Meatballs & Kale

This is a recipe that became a favorite of mine after the first bite the first time we had made it. It's adapted from a recipe called "Mini Meatballs with Kale and Orecchiette" from Frances Largeman-Roth's Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide. Recently we had plenty of kale to harvest but just a fraction of the amount of parsley needed. I'll post the original recipe and include notes about what we do differently...

1 c. finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons plain, low-fat Greek-style yogurt [omitted for convenience]
1 pound ground bison or lamb [substitute ground turkey]
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground allspice [omitted since we don't have it]
3/4 tsp Worchesershire sauce [I'm sure we put in more than this]
--
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
10 oz package of dried orecchiette [substitute whole grain pasta, like rigatoni]
1-1/4 c. chicken broth
1 bunch kale (5 cups), chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp grated Parmesan, for serving
--
1. Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with spatula [or clean hands] until well combined
2. Place large pot of water on stove to boil; preheat oven to 350-degrees-Eff
3. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spoon out meat mixture and shape into meatballs by rolling mixture between your hands. Set meatballs on the lined baking sheet
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Working in batches, add meatballs in an even layer, and cook on each side for 5 minutes, or until evenly browned. Transfer cooked meatballs to baking dish and place in preheated over for 10 minutes to finish cooking
5. Cook the orecchiette [or pasta]; drain
6. Using the same skillet (don't clean it!), add 1/4 c chicken broth and use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Add the chopped kale, cover, and heat over med-high for about 8 minutes or until wilted. Sprinkle the kale with pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp of remaining salt, and add remaining cup of chicken broth. Bring to simmer for 5 minutes
6. Combine the meatballs, kale, and any remaining liquid in a large bowl with the orecchiette [or pasta]. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve hot.
--
Note: we usually only prepare half this recipe when cooking for only the two of us. Kale is crazy good for you and this recipe will make your mind explode because it is so perfect. Please try it once. It's such an easy recipe and will change your life, I'm sure of it.

Old Old-School

I was thinking about how some of the stuff that I think is cool is basically just regressive and nostalgic in essence. You know? I don't mean like mustaches or aviator sunglasses or popped collars or whatever. I mean like bigger scale, not-ironic kind-of stuff. For example, organic agriculture and small, family farms: like I said before, these are throw-backs to pre-War farming methods. What else? Cycling: essentially unchanged since it's invention in the 1800's (unlike the automobile which was developed around the same time). Environmentalism: basically a way of life before Industrialism. Whole foods: came before mass-production, processing, and packaging.

Strangely, all these things tend to connect, I guess under the umbrella of pre-Industrialism environmentalism. Straight up conservatism. 'Ism for shizzim.

Start of the Art

Today I will embark on a painfully slow journey involving a camera and me, everyday, all year long...

C & J are busy preparing a fantastic feast and I'm reveling in the delight of this sunny day, copious amounts of drinks and food, and the periodic breaks I've taken from my laziness to ride my bike around in the street...

A seed catalog arrived in the mail and I've been flipping through, taking mental notes about what herbs, vegetables, and flowers I hope to plant next year. When I finally commit to an order, I'll write out my list...

Happy 2009

Effin' Catalina Winemixer!

Back to work after a great Holiday up in Cleveland with C's family. I really enjoy spending time with everybody up there. I drank a lot of coffee and a lot of beer, in tandem, all the while eating lots of sugary foods. My first trip to downtown Cleveland, including a visit to the West-side market and Great Lakes Brewery, was a highlight. Also, watched Stepbrothers and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jess and Mike bought us some B.A. coffees, including a shade-grown, fair-trade Guatemalan light roast from Peace Coffee which is getting me super hyped for a day at the office.

C got me a computer for my bike which I hope to use to keep track of miles-traveled in 2009--something which I'll try to keep track of on this here blog. I was at first hesitant about needing the thing, but I'm getting excited to use it and learn about how fast I bike and how far I travel for certain trips. It was great to get back on my bike this morning--even though my body was totally out-of-shape after a week of not riding.

I'm sure there's so much more about which to write, but I need to get some more work done before another long weekend. Sue/Mom and Gary/Dad are coming down later this week to celebrate New Years as well as to help do some work around the house including install canned lights in the living room and hang some doors! I can't wait.

Big ups to C for buying all eight of us matching PJ's to wear on Xmas morning.

DOOM TOWN

This weekend was the highly anticipated Gag/Red Shadows/Coffinworm show in Indianapolis. Chris did a great job pulling everything together and making it happen. You just can't beat a house show... except with a free house show with lots of cheap beer, some home-brewed porters, and a bunch of cool people. I'm really glad I made the commitment to Chris to play with the band and I can chalk this one down as another one of my glory years (but, this was not a last-hurrah). It reminded me of how great if feels to make music. Also I made some friends through the project and hope to keep in contact with them. This week I will work on downloading videos of the show.

Yesterday, our friend Zane and his family hosted a winter solstice party. There was a bonfire that struggled valiantly against something like 30 mph winds and 3 degree temperatures--but we weren't as strong. I'm glad we went though. Not only because the winter solstice is one of the best days of the year to celebrate (the beginning of longer days!), but because Zane is such a good guy. Incidentally I realized he rides a really nice fixed gear bike which blew my mind... While we were downtown, we got to visit with Jess, Mike, and a friend, Ed, while the dogs played, and retrieved some dinner fromThe North Star Cafe...

As for now, I have lots of work to do before leaving town for the holidays, so I'm gonna cut this short. Stay warm: it was reported that Columbus was experiencing a windchill of 16 degrees-below-zero this morning. Balls

Apples

They are a perfect food. And the sound of an apple is that of puppy dreams and rainbows.

When I was a freshman in college, I had the opportunity to tag along with a small group that included a couple of professors and students from somewhere around Wooster to attend a conference titled "Students for Sustainable Agriculture" in Madison, Wisconsin... I think. The whole trip was a whorl-wind and the details were hazy from the start. All I knew for sure was I didn't have to pay for anything, the trip in the van was 8 or so hours, and I was going to a part of the country I had never visited.

Along the way, one of the professors pulled out a bag of apples--probably local and organic, based on the theme of the weekend. As she was talking, she took one out and began eating--that is to say, she never stopped talking, but continued as she crunched through each bite loudly, slurping and crunching, such that I imagine she was gasping for breaths in between the chaos. At first I was grossed out, but became fascinated that she was talking and eating that crisp-slash-juicy apple at once. I don't know about what was the conversation. I am suspicious that all five of us were eventually eating apples and talking. It was marvelous. It gave such life to the apple, as if the perfect sound of an apple was channeled through talking while it was being eaten. It includes that low, muffled bellow that is made when your mouth is full and you try to shield the fact from your friend while continuing to talk; your jaw is hung out a little more than normal as if to hold that food like a plate; your tongue slips to the back of your throat to prevent choking and make space for both food and sound. It defines the collective sound of farms and autumn and sustainability and positive energy...

I am eating one now--a Royal Gala--and the loud, crisp crunch and slurp together fill the relative silence of my closet-sized office.

And it is imperative that a crispy apple be chosen. I'm no connoisseur, but highly recommend Fuji and Galas. No "Red Delicious" for me. That mushy shit has got to go.

Go buy (or pick, then buy... or grow, then pick) a crispy apple and eat that ish off the core. Swim through the sound and make sure it is extra loud. If you can, find someone with an apple and have a lively conversation while you both eat so that chunks of apple flesh and juice are exploding from your mouths like joyous fireworks.
--
Ok. I'm being a little too sappy here. Admittedly, I really have to be in the mood for an apple--and usually I'm not. Today, I've been hungry all day--so, needless to say, I was really feelin that apple... I didn't mean to belittle puppy dreams or anything. Enjoy at your own risk.

True

C baked a pumpkin pie,
I whipped up some heavy cream
We were meant to be

Health is wealth

Dead Prez has a song called Be Healthy
It was inspirational to hear a cool hip-hop group rhyming about eating fresh, whole foods and exercising while rejecting alcohol, cigarettes, OTC medicines, and animal products. I first heard this at a time when I was decidedly abstaining from drugs and alcohol, and becoming very passionate about environmentalism, vegetarianism, and farming/gardening. I hope you enjoy the track as much as I do.

For a while now I have been hoping to write a list of the "essential ingredients of my Good Life"--foods and other things that I have made part of my routine. I think it might be useful to share lists like this, though I'm not sure why... Here goes... (in no particular order)

+ Avocado
+ Almonds, raw & unsalted
+ Mangoes, fresh
+ Broccoli & Carrots, raw (mixed with almonds!)
+ Basil
+ Avocado & Tuna (no mayo!)
+ Honey, honey, and more honey!!! (the all-curing panacea)
+ Peanut butter, crunchy
+ Pumpkin pie, chocolate, & cookies made by C
+ More avocado
+ Chipotle