TLC

I bought these cookies, they had more fiber, flax,whole wheat flour and so forth Boy are they healthy. Give me homemade or Pepperidge Farm. Too healthy, they have crackers and other products too.

Tom's toothpaste is all natural and had fennel. No thanks.

I don't like the grilled KFC chicken either.



The Newark Memorial High school has locked down the H.S. because an armed gunman was seen on campus or in the parking lot. Yikes, it is a non student, but I don't mind missing that!

The kid with the gun was a 16 y.o. from another H.S. and he was with 5 friends.

Three were apprehended.

still haven't heard

It cooled dramatically this morning. I actually pulled on a jacket. My 5th grade class was really good. I was challenged by the decimals, fractions and percentages. They will forever plague me.

Since I have not heard back from the H.S., I'm thinking it isn't going to happen. So I'll move on and it it works, it will be a surprise.

I got some Thai food, tamarind fish, yellow curry, coconut soup and green beans.



It's getting to be soup time.

Avocado & Chicken Soup with Tortillas

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 white corn tortillas (6"), sliced into 1/4" strips
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 canned chipotle chile pepper, sliced, or 2 tablespoons hot salsa
3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup chopped avocado
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
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Directions
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, covered over high heat. 2. Meanwhile, scatter the tortilla strips on a toaster oven tray. Toast, turning the strips occasionally, until golden-brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove the tray from toaster oven and set the tortilla strips aside. 3. When the broth boils, add the chicken, chile pepper, and tomatoes and return to a boil. Remove from the heat. Divide the tortilla strips, avocado, and cilantro leaves evenly among 4 bowls, mounding them in the center. Ladle the soup into bowls.

Cooking with the Amazing Race

I met with the birthday gals this morning. It's nice to catch up with everyone.

I have not heard back from Newark when I expected to Friday. This makes me think they did not get good references. We will see one way or another soon.

Tomorrow I sub in 5th grade.

I made some more fish tacos. Somehow the microwave isn't the same as the grill on tortillas or fish. This time I bought too little fish and it was too thin a fillet.

Negimaki (Japanese Beef and Scallion Rolls)

Inspiration:
The first leg of The Amazing Race, in Tokyo.
and
Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations (adapted from an Epicurious recipe)


Ingredients:

12 small scallions, trimmed to 6-inch lengths
1 (1-lb) piece flank steak (roughly 6 to 7 inches square)
1/4 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)
1/4 cup mirin* (Japanese sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions:



Prepare scallions:
Blanch scallions in a pot ofboiling salted water 45 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Transfer scallions to paper towels to drain and pat dry.


Prepare beef:
Cut flank steak with the grain holding a large knife at a 30-degree angle to cutting board into 12 (1/8-inch-thick) slices (1 1/2 to 2 inches wide). Arrange slices 1 inch apart on a very lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, then cover with another very lightly oiled sheet of parchment or plastic wrap (oiled side down) and pound slices with flat side of meat pounder until about 1/16 inch thick.


Assemble rolls:
Arrange 3 beef slices side by side on a fresh sheet of plastic wrap, overlapping slices slightly to form a 6-inch square with short ends of slices nearest you. Sprinkle square lightly with a pinch of salt, then lay 3 scallions (with some white parts at both ends) across slices at end closest to you and tightly roll up meat around scallions to form a log, using plastic wrap as an aid. Tie log with kitchen string at ends and where meat slices overlap. Make 3 more negimaki rolls in same manner.


Marinate rolls:
Stir together sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Put rolls in a small baking dish and pour marinade over them, turning to coat. Marinate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, turning occasionally, 15 minutes.


Cook rolls:
Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. While skillet is heating, lift rolls out of marinade, letting excess drip off, and pat dry. (Save marinade.) Add oil to skillet, swirling to coat bottom, then cook rolls, turning with tongs, until well browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer rolls to cutting board. Add marinade to skillet and boil until slightly syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Cut off and discard strings, then cut each roll crosswise into 6 slices. Pour sauce into a shallow serving dish and arrange negimaki in sauce.

Yoga

At the farmers market this morning I got my veggies and ran into an Indian woman handing out invitations for an hour yoga class; I wasn't really dressed for it but I went. We didn't do a lot but I sweated a lot. I had my mat and towels in the car but I guess I took a change of clothes out.

By then it was 3. I took a nap after I went to the store. I FOUND OUT MY STORE DOES CARRY THE WHOLE WHEAT CORN TORTILLAS I GOT IN ARCATA. I never looked or found them before. I always used Mission, now I'm sold on the tortilla factory in Sonoma.

I read the Sunday paper and clipped coupons until I fell asleep. Last night I was up till 3 a.m. watching a good movie with Kevin Costner.
I never heard of it so it probably wasn't a box office rave. It was set in Mexico.

Tomorrow morning I am hoing to meet the library ladies for one of our 4x a yr.
breakfasts.

I made more and had a tad of raspberry oatmeal but didn't really eat until 8. I made a shrimp salad, and seafood salad which I added more celery and scallion (never thought I'd eat them.) Dad did.. I need to eat earlier.

I didn't however get a cinnamon roll at the farmers market which is good but that's more because they were out.

I read the ingredients of the potato salad I like. No wonder it has chemicals and high fructose. I'll try again with red potatoes or peel potatoes and try those. They price is so much less and it it much healthier. It's good to know what goes in your food.

Now to be bad:

Puff Pastry and Vols-au-Vents

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.
Wow, was this month’s challenge ever a “challenge” . Our temps here in CA are still in the mid 90’s every single day and no A/C! Anyone who has ever worked with puff pastry knows that these are not ideal circumstances for making the dough…But I DID IT!!!! And look how pretty and puffy these turned out!!!

There was a lot of refrigerating going on though and I had butter popping through and melting all over my counter so I was shocked at how nicely these turned out. Unfortunately they took me a whole day to make and then I let them chill over night. After all of that I just ran out of time for making the wonderful lemon mousse that I had planned to fill them with. Whatever, I loved them filled with fresh blueberries and drizzled with chocolate. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway???




For this challenge we had to make puff pastry (Michel Richard’s recipe) and form at least part of it into vols-au-vent…

The recipe and directions:

Equipment:
-food processor (will make mixing dough easy, but I imagine this can be done by hand as well)
-rolling pin
-pastry brush
-metal bench scraper (optional, but recommended)
-plastic wrap
-baking sheet
-parchment paper
-silicone baking mat (optional, but recommended)
-set of round cutters (optional, but recommended)
-sharp chef’s knife
-fork
-oven
-cooling rack

Prep Times:
-about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule)
-about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)

Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.

Fill and serve.

*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.

*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.

*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Steph’s note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. While I encourage you to make the full recipe of puff pastry, as extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.

There is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). They do seem to give slightly different ingredient measurements verbally than the ones in the book…I listed the recipe as it appears printed in the book. http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter

plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Steph’s extra tips:
-While this is not included in the original recipe we are using (and I did not do this in my own trials), many puff pastry recipes use a teaspoon or two of white vinegar or lemon juice, added to the ice water, in the détrempe dough. This adds acidity, which relaxes the gluten in the dough by breaking down the proteins, making rolling easier. You are welcome to try this if you wish.

-Keep things cool by using the refrigerator as your friend! If you see any butter starting to leak through the dough during the turning process, rub a little flour on the exposed dough and chill straight away. Although you should certainly chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns, if you feel the dough getting to soft or hard to work with at any point, pop in the fridge for a rest.

-Not to sound contradictory, but if you chill your paton longer than the recommended time between turns, the butter can firm up too much. If this seems to be the case, I advise letting it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to soften before proceeding to roll. You don't want the hard butter to separate into chuncks or break through the dough...you want it to roll evenly, in a continuous layer.

-Roll the puff pastry gently but firmly, and don’t roll your pin over the edges, which will prevent them from rising properly. Don't roll your puff thinner than about about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick, or you will not get the rise you are looking for.

-Try to keep “neat” edges and corners during the rolling and turning process, so the layers are properly aligned. Give the edges of the paton a scooch with your rolling pin or a bench scraper to keep straight edges and 90-degree corners.

-Brush off excess flour before turning dough and after rolling.

-Make clean cuts. Don’t drag your knife through the puff or twist your cutters too much, which can inhibit rise.

-When egg washing puff pastry, try not to let extra egg wash drip down the cut edges, which can also inhibit rise.

-Extra puff pastry dough freezes beautifully. It’s best to roll it into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (similar to store-bought puff) and freeze firm on a lined baking sheet. Then you can easily wrap the sheet in plastic, then foil (and if you have a sealable plastic bag big enough, place the wrapped dough inside) and return to the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost in the refrigerator when ready to use.

-You can also freeze well-wrapped, unbaked cut and shaped puff pastry (i.e., unbaked vols-au-vent shells). Bake from frozen, without thawing first.

-Homemade puff pastry is precious stuff, so save any clean scraps. Stack or overlap them, rather than balling them up, to help keep the integrity of the layers. Then give them a singe “turn” and gently re-roll. Scrap puff can be used for applications where a super-high rise is not necessary (such as palmiers, cheese straws, napoleons, or even the bottom bases for your vols-au-vent).

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent
Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent

In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:
-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choice

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)

Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Ghosts on the River

I'm going to see a play Oct 2nd at Mexican Heritage Plaza with Rudy. If I get a job, I'd like to see Wicked and South Pacific in San Francisco.

I am reading Wild Orchid by Stuart Woods and another by Clive Clusser.

I spent another 3 hrs trimming the front and rear bushes. Who knew they would need so much maintenance. I never used to think about it.

My sleeping may be straightening out. Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I should have gone to swim at 5.a.m. I was exhausted by 1 a.m. I fell asleep during Carson Daily until 8:30 then was up till 1 and took another nap. Now at 5p.m. I feel good. I haven't taken a sleeping pill in a few days.

I'm going to look for my recipe for coleslaw someone gave me in Hi. I haven't made it in 10 yrs at Kim's shower, but it is really good. I need to learn how to cut recipes in half. I want to make some more fish tacos. Despite the tortillas being 70-90 calories each they still have to be low in calories especially if you heat them in the microwave not oil in a pan.

I am barely functional with fractions. When I asked what double one was at Thanksgiving dinner one time, my friend Karen, a lawyer, said scornfully 'Oh come on." Yes I was embarrassed. I know I should have better math skills but as Karen and Michael can testify it isn't that I haven't tried. I took Algebra 5 times to pass the CBEST point by point to teach.

The best effort was with a self programmed text book of 2 at NVCC. I may still have them. Conceptual or abstract mathematical concepts get lost in the function of my brain. Maybe it's neuroscience wiring. The nuns at Imaculata seemed to think I could be taught. I sure didn't benefit from my tutoring in 5th grade camp at St. Maria's in MD. Or Algebra tutoring from Michael's friend Jeff or my friend's Norm or Marilyn's attempt to help. Geometry is a whole other thing. Theorems freeze and proofs numb my mind. Differential equations were a stretch for me in business school. Calculus...please. I walk by the kids just sucking it up in awe. It seems to go in their brains so easily. It must have begun in 4th and 5th grade. I know Dad even tried to tutor me much to our frustration.

You know the bad rap girls of my generation got about math. Math causes my brain to freeze. I can add, subtract, multiply and divide. All beyond is a bonus. Only boys were good at it..not. Just look at my friends Marilyn, Karen, Carolina and apparently, the other Karen, the lawyer, who moved back E. to N.J..

Now that seems a daunting feat. A few years ago I wouldn't have blinked. somehow I've become less daring. Someone online suggested I come and teach in China. I once interviewed to teach in Japan. I contemplated Europe more seriously. The tie up was storing all my stuff. I still would travel Mexico, Belize,Costa Rica, South America, Europe and Australia alone.

It would do me good to purge house. When I contemplated moving while Dad was helping me list my house I started packing things up.
My friend Gloria helped me clean the garage once and she took it upon herself to purge things like a skateboard and a kite, other things that I took in over the years from other people like Kim purging when she or her mom's house was emptied after she died. That was sobering. They were there 4o yrs. I've been here 30 in Oct.. I cleaned out the garage once since then but it needs it again.

This guy in Las Vegas told me I was loosing hands at the black jack table because I couldn't count fast enough. When I was a cashier though I sometimes came up with the total before the machine.

trimming junipers

strange bedfellows from the fires

My neighbor called and asked me to cit the junipers that are almost encroaching on the sidewalk. He walks his dog every day and is our cul de sac patrolman. The Gardener cut the grass and started on the bushes but I couldn't find the electric hedge trimmer. He stayed working 3 hrs.

I just made heirloom tomato salsa. It's yummy and no jalapeno.

I also made fish tacos. It was easy. I'll have to calculate if my 3 were cheaper than the 8 dollars at the farmers market. I know they were bigger and healthier. I had them for lunch and dinner on whole grain organic
corn tortillas.

I faxed 2 reference letters to the V.P. this morning. I still haven't heard from him. I hope this works out. I was psyched yesterday, now I'm worried. He said they would let me know today.
I guess H,R. actually makes the offer. It would be another raise of 3-5k. I'm at step 3 a BA plus 60 credits and then there is another stipend for a master's. It is less than the 1000. a mo. that SCUSD gave but only a couple hundread.

I need the money.

I need to replace the dmn fence again on one side and maybe cut the trees more. It was standing on a prayer, now with all the plants, vines and branches cur, it's leaning. I've tried to stick in some loose boards to block the holes but it's not really effctive.

My neighbor is getting quotes. I got one guy and he took my money and disappeared. Then we had this one built and here we go again. This time it will be with a licensed contractor who will come repair or replace it if there is a problem.

My bread recipe

In the Kitchen Aide with the dough hook make a sponge...

Put 500 grams of all-purpose flour, a teaspoonful of salt, a heaping tablespoonful of gluten and a teaspoonful of dry yeast in the bowl. Give it a whirr so they mix well.

Now add 300 grams/ml of water. Mix on 6 until it clumps into a ball. See if you think it needs more water or more flour. Irritating sort of instruction, I know, but you just have to eyeball things sometimes.



Now put it on kneading position for two and a half minutes.

Turn it out into a bowl and either dust it with flour all around or give it a coating of oil. Leave it to rise, covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap. I usually make this around midday, when I remember, and leave it to rise over a few hours.



When it´s doubled in size, punch it down (that´s fun) and knead a little. Shape it and leave it to proof if you can. That just means you leave it to puff up a bit again, and then bake it as you will.



For pizza or focaccia I add a good glug of olive oil to the dough. For naans I substitute some of the water for yogurt (125 ml, since that´s the size of yogurt pots in Spain). Sometimes I make half wholewehat half white, and others I add wheat germ, and of course you can go the way of the seeds and nuts. It´s all fairly loose.



That amount makes four pizzas the size of a dinner plate, or eight naans. It can be kept in the fridge and pulled out as need be, so it´s as well to make the full amount, but the recipe can be halved easily.

checking references

Well the principal said he'd like to hire me. The V.P is checking references. 2 had retired. I gave him 5 more.

I took my car into the dealership to get the check engine light diagnosed.

They want 12 dollars for the privilege. It turned out I needed a coolant pump for the inverter for 826. dollars.

Gas is down to 3.33 from 3.35. Before I went to Trinidad it was 2.99. Why did it popup 5 cents.
You can down road Harry Conneck's song All the way on Oprah.com for 24 hrs until sat afternoon. It's great. I love his singing.

When I got the caution light I pulled over on the freeway. I freaked and had to look it up. Then I called the dealership and asked if I could drive the .5 mi. home. I thought it was a check oil light so I went and bought 5 bottles of oil, brake fluid, air and oil filters and took it in to the oil place to get done.

The light was still on so I took it into the dealership and 2.5 hrs later, or the next day I got it back.

The principal said he wants to bring me on board. The V.P. is checking references. I gave him 2 and they retired so I gave him 5 more.

I made 7 jars of raspberry jam. Looks good, I love it when the the caps pop. I don't think it set though. It looks runny. Took a lot of sugar too. I like to use the reduced sugar pectin. Measurements need to be exact and mine were kinda. It's good anyway.

interview

Well, I met w the principal, assistant principal and office manager of Newark Memorial H.S. I also got a tour of the library and textbook facility. It would be a really huge challenge, project and job. I think I did well. If not, I don't think the vp would have taken the tome to give me the tour. Unfortunately, I missed his call and email to postpone so I showed up and waited about 20 minutes. I was there for 1.5 hrs. It's not too far.

No problem, I read "

Eat this not that

" What a good book. If I ever find my Borders gift card I may but it or a used copy from Amazon. It's on my gift list.

I've let all my magazines lapse. I have a stack of unread Vegetarian Times, Gourmet<, Bon Appetite, and O Mag..

Moosewood Restaurant's Lower-Fat Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c 1% cottage cheese

1 1/2 c skim milk or buttermilk

1 t dried mustard or 1 T prepared mustard

pinch of cayenne (or more)

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/4 c grated onions

1 c grated sharp cheddar (4 oz.)

1/2 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni (or other tubular pasta)

2 T finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

1/4 c bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare square (9 or 10 inch) baking pan with a light spray of oil.


In a blender, combine cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. (I used my immersion blender.) In a large bowl, combine pureed mixture with the onions, cheddar and uncooked macaroni. Stir well. Pour macaroni and cheese mixture into the baking pan. Combine the grated Pecoino or Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over top.


Bake about 45 minutes, until topping is browned and the center is firm.

Serves 4.


On the way home my car light came on indication caution and I thought check oil so I went to get my oil air filter,brake fluid, oil filter changed. I pulled off the freeway 1/2 mi from home to read the manual freaked out. I reset the maintenance panel but the check engine light is still on indicating something; could be a system problem,gas cap not tight, fuse or something else. They want 133 dollars for the privilege of looking. I took the car to Speedy for the oil change and bought the oil, air and oil filters and brake fluid for them to save money. It was 40. v. 130 at the dealer. Couldn't avoid them though. Then I got another light on the way that might indicate a tire. They have my car.

I hit the farmers market after calling the dealer and asking if it was ok to drive.

Got a flat of raspberries to make jam and some canning jars. They were a dollar a basket. Cheaper than strawberries at 2. I'm trying to eat organic.

It's always something.

whole wheat pasta

Chicken Pomodoro

Ingredients:

4 chicken cutlets

2 T. vegetable oil

¼ cup vodka

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 T. fresh lemon juice

½ cup tomatoes, chopped

2 T. heavy cream

⅓ cup scallions, minced

Instructions:

Season cutlets with salt and pepper then dust with flour.
Saute cutlets in oil. Transfer to a platter; pour off fat from pan

Deglaze pan with vodka (away from heat) and cook until vodka is nearly gone. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook each side 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.

Finish the sauce with tomatoes and cream. Heat through, then pour over cutlets. Garnish with scallions.


I had zucchini last night w whole wheat pasta and roasted eggplant, red pepper and garlic and tomato sauce, It was the only thing that saved the w w pasta which tastes like cardboard.

I'm back on oatmeal.

I've got these bugs everywhere. Open a bad of flour they fly in, water, the drown,in my new pantry then die there. they raid anything not sealed in jars I keep killing them but I can't het rid of them. they even het in raisins. and oatmeal. they live in the frig and the microwave and come put after being nuked.

White Bean and Bacon Dip with Rosemary Pita Chips

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The homemade rosemary-flecked chips are a great complement to the garlicky dip, but store-bought pitas or bagel chips are a fine stand-in.


Ingredients
Chips:
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 (6-inch) pitas, each cut into 8 wedges
Cooking spray

Dip:
2 applewood-smoked bacon slices, chopped (such as Nueske's)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare chips, combine first 4 ingredients. Arrange pita wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly coat pita wedges with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with rosemary mixture. Lightly recoat pita wedges with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden.

To prepare dip, cook bacon in a small saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add garlic to drippings in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add broth and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Combine bean mixture, onions, and remaining ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon mixture into a bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon reserved bacon. Sprinkle dip with remaining bacon just before serving. Serve with pita chips.

interview

On Wed. I have an interview at Newark H.S. for a librarian opening.

Since school has started they are few and far between and few at any time. Especially with school budgets, this slot frequently is one of the cuts since we are not in the classroom.


I finally got my first unemployment check. sent off for my next 2.

After 39 yrs I am reading a book on bridge. Too many partners bailed. I need to refine my bidding. I got great cards last night. I am too timid to bid game or slam.
Sometimes it takes hrs to connect to games msn. used to use yahoo but it was down

I'm going to see a play in Oct. Can't believe it's almost Oct.

The weather had not cooled. If only we could transfer the flood water and surplus rain 3000 mi. to NV and CA.

We are tinder dry and on high fire danger alert. No burn permits.

I took 2 sleeping pills last night one at 11 and 1 at 2 still was awake till 5.

Vegetable Lo Mein

Add to Shopping
list: 3/4 pound lo mein noodles or whole wheat spaghetti Sesame oil (start with a small amount) 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 4 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves) 1/3 cup sliced scallions (green onions) 1 cup julienne carrot (2 large) 1 cup thinly sliced celery (1-2 stalks) 1 cup thinly sliced red onion (1 medium) 3/4 cup fresh bean sprouts 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Serves 8
. For protein, tofu, chicken, or pork make good additions to this dish.

Ingredients
3/4 pound lo mein noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
Sesame oil (start with a small amount)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1/3 cup sliced scallions (green onions)
1 cup julienne carrot (2 large)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (1-2 stalks)
1 cup thinly sliced red onion (1 medium)
3/4 cup fresh bean sprouts
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Method
Cook the lo mein noodles in boiling salted water until al dente. Cool. Toss lightly with sesame oil to prevent sticking.

Combine the hoisin and soy sauces in a small bowl and mix well.

In a wok or a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon canola oil and quickly sauté the ginger, garlic and scallions until they release aroma, then add the carrots, celery and red onions and briefly sauté before adding the bean sprouts, about 2 minutes.

In a separate medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil and sauté the noodles. When they are hot and look pan-fried or lightly browned, add them to the other sautéed ingredients in the large pan. Add the soy-hoisin mixture and stir to coat. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve.

Michael sent me the Post link.

Lacy threw up

and you stay there until you go!!

I remember Aunt Peggy pouring warm water over the nether regions of Kelly and Kerry so they would go before bed not in it. Took me a long time. I learned by watching the other kids at day care and emulating them.

Lacy used to just get the rug

my liver something is elevated

my blood pressure is 148/93

my weight is down 20 lbs.

I'm subbing

i sleep all day and stay up reading till 7 am on weekends

Trip to Trinidad was great. scenery unbelievable

like fish it was rime to go after 3 days. Ironically i took p sole, scallops and curry -yum the nan was not good frozen but whole wheat tortillas worked fine, Whole wheat pasta tastes like cardboard to me, even tortellini. The bread i can manage.

i was there 6 days sorta...

one going and one 7 hrs back

weather was spectacular

Marilyn was well enough to walk

i got tired of all her stuff she wanted me to do though.. time to go (laundry, watering, shopping 4x...

been online playing bridge

now it takes 30 mg of restoril to knock me out.

i got some more of that icky premarin.

why do i need to use it?

he intimidates me

he said there were pills but they take longer, external application wouldn't do it. I don't understand if its to cure vaginitis and atrophy then u get yeast.

i want a woman. I'll see if i can switch Dr's. some wen are fine but this one bugs me.

bought a mattress online from SC mine is 31 yrs old.

Lacy

Ms. Lacy ready to take messages after her cat nap


I bought a mattress from SC online. let's see how that goes. still haven't heard from them 2 wks. later.

I subbed in 2nd grade. Do all 2nd graders have to go to the bathroom so often or were they playing me? After 10 went I had them sign the board, then had a discussion about going at lunch and recess..oh well.

I didn't want any accidents.


I know in K they have bathrooms in the classroom.

I'm gonna get me some worms for a kitchen compost bin.

sub

I am subbing a 6th grade class tomorrow

I need to buy a new mattress.
Made a spinach mushroom crustless quiche and soon

Salsa Chicken Enchiladas


Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

I jar of good quality salsa (or just you favorite!)
chicken (4 breast or 8 thighs-boneless skinless)

Directions:

Throw chicken and salsa into a crockpot on low and cook for 4-8 hrs depending on whether or not you had the foresight to thaw your chicken (yes, I throw frozen chicken in here).

Once the chicken is done. You need to remove it from the crockpot and the sauce and shred it. This chicken can now be used in tacos, nachos, or anything else that requires some nicely seasoned chicken!

We use it in enchiladas…



Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

corn tortillas
salsa chicken (see recipe above)
shredded cheese
onions, finely diced
enchilada sauce
jalapenos, finely diced

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F.

Using Elise from Simply Recipe’s process of heating the tortillas - “Heat a small light skillet on med-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil (high smoke point oil as indicated above, we use grapeseed oil) to coat the pan. Dip a tortilla in the sauce (I used the sauce from the crockpot that I cooked the chicken in) to coat the tortilla with sauce on both sides. Place the tortilla in the skillet and heat for a few seconds, until the tortilla begin to show some air bubbles. Use a metal spatula to flip to the other side for a few more seconds. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas.”

Using these tortillas place some shredded cheese, onion and shredded chicken in them and roll. Place seam side down in a baking pan large enough to hold the amount you are making. When the pan is filled top with enchilada sauce, onions, cheese and jalapenos.

Pop these in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned and the cheese is all bubbly.

50 mpg hy.

Well the milage on my trip as good. A new bmw is protyped at 90 mpg!

This car is smaller than the Accord and although neither is too comfortable sleeping in the back with the seat down, this one is possible.

tis the season the bounty of summer

Heirloom Tomato Tart in a Parmesan Crust

Inspiration:
Heirloom tomatoes from my garden
and
101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:

6 perfect, colorful, medium-sized heirloom tomatoes - washed and sliced 1/6-inch thick

1 t. fine-grain sea salt


1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour


1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unsalted organic butter, well chilled + cut into 1/4-inch cubes

4-ounce chunk of good fresh Parmesan, microplane-grated (you should end up with about 2 cups loosely packed grated cheese. Save any leftover grated cheese for sprinkling on the crusts when they come out of the oven.)

2 T. ice cold water


2T. best quality extra virgin olive oil


1/4 cup slivered basil


Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Prep the tomatoes:
To avoid a soggy crust later on, you need to rid the tomatoes of some of their liquid. Clear a space on your counter and put down a double layer of absorbent paper towels. Place the tomatoes in a single layer on the paper towels and sprinkle them with about 1 teaspoon fine-grained sea salt. Top the tomatoes with another layer of paper towels and press gently. Let the tomatoes sit here until you are ready to use them.

Make the tart crust(s):
Place both flours, butter, and Parmesan in a food processor and pulse quickly about 25 times. You are looking for a sandy textured blend, punctuated with pea-sized pieces of butter. With a few more pulses, blend in the 2T of ice water. The dough should stick together when your pinch it between two fingers. Pour the dough into the tart pan. Working quickly, press the dough uniformly into the pan by pressing across the bottom and working towards the sides and up to form a rim. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the tart crust:
Pull the tarts out of the refrigerator and poke each a few times with the tongs of a fork. Cover the tart with a square of aluminum foil and fill generously with pie weights. Place on a baking sheet and slide the tart onto the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, pull the shell out of the oven and very gently peel back and remove the tinfoil containing the pie weights. Place the uncovered tart back in the oven, weight free, and allow to cook for another 10 minutes, or until it is a deep golden brown in color. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little shredded Parmesan (this will act as another barrier to the tomato liquid). Let cool to room temperature before filling.

Assembling the tart: Just before serving, arrange tomato slices in a concentric pattern inside the tart shell. Drizzle with your best quality extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with the slivered basil. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe Notes:
This recipe will make one 9 or 10-inch tart OR five 4 1/2-inch tarts.

Anniversary of 9//11

9/11 was it 8 years ago?

I'm going to make coconut lime scallops

For the coconut lime broth:
1 can coconut milk
1 cup vegetable stock
2 shallots, peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a heavy knife
1 Tablespoon ginner, peeled and roughly chopped
1 kaffier lime leaf, rinsed and thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon agave nectar
Sea salt to taste
For the aioli:
1/3 cup aioli
1 tablespoon cilantro leaf, finely sliced
½ teaspoon lime juice
For the orange:
1 orange
For the scallops:
1 lb day boat scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
PREPARATION:
For the coconut lime broth:
Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat, when hot add 1 teaspoon oil, shallots, garlic, lime leaf and ginger.


Continue to sauté stirring until they are fragrant and begin to soften.


Add the coconut milk and stock, allow the mixture to come to a simmer, lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature


Pour the contents of the sauce into a blender, puree to combine the ingredients. Pour the puréed mixture through a fine strainer, press the pulp with the back of a spoon to remove as much sauce as possible.


Add the lime juice, agave and salt to the sauce. Taste and adjust as necessary.
For the aioli:
Combine the aioli, cilantro and lime juice in a small bowl, mix well
For the orange:
Peeled and supreme (cut into segments)
For the scallops:
Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat.


Season scallops with salt and pepper.


When oil is hot, add scallops and sear on both sides until browned, and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total


Remove from heat, blot on a paper towel to remove excess oil, keep warm.
For the dish:
Reheat the coconut-lime broth


Ladle 1/3 cup of broth into each of 4 bowls


Arrange 3-4 scallops in the center of each bowl


Top the scallops with 1-2 teaspoons of the cilantro-lime aioli and two orange segments

Before I left, I asked the gardener if he would move my file boxes into the garage. They have been out there for 2 weeks. Very heavy
I gave him a bunch of T shirts.

I got some shrimp tacos at the farmers market. I'm going to make a quiche with spinach and mushrooms and maybe tofu. That pushes my limit a bit.
I am a reluctant tofu eater. It has to be disguised.

The nectarines are on their last run but cantaloupe, strawberries and raspberries are still out. Lots of grapes and dried nectarines and peaches there along with raisins. I'm not a big fan of almonds but there were 10 flavors. I got some great strawberry sorbet. Usually I just get chocolate but today the 75 percent strawberry won out over blueberry too. There was corn, potatoes, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, beets and the brussel sprouts have come in along with the okra and tomatoes. I passed on the scones and many other things.

I need to find the tie die person and get a t shirt. I got a purple dress in Trinidad. It's long and while perfect for Trinidad it was too hot here at 92.

I picked my first 3 cherry tomatoes yesterday.

Time to register for Evergreen to call me to sub. That will interfere with my reading till 4.

Home at last

Boy is that a long 7 hr drive. I stopped and took a nap under the redwoods for about an hour. Then, I drove straight through getting a bit lost at 11:30 on a deserted park road at 11:00. I couldn't wait to get home.

I finally ran on fumes into the gas station about a mile from my house at 11:30. I was so glad to be home.

I unloaded and collapsed.

I wish I was still in Trinidad and at the ocean, but it was time for Marilyn and I to part. I was tired of running her errands, changing sheets, doing laundry and watering her boxes and plants.

The COOP there in Arcata is spectacular. We have some good ones here but that one I love.

I stopped on my way out of town, filled up and zoomed out.

My blood pressure is up again. I was taking it every day at Marilyn's. Yesterday it was 129/80. Today, 148/90 again. My pulse was normal. Maybe it was because I had just rushed into the building.

Lacy missed me and I her.

I read 4 good FBI thrillers by Catherine Coulter.

time to go

We're starting to irritate one another. I can't hear what she asks. so I move closer and ask her again and she says never mind.

This morning we went on a spectacular walk on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and yesterday went to the state beach which is lovely. I've taken a lot of pictures. I took her to the Dr. on Fri.
Their are so many people in town. Now is better as they leave and it quiets down again.

I read 3 books ans still she says I talk a lot. I 've taken 2 naps and don't talk or disturb her when she is on the computer, trying to concentrate or on her many phone calls.
One day or more too long. I knew to not come Wed.

Marilyn shares an organic farm produce vasjet si we had sime freat stuff

This squash casserole : yellow summer squash cut into rounds, baked with a mix of cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup and a package of corn bread stuffing. Yes, it qualifies as semi-homemade but it sure is good. That said, when I picked up a few pounds of yellow squash and zucchini at the farmers market recently, I didn’t have any of these squash casserole ingredients on hand. So I knew if this squash was going to be eaten I’d just have to improvise. add some cheese

made it

What a long 7 hr. drive. A lot of traffic and road construction.

The temp went from 90 to 70 here. It's nice to visit with Marilyn.

Tonight she had my Indian food and I had the fish I brought. My tummy is upset and has been for 4 days.

My blood pressure is up 148/93


I'm going to make loaded lemon blueberry muffins in the morning

trip postponed

since I didn't get to sleep until 5 I took a sleeping pill and decided to sleep, rest, run errands, hit the farmers market, make more gazpacho and turn in an application

I should be ready to gas and go tomorrow. I was also concerned about being there so long. This should be better.

Finished unloading my summer school files from the car. those 5 boxes weigh a ton. I could drag them off the back seat and on the driveway using gravity but that's it forget about lifting them. Now I'll use and trolly.

Now I don't need to learn to type 45 wpm and take an hr exam. the perspective is half full.

Premarin

Nasty drug Causes immediate hot flashes. I can feel it spread through my body and now 11 hrs later it continues. Hormones are icky. I much prefer a natural homeopathic approach, not to mention it's over 100. a tube. Then I think it caused another problem and a need for Monistat.

I'm heading to Trinidad to visit w/ Marilyn and may be back on Tues. if I can last that long. Visitors and fish begin to smell after a few days. It will take 6 to drive up, a tank of gas, 300 miles, like to LA but N. I'll finally unload the car from all my summer school boxes, hit the farmers market, gas up and go.

I turned in my 1st unemployment form. They used to ask for 3 jobs you applied for now it's 10 in 2 wks.
Bah Humbug, another rejection for the HR job, but it was 12 mo. and lower pay. I've gotten used to 9 mo.