Whatever works

Jason seems to have natural propensity for hill running, but it’s a trait we don’t share. He waits for me at the top because he’s a good boy (or maybe it’s because I have the keys?).

At first, I tried to minimize the gap between us with the power of positive mantras.

I would repeat things like, You are stronger than you think; You are faster than you know. Just keep going! One step at a time!

Not seeing results, these mantras gave way to excuses.

Well, you’re tired. You’ve been studying a lot, he has more muscle mass than you, you can’t be good at everything.  Etc, etc, etc.

Then I started placating my bruised ego with, You’re gaining fitness even if you’re a terrible runner!

Finally, I surrendered to my natural instincts.

Bitch, I told myself, get your lazy ass up this hill!

That works.

 

Collard greens

Heirloom tomatoes with hop vines behind the chair

I have been studying and not cooking, so here are some pictures of my back porch "pot garden," instead!

Running Update

Man, this weather has been amazing! The grass is green, the trees are blooming, and all of my plant starters are growing like crazy. It has not, however, been kind to my running.

My olive skin loves to soak up the sun. I’ve stopped counting the times people have said to me, “Holy crap, you’re tan,” which makes it even funnier that Jason is a ginger kid. We’re practically a biracial couple by fall.

But, when I run in the heat, I throw up. I think I’ve finally acclimated a little, but there were a few rough weeks of 70-80 degree weather when I threw up on 4 occasions, and very nearly a few other times. There’s really no way to apologize for throwing up on someone’s lawn yet again, so I just kick some dirt and scurry off quickly.

My mileage is still much lower than I’d like for Quad Rock, the 25 mile trail race in May. I’ve been busier at school than I expected, but I’ve also been having some tendinitis issues. Last week, I put in 21 miles, and we did 32 this week. I’m kind of embarrassed by these meager numbers, but when I consider that I can now run the trails that I used to hike (huffing and puffing), I’m completely happy with my progress.

Year to date: 246 miles—which means I am still pretty much on track to complete my goal of 1000 miles this year. That only is about 20 miles a week, which isn’t a lot, but I have never run consistently for an entire year. I usually get ready for a race, then stop running, get chubby for a few months, wallow in self-loathing, and then pick it up again, thinking, “why the heck did I stop?!”

What I’m cooking:

Matzo ball soup!

Believe it or not, I had never had this before. Let’s just say there wasn’t a terribly strong Jewish influence in Northern Idaho. Besides, Jason makes amazing dumplings, so I always figured matzo balls were similar. They aren’t. Delicious in a completely different way.

This recipe is a conglomeration of several that I’ve tried over the past few months. With the advent of Passover, I thought it’d be an appropriate time to share.

Serves 2 very generously or 4 as a side dish

Matzo balls:

-¼ cup chicken stock or club soda (I use stock because I have it on hand)
-1 T canola oil
-2 eggs, lightly beaten
-2/3 cup matzo meal
-1 T chopped fresh dill (I like the dill, but if you like bland food, you may want to leave it out)
-½ tsp salt
-¼ tsp ground pepper

Soup:

-Desired quantity of chicken stock--about 8 cups (Please use homemade! I assume everyone knows how to make it. Or do I need to write a blog post about it?!)
-2 chicken breast halves (Optional! I really like this soup without meat)
-1 cup diced onion (Some chopped leeks are very nice, too!)
-2-3 sliced carrots
-2-3 stalks of sliced celery
-2 T chopped parsley
-1 T chopped chives (Optional—I like them, but I’m not sure I would miss them much)

Directions:

Mix matzo ball ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook onions, carrots, and celery in a soup pot with a small amount of oil over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add chicken, if using.

Pour in chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are nearly tender, about 20 minutes (depending on how thick you sliced them).

Lightly shape matzo mixture into ½-1 inch balls, and drop them into the simmering soup (12-24 balls). Simmer for 20-30 more minutes. Taste one or two as you go—if they’re dense and chewy in the center, give them a few more minutes. When chicken is cooked, pull it out, allow it to cool for a minute or two, shred coarsely with two forks, and return it to the soup.

Add parsley and chives in the last five minutes of cooking. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Enjoy!

Trust us, we’re connoisseurs

As we slowly plan our wedding, Jason has decided to branch out from beer brewing to make some wine. He started with a Pinot Noir and an Old Vine Zin. But we continue to taste commercially made wine, just in case we accidentally drink all the homemade booze by the time we get around to getting hitched. 

I know what I do and don’t like, but I absolutely haven’t picked up the lingo used to describe the mouthfeel or scent of a wine. Jason will prompt me to describe what I’m tasting, and I’ll stammer, “Umm…well, it’s a little thin…kind of young, maybe? Yeah, it definitely has some sharpness like it’s angry. Yup, young, thin and angry. We should call this one teenage angst!”

I’d make a crack about not giving up my day job, but heck, I don’t even have a job!

What I'm cooking: 

We make pizza once or twice a month. And by we, I mean Jason. This is definitely the Elizabeth-has-to-study meal. It’s also a very cost conscious meal if you don’t go overboard on the cheese and makes great leftovers. The dough recipe is adapted from the one in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. Jason uses the food processor because his mom generously gave us one as a gift, but you could make it by hand.

First, let’s talk about sauce, toppings, and techniques. The dough recipe follows. Here are some general rules from our experience:

• Use a pizza stone. They are cheap, and you can also bake bread and cookies on them. 
• Place the pizza stone in the oven while it’s preheating. If you put your cold stone in the hot oven, you might end up with 2 or 3 smaller, oddly shaped stones. 
• Wash the stone with water and scraping, if needed. Soap can soak in and give everything a funky flavor. We rarely have anything spill off our pizza, so we usually just need to dust off the corn meal. 
• Slice veggies very thin. If they won’t cook in about 10 minutes, you’ll need to par-cook them. For example, onions, mushrooms, and peppers thinly sliced will easily cook in that time. However, something like asparagus spears need to be partially steamed or sautéed. 
• The sauce must not be watery. It should be roughly the consistency of tomato paste (or a very thick white sauce). Otherwise, you have puddles in the center of your pizza and may have to use a fork instead of your fingers. See point below about garlic.  
• Use lots of veggies and get creative! We've used things like thinly sliced potatoes. It’s also fun to crack an egg in the center of the pizza during the last 2-5 minutes of cooking. 
• If your veggie combos seem kind of bland, sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar or salt. Have you seen the research that shows reducing sodium intake isn't effective for controlling hypertension? Plus, most of your sodium intake is coming from processed foods, not what you add to your homemade foods. So go on, live a little.
• In my opinion, picky eating is a sign of emotional immaturity. You’re an adult. Put on your big girl pants, and try something new. You wouldn't believe how many people we’ve converted to goat cheese lovers by sneaking it into the sauce. 
• Roasted garlic is your friend. Douse an entire head with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and roast at a moderate temp (350ish) for 30 minutes or until your entire house smells like heaven. Squeeze the cloves out and mash with a fork. Mix with 2 tsp of tomato paste, a little olive oil, and some goat cheese, and that's a pretty standard "sauce" for us. 
• Fresh herbs are also your friend, especially basil. Either hide it under some veggies so it doesn't burn, or add it in the last minute of cooking. 
• Lighten up on the cheese. Seriously. And don’t use the pre-shredded garbage. That is not cheese. That is disgusting. We like to use many different combos of cheese (whatever is in the fridge), but most commonly, we use a mix of fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, and some parmesan on top—once again, not the crap you shake out of the green cylinder. Buy a block, and grate it…you know, by hand. It’s almost like exercise. Try not to sweat on the pizza.  Bottom line: mix and match cheese for more flavor depth.
• I despise meat on my pizza, so I have no tips on that topic. I imagine you’d want most of your meat selections to be pre-cooked. We did put some prosciutto on a pizza once. That was pretty good. 

Dough recipe

Makes enough for one large pizza

3 c. flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
3 T olive oil
~1 c. hot water
~1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
~1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Corn meal for sprinkling on peel 

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 450.

Pulse flour, salt, yeast, pepper, and nutmeg in food processor. Add oil and pulse to combine. As processor runs, add water just until the dough forms a ball and clings to the side of the bowl. Turn it out on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Wipe inside of a large bowl with olive oil (or use spray if you feel like huffing weird fumes). Place dough ball in bowl, turn once to coat, and then cover bowl with damp towel or cling film. Set aside in a warm place for about 2 hours or until dough ball has doubled in size.

Press the dough down and turn out onto a wooden pizza peel or large cutting board that has been sprinkled with a thin layer of corn meal. Press dough into a disc, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. This allows it to relax, making it easier to handle. 

Finish pressing dough into desired size and thickness—ours is usually 15 inch diameter and a medium thickness crust.

Top with desired sauce and toppings. Gently shake peel back and forth to get the pizza moving (this is where the corn meal is clutch), and transfer pizza onto stone. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is very lightly brown.

Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before cutting. We cut it on the stone. I’m sure it dulls our pizza cutter, but it definitely hasn’t damaged the stone.