring a cedar plank for me. Well, after several attempts to find a non-treated plank failed, a friend advised me to just do a teriyaki marinade and grill it in my fish basket. This really appealed to me, so grilled teriyaki it was!

As you may know, I am on a quest to be a 80/20 clean eater by January 2013.  Although I have divested most of my kitchen of most pre-prepared foods, mainly ones that contain preservatives, I still owned a bottle of Lawry's Teriyaki Marinade.  I decided now was the time time to use it and remedy my kitchen of it's presence. (I am most certain that one made by me would have been much yummier and I promise from now on, to try hard not to fudge.)

After a few mishaps with our grill, it was decided that I would resort to baking it.  Now, I have NEVER, had much success with baking salmon.  I was sure that it would turn out like it normally does, dry or very fishy tasting, but I consoled myself that I had the awesome salsa and corn relish to fall back on.  

Let me just say that this was the most wonderful surprise I have had in a long time.  Not only was it was it edible, but it was delectable! The spicy sweet salsa was a perfect match and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.  I ate every last fork full. 

I still want to try the original recipe, so I am on the search for a non-treated cedar plank. With more recipes like this one, I may actually promote salmon to a regular rotation status in my menus, dare I say, weekly? What? It could happen!  

I apologize for the quality of the photo.  I am not a professional food blogger (yet), but I am looking for a better camera and will hopefully post better shots in the future.  Below are the recipes for the above meal and I hope you enjoy. 

Baked Teriyaki Salmon

4-4 oz salmon steaks

1 bottle of Lawry's Teriyaki Marinade

Marinate salmon for at two hours. Preheat oven to 350. Spray oven dish with cooking spray. Remove salmon from marinade and place into ovenware. Discard remaining marinade. Bake for 22 minutes.  Remove the skin, by sliding your knife just under the skin. 

Serves 4

Calories per serving 240

Cooking Light Mango Kiwi Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1/2 cup kiwi, peeled and diced

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of fresh lime juice

1 serrano chili, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients and chill.  Can be made ahead. 

Serves 4

Calories per serving 54

Honey Lime Corn Relish

4 ears fresh corn, shucked and sliced off cob

1 medium onion

1 cup of bell pepper (red looks really pretty)

2 serrano chili, finely diced

1 tbsp olive extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

Coat heated skillet with olive oil.  Add onions and bell pepper and cook until onions are translucent. 

Add corn and serrano.  Cook for 2 mins, stirring often.  Turn heat down to low and add lime juice and honey.  Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Servings 4

Calories per serving 138

Joys of Leisure Bike Riding

  There are many things I miss about my childhood, mainly snow days and summers off, but the other thing that I came to realize I missed greatly was bike riding.  I don't mean the kind where you train daily to do marathons, I refer to the type, where you just meander and enjoy the scenery, stopping at the local small grocery to grab an ice cream bar, then continue riding one handed, while licking furiously to keep the ice cream from running down your arm. You know, the simple fun kind?


  As a kid, I spent hours and hours upon my bike.  Cruising around with my friends, pretending to be superheroes (because in our heads Spiderman and Superman would be naturally be riding bikes, duh) or doing daredevil tricks like jumping ramps, or wheelies to impress boys. I was a pro at fixing  a bike, often called upon to rescue a fallen chain, tightening a loose handle bar and even building a few by combining the parts of old ones. In the summertime I would patrol the neighborhood until the streetlamps came on, signalling it was time to go home.  My bike, like a cowboy's horse, was my constant companion.


  I realized a key component was missing in my life, when I started to admire the retro bikes I have been seeing around town lately.  I started to day dream about a mint green beach cruiser with a basket.  I could visualize myself breezing around town waving at my neighbors, stopping to pick up a sack of groceries or two and maybe visiting the used book store in search of a cool find.


  During my trip to Seattle to visit my sister, we decided to take a trip to India in a few years.  I know several friends that have done this they have all told me that there are certain parts that are best toured on bike. On this same visit, I took a ferry to the San Juan Islands.  We encounter several cyclist on the ferry and the idea of exploring new places by bicycle really appealed to me.  It was then and there that I concluded, what was sorely missing in my life was a bicycle.


  After looking around the inter-web for a month, I decided that, until I found out if the reality of riding was as enjoyable as my memory of riding, I would limit myself to spending no more than $150.00.  I found this great bike at Walmart.com within my price range.

  Although not mint green,the raspberry color seemed fun and rear rack, basket and beverage holder seemed really to suit my needs as leisure and commuter rider. Now to go purchase the bike!

  Ah the disappointment of finding something online, only to not find it in the store.  The Walmart Sporting Goods rep told me that although they did recently have it in stock, the bike had been an extremely popular model and he had sold the last one that very day. Drat!

  He offered to call around town to see if he could find one, so while I waited, I causally looked at the other bikes on display. I had my heart set on that one, still I had to admit some of the others were kind of cute, but most were too this, or too that for my taste. Then I saw it, a teal blue Huffy Cranbrook Cruiser.  It was love at first sight.  No, it did not have a rear rack. It didn't even have a basket. Those had been two requirements in my search and would be imperative in my eventual plans, but I really LOVED this bike.  It spoke to me in a way that no car or designer shoes ever have.  The best part was, it was almost $40 cheaper! 

The sales rep came back and told me he had found the deluxe cruiser at another store, but I no longer cared. My heart was set on the teal blue bike with the green and gold flower detail.  Sure I would eventually have to spend money on a rear rack.  Of course I would have to find a basket, but this was MY bike, it knew it and I knew it.  She whispered to me "Take me home with you" and I whispered back "Okay, let me get my wallet".  

  Isn't she pretty?  I couldn't wait to ride her and yes guys, it really is just like riding a bike, you never forget.  I rode up and down the street so filled with joy, that I could hardly contain myself.  That little girl inside went 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' and the adult in me reasoned this will work off quite a few calories. The little girl told the adult to shut up and just enjoy the ride.


 Unfortunately the temperature has climbed up near 100f, so my plans to ride all over the neighborhood have been thwarted. Still, I think I will brave the heat late this afternoon, to get the high of zooming my new bike up and down the hills.  We are told constantly to 'act our age' or 'grow up', but I think this is one time that it's perfectly acceptable to enjoy a long forgotten past time.


This is just another step in simplifying my life and I hope to have many trips and adventures on my bike to blog about later.  Until then, WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

REVIEW: Bumpy's Texmex Grill

I try not to eat out much anymore and when I do, I tend to make sure my restaurant dining experience is a treat, rather than the same ole same ole. A friend at work has been trying to get me to try out Bumpy's Texmex Grill for weeks now.  I am the guinea pig for all places new, but frankly, the thought of yet another TEXMEX place in central Arkansas did not excite me, so I danced around a visit for quite awhile.


Friday, a workmate and I finally decided to take the plunge.  I will admit my expectations were low.  I mean, come'on, we have loads of great authentic Mexican restaurants (And lunch trucks, shout out to my favorite Luncheria Mexicana Alicia) around here and I seriously doubted that a texmex place was going to thrill me. What I got was a nice surprise.


Our waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The first thing he informed us was that Bumpy's promotes use of fresh and local products, including, but not limited to produce, beef, and chicken.  Case in point, the grilled vegetable side dish is seasonal, so it changes  constantly, depending on what our local farmers are growing during that time period.  Today's offerings were zucchini, yellow squash, and onions. Yes my friends, that is exactly what is in season in Arkansas right now!


Now, seeing I too promote local, fresh, and sustainable, it seems like serendipity that Bumpy's and I would find one another. I cannot tell you how excited I was about this news (a new blog was flowering in my head), so much that I whipped out my phone to start taking pictures of food and asked our very patient waiter dozens of questions.

Like other texmex restaurants,  Bumpy's offers complimentary salsa and chips.  The salsa was a decent, hardy variety with a good  kick to it.  I was told if I wanted spicier, I could opt for the Salsa Verde. I passed, wishing to concentrate this time on my food and not wanting to consume that many chips. My friend ordered the queso, which after sampling seemed to be a hopped up version of   my favorite Velveeta/Rotel combination, quite tasty.  Our waiter assured us it was not Velveeta and that fresh cheese was melted every day and the tomato spice combination were indeed local. This was all served with slices of fresh local peppers which I adore.


I  spotted fish tacos on the menu and decided to get one my weekly fish serving out of the way. (I am behind, but I will be having fish tonight, so all is good!) I figured with this being Arkansas and Bumpy's promoting local, the fish was probably catfish.  I am not a fan fish, as you are all aware, and especially not catfish.  Before I settled on my choice I asked JP (Not going to list his name, because I didn't get his permission to put him in this blog) what type of fish were in them.  I asked if it were catfish and he said, no, it was a Mexican fish called pangasius.  A warning bell went off in my head.  Where had I heard that before? Nevertheless, I opted for the tacos and was not disappointed.

They served a spicy tartar sauce with my tacos that was a delicious companion to the fish .  The fish nuggets in the tacos was a mild flavored fish coated in a well seasoned, crispy coating.  The grilled vegetables, including a roasted pepper, was so enjoyable.  I truly love grilled vegetables, especially local, seasonable ones! The black beans, topped fresh tomatoes and peppers perfectly complimented the already flavorful beans.  This lunch was so good and filling, that I was only able to consume half of my meal.  This meant take home for a yummy meal latter.


My companion chose the chicken enchiladas with cheesy potato soup and  cheesy mashed potatoes. She deemed her meal completely delicious and quickly consumed the majority of her meal.  She's a picky eater, so it must have been good!


We agreed that this was a very lovely experience and Bumpy's would be put into our lunch rotation.  I left there full, satisfied, and happy that I had found another restaurant that promoted the same values I do.  The price wasn't too bad either, cashing in at around $11 apiece for each of us, the same amount we tend to spend at our favorite Mexican restaurant.


On a side note, the name of that fish continued to bother me.  Being the food sleuth I am, I did some researching.  Suddenly it came back to me. OH! THAT PANGASIUS! Yeah, the Vietnamese Pangasius (yeah it's not local), is a shark catfish that has flooded US fish markets.  US fish farmers, most notably Arkansas catfish farmers, raised a stink that this was ruining the local markets, due to the abundance and low cost. They even went as far as demanding that it could not be labeled as catfish, because it was not truly a catfish and confused consumers.  The farmers got their way and pangasius is now labled as Basa, TRA, SWAI, PANGASIUS, CHINA SOLE, BOCOURTI, RUFFY,  PACIFIC DORY.  


Although I do enjoy the taste of pangasuis, much prefering it over the taste of catfish, I feel that if Bumpy's using this fish, while promoting themselves as supporting local products, that they are being a bit misleading.  I am hoping my waiter was wrong and plan to call Monday and clarify what fish they do use.  I would rather they support local fisheries and gulf cost fisherman, than to use a fish that a picky fish eater like I would eat.  When I find out for certain, I will update this blog.  Let's not condemn them before we have the facts.  If I in fact do find out the waiter was correct, I will encourage the owners to rethink this practice. 

Still, I applaud Bumpy's for promoting local and seasonal.  This is a trend in central Arkansas that I hope I continue to see grow.  I would really like to know if any of my local farmer friends are suppliers for Bumpy's.  If you are, hit me up with an email. (located in the profile section of my blog) I will keep it confidential, unless you and Bumpy's wish to publicize it.  Then I will be all about the shoutouts.  ;)

If any of my readers know of other restaurants, please alert me.  I am very much wanting to promote these places.  Local and fresh is best! 

Plans for the second half of 2012

It's funny how that, no matter how well you plan things, often life takes you off on little detours.  Sometimes if feels like my life is just one big detour.


I had plans.  Oh boy did I have plans.  I worked tirelessly to carefully plan a garden, so that I would have a pretty good yield this year.  I harvested seeds last year.  Got out my trusty Farmer's Almanac to calculate when to start my seeds.  Carefully I nurtured my lovely little seedlings, only to have another massacre like I did in 2010.  Yes, Ms. Phantom Bo-baggins (Known as Hell Kitty around these parts) decided to make my seedlings her play thing again. I am limited on my space, so I don't really have a place to put them where she can't get to them.  She leaves them alone for the longest time and then it's like she magically knows I'm hardening them up to put them out.  Then BAM, she goes on the attack!


I was dishearten by this little turn of events, but not down.  I still had my herbs, thriving nicely in my windowsill and my lettuce, rapidly growing in my boxes on my porch.  I went to Seattle for a week to visit my sister, leaving my son in charge of my green things, only to return to dead plants. *big sigh*


Okay, so, no real garden this year.  I am going to go to the nursery this weekend to buy a couple of heirloom tomato and several pepper plants. I can replant my herbs, so that is no biggie.  I guess this year I will do most of my purchasing from farmer's market.  I'm a little disappointed, but not thwarted on my other plans.


I plan to can this year.  I had big ideas, but now I'll just small scale it to a few items.  This weekend I plan on making some yummy Kimchi.  This can't be really canned, but can be saved in jars in the fridge for several months, so I'll make a big batch for me and a few people that have voiced interest.  This summer I also plan to can salsa, spaghetti sauce, sour kraut, pickles, and some vegetable soup.  I think this is manageable and will help me in my quest to eat 80/20 clean food.


I start juicing this week.  I'm not going to do the full cleansing diet like many of my friends and sister's family does, but I am going to use it as a meal replacement, several times a week.  This is part of my plan includes Meatless Monday.  If you are interested in incorporating a Meatless Monday in your life, be sure to check my friend Lisa's blog Manhattansway.com, where she gives good vegan advice and great recipes. I also plan to eat fish at least once a week and hopefully (crosses fingers) twice.  My big goal is to try to acquire a taste for salmon.  Used to, I could not eat any fish, with the exception of shellfish.  Yeah, a southern girl that does not eat catfish, is there such an animal?  I assure you there is. Fresh water fish is very much a don't with me.


Over the past ten years I have learned to eat several kinds of saltwater fish.  Recently I tried salmon again, via my sister's salmon salad, but nope, wasn't able to eat, but one mouthful.  I know it's good for me, so I am determined. I really want those omega 3's.  Stay tune on updates (I'm sure they will be amusing) on my progress with that.  I will also probably blog about my progress with juicing.


My sister and I plan on taking a trip to India in three years.  I have big ideas that part of this touring will be on bike.  I don't know if she's so much game for this idea, but I do plan to start training to ride long distances.  I am not interested in marathons or races, although my friend Donna is training for a triathlon this next year, which amazes me and I'm so rooting for her! Maybe one day we can do a bike tour somewhere together. I am so proud that we both have decided to keep challenging ourselves as we approach 50, instead of just resting on our laurels.


I am going to look at bikes this weekend.  I have my eye on a pretty mint green retro cruiser. One with a rack in back to carry a few groceries. As you can tell, I plan mostly to ride for pleasure, but would also like to increase my endurance for distance.  As I said, I am not interesting in being in racing, but I do have future plans to travel tour by bike and some of it will be long distance.  If any of you have any suggestions on how help me, please send them to the email attached to profile section of this blog.  I have great trips plan and this is one of my main obstacles.  I am determined though! If things work out, I may start taking my bike to work. No way will I be able to ride the full distance, but the bus has bike racks and I can ride that good little jot from the bus stop to work.  I may even start riding home from the bus terminal in the afternoon, instead of transferring to my second bus. The more I talk this out in my head, the more I like this idea. hmmmm


The weight continues to slowly come off, but this is how I planned.  I want to keep it off and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I feel so much better than I felt this time last year.  I am up for just about anything.  I look forward to some hiking soon and some bike rides down the River Trail with my son.  If you see me on my beautiful new mint green retro cruiser, be sure to wave!

Certified Organic vs Certified Naturally Grown: What's the difference?

The farmer's market season is upon us and I would like to take the time to clue you in on something that has confused several of my friends lately.  This morning I checked my email and one friend sent this message "Please explain to me the difference between "Certified Organic" and "Certified Naturally Grown" food? I recently went to the farmers market and found myself confused in which to buy."


After receiving this email I thought, wow, this is something I should have blogged about a long time ago, because it's a question I get asked a lot. Let's first talk about the organic farm movement. And if you aren't interested in a quick history lesson, jumped to the bottom of the article for your answer.


Organic farming is described by Wikipedia as "the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure,compost and biological pest control. Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides but excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured (synthetic) fertilizers,pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms,^[1] human sewage sludge, and nanomaterials.^[2]" 


In the early 20th century, with the invention of the internal combustion engine, research which lead to genetically altered hybrid seeds, and the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers, farming took a decided turn. After WWII came broad use of the pesticides and then in 1944, the US teamed up with Mexico and privately funded the Green Revolution. Basically the Green Revolution was the sharing of research and technology to increase agriculture production. This lead to the development of high-yielding variations of cereal grains, which in turned helped to save 'a billion of people' in under developed countries from starvation. 


But, while many were rejoicing in this 'wonderful' direction of agriculture, some people began to worry about the effects of these practices on people's health and the environment. In 1972, several independent organizations around the world banded together to create the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.  


For quite awhile, the organic food movement was seen as 'faddish' and something only followed by those 'crunchy health food' types. But, in the past five years, with the shift in concern about the environment and people educating themselves and becoming more aware of the food they are consuming, organic food is becoming a regular staple on many tables. 


While much of the food labeled as 'organic' was truly what it claimed to be, some disreputable farmers/retailers where slapping that tag on non-organic food. This resulted in the movement for 'certified organic' governing parties, which set up guidelines and served as "watchdogs" to ensure that the public was really getting organic food.  


In 2002, the USDA National Organic Program went into effect.  In order to be 'certified organic' you had comply with the NOP.  And while the guidelines were great for big agriculture and offered the public protection and assurance, the cost and paperwork requirements was just too much for most small, local farmers comply.  While this helped to regulate organic farming and protect the consumer, it was almost a death nail in the movement for local, sustainable organic farming.  In response to this, small farmers banded together and formed the Certified Naturally Grown organization.  Just like the "Certified Organic" farmers, "Certified Naturally Grown" farmers do not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, of GMO seeds.  Basically this is a self governing organization the regulates and verifies that the food you are getting is organic. Just like the NOP, the CNG has strict guidelines and routinely inspects farms for compliance. 


So in a nutshell? What is the difference between 'Certified Organic' and 'Certified Naturally Grown' food?  Nothing more than the governing body that supplies the label.  It's all organic. One is not better than the other and some local farmers do have the 'Certified Organic' label, so don't have the misconception that buying "Certified Naturally Grown' is the only way to support local, small farms. My advice to you is to get to know your farmer.  This is why I love the Argenta Farmers Market.  All the farmers involved are certified local growers. 


I hope this blog helped to explain the labels you are encountering involving organic food.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me and I will do my best find you an answer. Until next time, become aware of what you put into your body.  I am living proof that a change and  awareness can improve your health and general well being. 


1. wikipedia-organic farming
2. http://www.organic-nature-news.com/organic-farming.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution
4. http://www.naturallygrown.org/

Argenta Farmer's Market

Strawberry Salad Made with Buttercrunch lettuce, radishes, green onions, and sweet Arkansas strawberries

This a a great time of the year for me.  Between my container garden and Argenta Farmer's Market, I'm in produce heaven.


Now I know some of my Central Arkansas friends are scratching their head going "Argenta who?"  Well let me educate you about the Farmer's Market scene in the central part of our state.  As you may know, there is a thriving Farmer's Market located in the River Market section of Little Rock.  A few years back, local farmers began to notice that big trucks were coming in with non local produce.  While some of it was the great, good farm produce we know and love, much of it was actually bulk produce and because of the sheer quantity, they were able to drastically undercut the prices of our local farmers.  What many customers were ending up with was the same variety of produce that you can buy at your local supermarket.  Since our poor local farmers, many of them certified organic or certified natural grower, where fighting to make a living, this practice of trucking in 'warehouse' produce seemed unfair and down right deceptive.  Ever vigilant, our local farmers banded together to start the Arkansas Certified Farmer's Market on the North Little Rock side of the river.  And this is how we ended up with two farmer's markets.

Now if you didn't know, North Little Rock used to be called Argenta and when the city started to revitalize the downtown section of our fair city, they reclaimed the name Argenta.  The Arkansas Certified Farmer's Market is located at 6th and Main St, downtown NLR, hence the name Argenta Farmer's Market. Clear as mud? Good, now let's get to the good stuff, pictures of all the goodies I picked up a couple of weeks ago.  I did not go this past week, because I am going out of town and did not stock up for this week.

The entire haul







 I hit the mother load! I'm going to give a shout out to my favorite farmers.

Fresh Farm Eggs and soap, lotion, and lip balm made from goat's milk from Tammy's Critters

Yummy cheese from Honeysuckle Lane out of Rose Bud

Some of the BEST honey ever, from a guy down the road from me at K-Bee Honey Farm.  

Wonderful Arkansas Strawberries

Lovely Produce from Kellogg Valley Farms

As you can see, I made out like a bandit.  I can tell you that my household made short work of most of my bounty.  You can bet I will be back there in a few weeks to restock on my return from vacation.  If you haven't experienced the farmer's market, you don't know what you are missing.  I promise you, there is nothing like fresh, local, organic veggies. And they are especially good when you know the guy that grew them and know for certain, he puts lots of love a pride into his crops. 

Green Ideas for Easter

I haven't had much time to blog lately.  Between work and the usual day to day grind, pretty much doing anything extra has been a real reach for me.

Today I am off for Good Friday (yay!) and have found that I have some spare time on my hands.  So I pulled out my trusty blog idea notebook and what is listed first on the list??? A Greener Easter!  What luck!

I had a whole list of pointers for a greener Easter, but I like to try them out first and take my own pictures, so that you guys can see first hand results of these hints.  I tend not to trust sites or blogs that have taken stories and pictures from other places.  I'm never sure they have tried them out themselves.  Not that they would lie, but, well, you guys know what I mean, right? You can trust that for the most part, most ideas that I post here will have been tried and tested by me and my crack team of testers. (In today's case, my testing companion is my 22 year old son.)

So let's get to it!  First, dying eggs. For many years my family and I have done the tried and true method of colored tablets dropped into dozens of coffee cups of water and vinegar.  Even though I have been very eco-minded for many years, this is one area in which I failed miserably.  I backslid and went for easy.  Then my son became too old for such things, so I really didn't have a reason to try out all the ideas I was finding in my research.

This past year, I again became excited about decorating for holidays and I had book marked a great link on naturally dying Easter eggs.  Today I am sharing that link, along with my personal results. http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidayhowtos/a/eastereggdyes.htm  I know that this method can be time consuming for most of you, so here are a few links for natural and eco-friendly coloring kits. http://www.moolka.com/jzv/prod?o=froogle&prodId=30755&gclid=CI7aluHOoK8CFe4DQAodly9DaQ or http://www.peapods.com/browse.cfm/nawaro-natural-egg-dying-kit-5-colors/4,1981.html.  Please note that I have not tried either of these products, but if any one of you do, please drop me a comment of what you think about them.

Now one of the biggest stumbling blocks green minded people encounter during Easter, the grass. 

That horrible plastic stuff you buy in the store is almost as bad has the icicles people hang on their Christmas trees every year. (I have been icicle free for three years now) Not only is it in no way recyclable, but it is also very hard on your vacuum cleaners!  Yes you can buy some bags of recycled basket filler, but why would you do this when you have easy, accessible items in your very own home?

A couple of the basket filler ideas I am offering you today, come via a couple of very crafty friends of mine.  One very green conscious friend saves pretty colored pages from magazines and shreds them up in her shredder to make Easter Basket Grass.  I don't have a shredder and the idea of hand cutting up all that paper makes me shiver, but I'm sure you can get the general idea of what this looks like it and I can assure you it works really well. And when the holiday is over, you can simply empty it in the recycle bin.  How's that for green?

Another great, simple, cheap, and GREEN idea, is to use cloth for your filler. If you are a creative sewing type (I still have aspirations, but that is one that is slow to come), you may have scraps of this material just lying around.  This is idea for delicate, girlie baskets.  Any pretty spring colored fabric will work, but if you have any left over tulle or organza, they make gorgeous baskets. You can also pick up fabric scraps for cheap at your local fabric store.  Another cool idea I have seen is the use of pastel bandannas, which make for a cute, fun basket. The best thing about these ideas? They are reusable year after year.

Today I am re-purposing some things I have around the house for my filler.  I save all that pretty tissue paper that people put in gift bags for me and I found this lovely shiny stuff that worked well in my basket.

                    But I am most excited about using this feather boa!  Isn't it adorable??

And now for the results of the eggs. Please note that I usually favor brown, cage free farm eggs, but for dying, I used plain ole white store bought eggs. 

For yellow I boiled one egg in turmeric. (now I wish I had done more)  It made it a very lovely shade of yellow, but the color adhered to the rough ends better and turned them into a rusty orange. Still, it makes for a pretty interesting egg, don't you think?

Next I used pomegranate juice and beet juice for pinks and reds.  The pomegranate did not turn out at all, possibly because I used a pomegranate cocktail and not a pure juice.  I had better success with the beet juice, resulting in this very pale pink and when left in longer, a darker, if speckled, pink.

When left in the grape juice for a short period of time, I got this great blue. And when left in much, much longer, (hours folks) it resulted in a deeper purplish blue.

All in all, I think this project was a success. I cold dyed most of my eggs, with the exception of the yellow one.  I think I might have ended up with deeper colors, had I boiled dyed them. Nevertheless,  I am overall satisfied with my little batch of pretty eggs.

I will keep experimenting through out the year to see what will make the best, naturally colored, eggs  possible.  I will be sure to share my findings with you next year.

I hope you all have a very Happy Easter and for my North Little Rock readers, remember the new recycling pick up starts next week.  Yes guys, that is what that huge, new, eyesore of a bin is for. So much more can be recycled now, check your lids for information or go here http://www.regionalrecycling.org/ to find out what to recycle and when your pick up dates are.  For my Park Hill neighbors, that's April 9th.  Make a green girl happy and let me see all those green and yellow bins line the street!

Diet is a Four Letter Word: However,I Love My Diet!

                                     


In mid September,  I began a quest to become slimmer and healthier.  The challenge was to find a 'diet' that I would stick with and that would not be so strict, that I would become frustrated or bored with it.

Now, I have done the Adkins diet, the South Beach diet, the Mediterranean diet, the Cabbage Soup diet, the AHA diet (by far the worst and impossible to keep doing it for very long period of time), and many, many others.  The only one I had half a chance of sticking to was the Mediterranean diet, because most of the food on this one was flavorful, if sparse. See, I like food.  No, check that, I LOVE food. I am a foodie, lock, stock, and barrel.  This is partly the reason I ended up in this predicament. Food isn't just sustenance to me, food is my hobby, my comfort, my way to relax, my way to celebrate, my way to show love. Put simply, food is a part of me.

How does a 'foodie' stick with a diet when the food is basically tasteless, sparse, and repetitive? This has been my conundrum for many years. However, in my quest to eat fresher, local, and sometimes self grown, I have dug up recipes from my Mediterranean and Sonoma diet books, which both emphasizes the preparation of food, using seasonal and local ingredients, while avoiding processed or prepackaged foods.  So when I  decided to create a plan that would work for me, part of my homework was already done.

Now let's get to heart of the issue with me and that four letter word DIET. Diet to me, means suffering. It means denying myself something that I really want and torturing myself with foods, that frankly, I would rather go hungry than eat.  So I had to do a little mental work first and combat my phobia of diets.  To start with, I decided that a diet wouldn't work at all.  Because diet, to me, has such a negative meaning  that I tend to self sabotage or avoided dieting all together.  Dieting means to fail and this time, I was not going to fail.

So I reflected on the things that worked for me in the past.  Things that satisfied me, appealed to the foodie in me.  I realized that food is an event in my life and try as I may, that was never going to change.   So I decided to quit looking as food as a negative.  Bad, wrong, forbidden and make my deep love of food a good thing.  So no dieting.  Instead, I was going to formulate a lifetime way of eating that not only could I live with, but I would be excited about.

Years ago, I was a patient at an Eating Disorder Clinic.  One of the first things I learned from the helpful staff was, to control your weight, no matter what diet you are on, there is only one important thing you need to really be aware of: How many calories you take in verses how many calories you expend.  It's simple mathematics.  The more calories you take in, the more activity you need to do to burn those calories.  High protein or high carb diets are not sustainable, or even healthy for you for long periods of time. With this in mind, I had to finally face the fact that I was A: eating way to many calories, many of them empty, non nourishing, and B: that I have a very sedentary lifestyle, seeing that I sit at a computer for 10-12 hours a day.   So I did some research, found out how many calories I need to maintain my present weight and how many calories I needed to consume to lose 1-2 lbs a week.  I was actually a little shocked to find that I was allowed quite a bit more than I assumed.  Now all I needed to do, was make myself eat food that was better for me and would be worth more nutritionally and to get my butt moving.

Now that I had my calorie allowance and scheduled two exercise classes per week, it was time to deal with the food.  I did an incredible about of research and found that I don't have to eat food that is tasteless, repetitive, and minimal.  What I needed to do is become aware of the cost of things calorie wise and to change my way of thinking.  Was fast or easy, and the time it saved me, really worth the cost I was incurring in other areas in my life?

Since food is my hobby and I already did a lot of searching for recipes in magazines, cookbooks, and online sources, I challenged myself to find great recipes, with mostly fresh ingredients, that are healthy, as well as low calorie. It wasn't long before I struck the mother load. You have no idea how many great sources there are out there for fantastic recipes. I currently subscribe to several great magazines, such as Cooking Light and Eating Well, and also read loads of blogs, but my favorites are Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right, Cheap Healthy Good and The Picky Eater.  What I have discovered is that I can have amazingly good food, still remaining the consummate foodie, while eating my way into good health.  Healthy does not have to equal blah.

I eat awesomely good food.  Food that not only tastes out of this world, but looks stunning on the plate.  My best friend teases that I make food art and I guess I do.  I am so proud of my creations, that I send pictures to her and my mom, to brag about my dazzling meals and their low calorie count.

I have my favorite recipes, but mostly I change it up and make sure I have variety.  I have stretched some and made dishes, using ingredients that I would not have normally considered before. Fennel and lentils now show up in regular rotation.  I also try to eat a lot of in season produce and of course, if possible, local.  There is something about knowing the farmer, the land, and the farming methods that give you a special sort of peace of mind.  Most of my farming friends grow organic veggies that are far superior in taste and quality, than much of what I can get at my local big name store.

I get asked a lot about the cost and the time.  I'll address the cost first.  Sure, good ingredients cost more than the processed or mass produced stuff.  And have you looked out the price of organic, hormone free meat???!! It's simply criminal!! But I have learned to watch for sales and freeze my quality meat. I have also gotten out of the habit of buying a lot of stuff by bulk, that will only spoil before using, instead choosing to shop more often for produce in smaller, usable quantities. I plan my meals for two weeks, choosing recipes that will use a lot of common ingredients, and calculate exactly the amount that I need, so there is no waste.  Carrots can find themselves shredded into a a sloppy joe mix, roasted with a chicken, or cut up into a soup.  Right now I am doing the same thing with fresh herbs, until I can get my herb garden going again.

Another thing I do to even out the cost of my groceries is to cut down how often I eat out.  Sure it seems cheap to go to fast food restaurant, buying more for your buck at the dollar menu,  but in the end what do you have? Crappy food that makes you feel horrible and will only last one meal.  The meals I make can feed me for days.  What I don't eat, I freeze and take to work for lunch. And let me tell you, I eat very well.  Almost everyday I eat like a gourmet.  I have actually found that I'm not spending any more in the long run.

Now about the time.  Sure, it's more time consuming to chop, stew, saute, braise, grill and roast, than to throw something in the microwave,  but a lot of time I prepare several meals, or prep ingredients on the weekend, to make my work week easier.  And don't forget about those homemade meals I have packaged up,labeled (with contents, calories and date frozen), and stored in the deep freeze.  I can pull a couple of those out, warm them up, make a quick salad or fresh side dish and voila', a quick, easy, scrumptious, but most importantly, a healthy meal!

I love the whole experience of cooking, so preparing these meals are kind of a stress reliever for me.  Since I have embraced this new life plan, I am 30 lbs lighter, a heck of a lot healthier, and so very much happier on the whole.  I will blog more about this subject later.  Expect recipes and pictures, but until next time, keep it simple, attempt to be greener, and do something productive that you love. Bon Appetit!