Beauty

Studying for my Step 1 board exam unduly consumes me at times. Even when I'm not studying, the mass of accumulated information continues to bang about in my head, producing previously unimaginable associations. To me, for instance "blueberry muffin" is not a tasty breakfast treat; it's a buzzword for congenital Rubella. Butterflies may be delightfully delicate and beautiful creatures, but they only remind me of the classic facial rash of Lupus (a "butterfly" distribution over the nose and cheeks).

Thankfully, Christy makes regular forays into my brain's cyclone of medical facts. One of her more effective techniques is to come into the study and sit on my lap. This treatment methodology has a remarkably rapid onset of action. With a beautiful woman sitting on my lap, concentrating on the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure becomes a singularly irrelevant pursuit. Other matters of the heart become overwhelmingly more compelling.

God certainly brought Christy into my life for many reasons. One of those reasons was balance. I was unbalanced before marrying Christy. Workaholism was real in my life. Everything I did seemed to center around maximizing my personal productivity, squeezing the maximum amount of work out of each day. Beauty was important to me, but I refused to soak it in. There was too much work to do.

With Christy in my life, I can't help but stop to appreciate beauty. Not only is she beautiful, but Christy has an eye for beauty and a heart with the depth and capacity to receive it. This explains why Christy brings so much beauty into my tired brain when she interrupts my frenzy of study by sitting on my lap. I notice first her own beauty but she will then talk to me and point my thoughts to other beauties in the world.

My experience with Christy in medical school has led me to conclude that beauty is an essential ingredient in the simple life lived well. Life is, after all, about producing beauty through a cycle of creative relationships with the natural world, each other, and God. This reality is both simple and beautiful.

Small Spaces

Here is an example where a small apartment, when done right, can be beautiful, open, and even more enjoyable then a huge and spacious mansion.  This little apartment (from nordic design co.) uses space to its advantage.

Barry and I live in a tiny apartment that we've come to enjoy immensely.  We've come to appreciate the small space as an asset (less to clean, more interaction) and not a detriment.  A small space forces you to only keep the most useful and beautiful items because a small apartment just can't handle clutter.  This simplification process is not always easy, but it's worth it!  When we do move into a larger home in the future (almost anything will be larger then our current spot!), the lessons we've learned in our small kitchen will definitely guide our decisions regarding space and its use in a larger area.  But for now, we are appreciating the benefits of a small and cozy home.  You can see more about our simple kitchen space redesign here.

Roasted Vegetables

I love one-dish dinners.  They're filling and simple.  One of my favorites that I go to when guests are coming or I'm feeling the need for a wholesome, veggie-packed meal is Roasted Vegetables.  It's vegan, gluten free, nutritious, and super yummy.  Plus, I try to use vegetables that I don't often eat - parsnips and beets being two examples.  Most vegetables take on a flavor that's hard not to love when they are roasted.  I usually make this as a main course but you could have it as a side as well, just simplify it and don't include as many types of veggies.

The chopping process can take a little bit of time, but the simplicity of the ingredients really shine through.  You could easily prep your vegetables ahead of time as well.  Here's a rough outline of how I go about the process.



Pick Your Vegetables: Sometimes I make the mistake of trying to have too many types of veggies.  3-5 varieties is best.  Sometimes it's nice to go with bright, contrasting colors (see last photo) while other times I try to have more muted, neutral colors like the one below.



Make a basting dressing: That's basically a fancy name for what I mix the vegetables in before roasting them.  This helps the vegetables to caramelize as well as giving them an additional depth of flavor.  It usually consists of the following:

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt/pepper
• seasonings (garlic herb, thyme, rosemary, basil, a dash of cayenne)
• Seeds (sesame, sunflower, etc.  You can add these before or after roasting.)

Plan your baking times: Not all vegetables bake at the same rates.  I normally start with my root vegetables (potatoes first) that will take longer and then move on to the softer veggies such as onions, asparagus, or peppers.  I also check a roasting chart such as this one or this one.

Baking method: Roasting is accomplished at around 450 F.  There are two ways to go about roasting your veggies.  One is simpler and the other improves caramelization.  I've used both methods but I usually prefer the second if I have enough time.

1. Start with your longer-cooking veggies and then add in the other veggies as needed.  For example, start with your potatoes, which need about 30-45 minutes.  When 20 minutes has passed, stir your potatoes and then add your carrots and onions.  After another 10 minutes, add your asparagus.   By the end, your pan will be very filled.  This has pros and cons.  It is easier and less time consuming.  However, a higher vegetable to pan surface ratio increases the delicious caramelization that occurs when the vegetables are in direct contact with the hot surface of the pan.  This can be enhanced by using the second method.
2. Place vegetables on several cookie sheets.  Avoid overcrowding them.  Remove each vegetable type after they have roasted and add in the next type on it's own.  This method is the best for flavor and caramelization.  Sometimes I'll combine two different vegetable types if the roasting times are similar.  When everything has cooked, you'll combine all the different veggies and reheat for just a few minutes more. 

Organizing: Spices!

As we began the new year of 2012, I (Christy) felt the need for some additional organization, especially in our pantry and kitchen cupboards.  We buy a lot of bulk goods and it's hard to neatly organize the numerous bags and little containers that we collect.

Organization does not always equal simplicity, but it can contributes a lot towards it!  However, I'm learning that organization often seems to require the acquisition of more stuff!  Containers for this and dividers for that.  I'm still working on a balance, but I think a middle road is good here.  My pantry is not going to get any better unless I figure out a way to store our bulk food in a neat and non-cluttered manner.  This will probably not happen without the purchase of some type of storage solution.  So my approach is this: buy wisely (quality), minimally (don't go overboard), and take it in stages.  The pantry doesn't need to be finished overnight!  I've made a few purchases so we'll see how it goes :)

One of my storage solutions is already in place, and it's one I'm immensely pleased with!  Uncle Tim created this beautiful spice rack for our overhead shelving (see below), but it's not enough for all the spices we have.

We previously stored what we couldn't fit above into a box in the cupboard but it was cluttered and time consuming to find each spice.  We don't have drawer space or counter space.  I've seen those magnetic fridge ones but I didn't want to clutter up the side of the fridge.  Here's the solution I found for a great price:

If you're looking for a similar solution, check out SpiceStor and look for the 20 extra clips.  They can be cut apart to accommodate larger spice bottles.

Life Lessons with Sammy

Today in my nursing class we were asked to write down five everyday experiences that we were thankful for.  My list included the following:

• The snow capped mountains
• Comfy covers
• Barry's love
• A recent patient on the cardiac ICU
• Sammy's cheerful and faithful greeting every morning when I come home from work

Do you remember Sammy?  He's the Yellow Labrador that has brightened our lives for the past year of living here in CA.  He is really our neighbor's dog but, having both grown up with family dogs, we've enjoyed his presence so much.

Sammy would always sit outside our door while we ate meals, hoping that we would notice his forlorn and hungry eyes.  He loved food, frequently tearing green persimmons and avocados off the backyard trees and enjoying them for an afternoon snack.  A lot of my food photography has Sammy, just outside of the frame, eagerly eyeing my recent creation.  Sometimes I'd include him in the picture, just because.  Barry had a particular soft spot for Sammy and would often sneak him food.  I have never let Barry live down the time when he gave Sammy some of our precious ice cream.  Sammy loved it!

Another of his favorite pastimes was rolling from side to side on the grass.  He would roll and roll and roll with this look of pure delight on his face.  He was probably just scratching his back on the grass, but to all appearances, he was having the time of his life!

Sammy's the dog who taught me just how smart dogs really are.  He'd bring me his empty food bowl when I brought home groceries.  And on one particularly hot day, he dragged the water hose over to my feet and then looked up at me expectantly.

I've never seen such patience in a dog as I did in Sammy.  He'd lay down, put his paws across the threshold, and go to sleep, waiting for me to notice him and give him a pat on the head.  He wasn't pushy, he just asked quietly.  And that kind of asking usually spoke the loudest of all.

Sammy also helped to remind us what was truly important in life.  No matter how good or bad Barry was feeling about his studies or how stressed he was from medical school, Sammy always greeted him with a big smile and an affirming nuzzle.  When I was discouraged about my job prospects, Sammy would sit at my feet and help me ponder life.  For Sammy, life was bigger then grades and exams.  For Sammy, life was good.  And he never failed to tell us that he loved us no matter what.

Inside Sammy's body however, life was not good.  He was dying of cancer.  But each day, without fail, he would roll vigorously on the grass, trot around the backyard seeking for new ways to escape, and greet each of us as we came and went.

When I came back from class this afternoon, Sammy greeted me with those same cheery eyes.  I gave him a loving pat on the head, remembering my class assignment.  I wish I would have taken a few minutes to tell him how much joy he had brought to my life.  But I didn't.

This evening when I came home from spending time with a friend, my neighbor told me that Sammy had passed away.  No more chances to sneak him a cookie or feed him ice cream.  No more cheerful greetings at the gate.

But Sammy has taught us bigger lessons; lessons we'll try not to forget too quickly:  Life is good and the grass is green, make the most of it!  Even when all you can reach is green persimmons, chow down with enthusiasm!  Wait patiently and take a nap, things will start to look up.  And love, love unconditionally, love with cheerfulness and persistence, love even when there are no cookies or ice cream, love each and every day.

We'll try to remember, Sammy.  Thanks for all you taught us.

Love, 

Barry & Christy

Apples to Apples!

We've made several batches of applesauce in the last month or so.  Southern California tends to lag behind the rest of the country as far as seasons go so we've just ended apple season.  There's nothing like the sweet smell of cooked apples to bring on the cold weather.  I made a batch of apple butter during this last applesaucing day and the spicy smell of apple butter is gracing the house with its fragrance.  It is definitely a sure-fire way to put me (Christy) in the holiday mood!

It really is a rewarding experience to put jars on the shelf to eat later.  Currently we have 17 quarts of cranberry applesauce and 11 quarts of plain apple sauce.  And from earlier in the fall, we have 12 quarts of apricot halves, 6 quarts of sliced pears, 8 quarts of nectarines (not sure how these will turn out.  We wanted to do peaches but it was not to be...), and 5 quarts of peach sauce.  Oh, and quite a bit of jam, some blackberry sauce, peach butter, and now apple butter.  :D

Apple Butter

Directions

My process for apple butter is quite simple.  I take about 6 quarts of applesauce and add it to our large slow cooker.  I add 2-3 cups of sugar and a lot of spices including cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice.  I just dump and taste.  The flavors to concentrate as the butter cooks down so it's good to under-season just a tad at first.  You can always add more later.  

When cooking in the slow cooker, make sure to keep the lid off so the liquid will evaporate.  If I'm around the house, I put it on high and stir frequently.  If I will be gone or sleeping, I put it on low.  The whole cooking process took me about 8 hours but it may take more or less time depending on what heat you cook it at.  Alternately, you could cook it on the stove top on low for 4-6 hours, stirring frequently.  

It should cook down significantly and be spreadable by the time you're done.  My 6 quarts cooked down to about 6 pints.  I used half-pint jars for canning so I got about 12 small jars of butter, perfect for gifting!

Expect enticing aroma's to fill the house!  I try to bake fresh bread while the apple butter is cooking so that I can partake in one of the best treats:  fresh apple butter on warm homemade bread.

Apple butter is great for keeping in the fridge or for canning.  If you want to can the jars, visit one of these sources for more detailed canning instructions.

Food in Jars

Hitchhiking to Heaven

Saving the Season

Well Preserved

P.S.  The bread you see is a secret I've been keeping for far too long.  I'm way overdue for a post on my new experiments with sourdough bread ;)

Garden Tidings

We haven't posted much about our backyard garden lately and to be perfectly honest, that's because it didn't really go as planned.  We started all our plants from seed and had such an awesome time watering them and watching them grow.  The dreams of fine summer produce kept us tenderly loving and tending our little seedlings.  But our fine summer garden just didn't live up to our expectations!  We had every kind of ailment, from those pesky red spider mites to gopher city!  The heirloom seeds we ordered weren't quite designed for the hot California sun and we had lots of wilting, droopy plants.  Our tomato plants put out hundreds of flowers, but no tomato in sight!

So, imagine our excitement when the weather started to cool off and our lovely tomato flowers began to turn in to lovely little green tomatoes!  We have just been so excited to watch their shade turn from green to orange to red!  Even some of our striped german tomatoes have produced and they are beautiful!

We've learned a lot and plan to attack next year's garden with vigor.  First item on the list: put in new, gopher-proof chicken wire under the raised beds.  Second, research CA heat resistant plants.  Third, add more plain soil to our nitrogen rich beds.  Fourth, start earlier!

But for now, we sure are enjoying out little bit of summer (ahem... winter) produce!  Just in time too, because we got a tad bit of a frost last night!

Any tips for next year's garden?  We'd love to hear them!