A Letter to a Friend: The Joy of Dirty Dishes

[From a letter to a friend]

I hate it when people leave, but I adore the silent hum and hush that fills the house after a happy evening with people you love. I spent my childhood sneaking peeks at my parents’ parties, trying to figure out where that magic comes from. To this day, I still haven’t been able to find the right word for it, but I know what it feels like. And I know how to spot the artifacts and fingerprints it leaves whispering in its wake. Empty wine bottles, corks here and there. Layers of plates stacked on top of one another. Plate, wadded up cocktail napkin, utensil. Plate, wadded up cocktail napkin, utensil.  Stacks of dirty dishes in the sink – and for just one night, nobody cares.

It fills the empty spaces between walls and floors, foundations and ceilings radiating with an almost palpable sense of aliveness.

It’s hard for me to imagine many other moments in life when I feel more acutely aware of the passing of time than in the hum and hush, alone at last, just me and the dirty dishes. These moments leave me feeling deeply blessed, wishing for a bigger dinner table…and more minutes, more years, more dinners, more cheers, more refills and popped corks and cups of coffee (I won’t drink) with dessert.

If I ever write a cookbook, I’m going to call it “The Joy of Dirty Dishes.”

And I will mean it.

Thinking Outside the Lunchbox: Meet the Bento Box

Move over lunchbox, there’s a new lunch box in town. Meet bento!

In all fairness, bento is not technically new. It’s quite old, dating all the way back to fifth century Japan. So what the heck is a bento box? I’m glad you asked. A bento is a single-portion packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. Long story short, it’s a packed lunch in a lunchbox.

The term ”bento” originated from a slang term meaning “convenient.”  Traditionally people working outdoors (whether in the fields, mountains, on fishing boats or in town) carried their lunches with them because they didn’t have time to go home for meals. These boxed lunches typically contained staples such as white rice or potatoes. The boxes provided a simple, convenient way to carry food and to eat on the go.

As time went on, bento evolved from a matter of convenience to a culinary art in its own. Today it is not uncommon to find bento arranged in a style called kyaraben or “character bento,” decorated to look like popular Japanese cartoon, comic book or video game characters. Another popular bento style is “oekakiben” or “picture bento,” which is decorated to look like people, animals, buildings or natural elements such as flowers and plants. Contests are often held where bento arrangers compete to design the most aesthetically pleasing bento arrangements.

Modern Japanese bentos typically consists of rice, fish or meat and one or more pickled, cooked or raw vegetables. Although bento meals are readily available for purchase throughout Japan, everywhere from convenience stores to bento shops, train stations to department stores, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time preparing bentos for the family each day.

A little closer to home, bentos have hopped the pond, popping up in offices and school cafeterias around the United States. My recent re-vegetarianism has affirmed a harsh reality: it can be a challenge to find fast, vegetarian-friendly lunches on the go. (And this “harsh reality” was all the confirmation I needed to give myself permission to begin shopping for a bento box of my own!)

Below you’ll find a handful of the neato bentos (and bento accessories) I have found along the way…

Not sure you can turn rice balls into adorable pigs? No worries. Here are a couple “doable” bentos even the most amateur bento makers can assemble. Click the image for the recipe…

Truckin’: 9 Delicious Examples of Food Truck Typography

BIG WHEEL(Orlando, FL) technically makes 10! A bonus truck. Aren't you just the luckiest little thing? Happy Sunday.

We (= my mothership agency Brains on Fire) are about to begin work on a new project. This is one of my favorite things about working in a creative profession. The possibility phase. Possibilities are infinite. The world is your oyster. This is the point at which we have no real direction in mind, we just know that we’re going on a proverbial creative road trip to somewhere. And just like planning a real trip, we begin gobbling down everything around us for inspiration. You never know where it will come from. Often (if not most of the time) it comes from the most unlikely places. A flash of genius is just as likely to strike while I’m reading an article on sea turtle rescue or perusing street interviews from middle America as it is while I’m sitting in a form brainstorming session. Creative inspiration has a mind of its own. It doesn’t really play well sitting behind a desk, but it loves to strike out of nowhere while you’re at the grocery store, in the shower or driving down the highway.

This is all to say, this morning I was lounging in bed letting serendipity work its magic when I stumbled upon a series of wedding photos set around a food truck. A food truck wedding? Be still my beating heart.

A recent visit from the Type Truck has renewed my love affair with all things truck. (A blog post about this adventure is coming soon.) What’s better than a cool truck / office on wheels? Truck + typography + snacks. If you could figure out a way to integrate dogs and champagne into that equation, you would have pretty much defined my version of mecca. But I digress.

Anyway, I had fun perusing some of the loveliest trucks in the land. And now I’m sharing them with you. So with no further ado, cue the apropos tunes and get ready to experience …

9 DELICIOUS EXAMPLES OF FOOD TRUCK TYPOGRAPHY

MIHO (San Diego, CA)

Click the image below for a closer peek…

DOGTOWN DOGS (Santa Monica, CA)

DENVER BISCUIT CO. (Denver, CO)

SWEETERY NYC(New York, New York)

Deluxe Street Food (Denver, CO)

JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS (Columbus, OH)

PHYDOUGH (Los Angeles, CA)

WYOMING (Portland, OR)

DC EMPANADAS (DC)

Let’s fall in LIKE

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It’s like the blog, only briefer. With more pictures.

And links to interesting stuff to keep you entertained when you’re pretending to be working.

And an image of a goddess stacking pigs. (For real.)

RECIPE: Grandma Maxine’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is my grandma Maxine. The one on the right, in the pink. Technically she is my “step-grandmother,” but nothing about her has ever felt “step” to me. I can say with great certainty that Maxine is one of the best cooks in our family, possibly the country, maybe even the world and/or entire universe. I am biased, of course…but seriously, it’s true.

Arriving at my grandparents’ doorstep, two things were a certainty:  you’d be greeted with a warm welcome and you’d leave with a happy belly. Hash, Homemade chicken and noodles. And my personal favorite, Chocolate Sheet Cake.

I was lounging around in bed this morning listening to NPR (a favorite weekend past-time) and stumbled across this great story from Mo Rocca. Regretful over the passing of his grandmother, Rocca set out across the globe and into the kitchens of the truest culinary masters: grandparents. Along the way he learned as much about life and love as he did about cooking. Click here to listen to the story.

I promise this blog isn’t always going to focus on grandparents, but coming off the heels of “Life, Death and a Dinner Table,” it felt too timely not to share. Happy listening – and happy weekend!

ps: A little gift from my recipe stash to yours. This is one of those recipes that is deceptively simple. There are no glamorous ingredients. It reads like something off a pilgrim’s grocery list. It doesn’t even look that special when it’s complete. But I can pretty much guarantee as soon as you life the fork to your mouth it will change your life, leaving you with a whole new appreciation for the wonders of baking. All other cakes will become instantly inferior. You may even be tempted to hide it from house guests so you don’t have to share. Yes. It is THAT good.

 

Grandma Maxine’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa (heaping!)
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 whole eggs (beaten!)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

• 1-3/4 stick butter
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa (heaping!)
• 6 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pound powdered sugar (minus 1/2 cup)

DIRECTIONS
In your favorite mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add in cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allowing mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour liquid mixture over flour mixture. Stir lightly to cool.

In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda and beaten eggs. Stir buttermilk mixture into chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan adding cocoa. Stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir. Pour over warm cake. Optional: garnish with pecans.

Slice cake into squares. Pour yourself a glass of milk. Eat and enjoy.

Hello, I am so delicious.

Getting FRESH(ly Pressed) with New Visitors

An editor at WordPress just e-mailed to notify me that my post “Life, Death and a Dinner Table” was selected for Freshly Pressed. Pardon me while I repress the urge to jump out of my seat and scream, throw up and throw a parade all at the same time. I am honored. It’s a geeky writer’s dream come true. (And an item I can now cross off my bucket list and replace with something new.)

Even more, it touches my heart that a post that is so near and dear to my heart was selected for this recognition. My grandmother (whose funeral is mentioned in the post) was a writer as well. In many ways, I believe it is just in my DNA. I know she would be so proud. So thank you, whoever is responsible for this.

As for those of you who have wandered here from Freshly Pressed page…Welcome! Hello! Please feel free to wander around, peek in the medicine cabinet and make yourself at home. But before you do that, we should get to know each other.

And there’s only one way to do that.

Hi. I’m Amy. Who are you? 

 

ps: Now for something a little happier (and a whole lot sassier)! 

A Case for Christian Vegetarianism

What? It's only an apple!

Fair to say it would have been a slightly different tale (and perhaps a bit nightmare-inducing) if the first chapter of The Bible had been set in the “Slaughterhouse of Eden” rather than the Garden of Eden. Thankfully that is not the case. And while there is plenty of mention about animal sacrifice and frying up fish in Ye Good Book, there’s also evidence that supports a vegetarian diet may have been the original plan before the humans went and f-ed it all up.

GENESIS
The concept and practice of vegetarian has actual scriptural and historical support. According to The Bible, before the fall (ahem, let’s just ignore the fact that was brought on by an animal and a fruit…), human and nonhuman animals (beings that have or are an ānima, Latin for soul) were completely vegetarian, and “it was very good.”

So says the King James version…

Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.* 

p.s. Call your mother, she misses you. 

Love,
God, *Genesis 1:29

Some people are so convinced that God’s original intention for humankind included adhering to a vegetarian diet, they actually practice something called “The Edenic Diet.” The Edenic Diet was strongly advocated by Reverend Sylvester Graham (1794–1851) who proposed a “diet without meat—especially pork, shellfish, fatty sauces, spices, salt, sugar, coffee, tea, condiments and alcohol.”

Alas, wine is one of those biblical foodstuffs I’d really like to hold onto. And if you want to take it away from me, you’ll have to pry it from my kung-fu death grip. I’m Catholic. What can I say? Sorry, Edenic Diet.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Remember that little line stuffed somewhere between “listen to your parents” and “no adultery?” What was it again? Oh, yeah. Thou shalt not kill – with no specification differentiating the slaughter of animals as better or worse than the slaughter of humans.

 

Dinner: Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Penne + tomatoes + kalamata olives + chickpeas + cucumbers + goat cheese crumbles …drizzled in lemon juice and olive oil. Toss and serve.

Recipe: Tart on Tart Pie

There are two kinds of people I simply don’t trust in life: 1) People who don’t like dogs. 2) People who choose cake over pie.

If you fall into either of those categories, stop reading this post now and seek immediate treatment. Assuming you like dogs and pie (or at least pie) continue reading.

In the world of fruit pies an eternal struggle has been going on for centuries: cherry vs apple. It’s fair to say this epic battle has not only resulted in the dissolution of friendships and marriages, it has lead to some disappointing dinners as well.

In order to settle the debate once and for all, I have devised a solution. I like to think of it as a little “Tart on Tart” action. So with no further ado, I give you Tart-on-Tart Apple Cherry Pie.

———————————————————-

Tart-on-Tart Apple Cherry Pie

INGREDIENTS

CRUST
1 pre-made frozen crust. I simply can’t bring myself to battle homemade crust. If you are a masochist, a quick google should provide plenty of crust recipes. And maybe after you master that impossible skill, you can teach me how to fold a fitted sheet, too.

FILLING
1-2 cans tart cherries, drained
3 tart apples, peeled and sliced (I use granny smiths, but you can mix it up)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

TOPPING
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 T. butter, chilled and cubed
3 t. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine cherries, apples and dry filling ingredients in a bowl. Stir and spoon into crust.

In another bowl, mix together topping flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter cubes using your hands to blend the butter into the dry mixture. If the mixture is excessively greasy, add more flour. If mixture is too dry, cut in more butter. Lightly pack topping over the filling and place pie on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Bake pie until topping is golden (approximately 35 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Continue baking until apples in center of pie are tender when pierced with a fork and filling is bubbly and thick at pie edges (approximately 25-35 minutes.) Cool and serve.

Mmmmmm pie filling.

 

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Cracking the Code: Getting to know egg labels and certifications

Eggs courtesy of Merciful Hearts Farm | Photo Credit: Jennifer Bedenbaugh

When organic milk started popping up in the dairy aisle featuring images of happy, happy cows, I knew there was no turning back. Gone were the days of plastic-jugged factory farm milk at reasonable prices. Almost overnight I became an organic milk consumer, willing to pay significantly more for a half gallon of milk than a galloon of gas (the price of which, I lamented to no end.)

As time has gone on, organics have invaded other sects of the dairy aisle. Yogurt. And now eggs.

For awhile now, I have been paying significantly higher prices for “cage-free” eggs. Last week it occurred to me that I wasn’t exactly sure WHAT that meant. Sure, I like the sound of it – but what does “cage-free” REALLY mean? How is it different from “free range?” And who is controlling these designations?

It  was a question that warranted further investigation.

After a quick online search, I discovered the egg producer offering “cage-free” eggs in my local Publix – is actually a MUCH larger egg producer. Cage-free makes up only a small portion of the eggs they produce. And while I feel good supporting cage-free policies, in the end my dollars is still going to a megacorp that utilizes “traditional” (read: inhumane) factory farming practices I disagree with.

Why are all these new kinds of eggs becoming popular?

Ever since people started becoming aware of the conditions in which laying hens are “traditionally” kept in the U.S. (crammed into “battery cages” packed so closely they can barely move for almost all of their lives, and forced to endure other practices that most people find inhumane), alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. (In Europe they are phasing cages out of egg production.)

Are the hens really better off in these new conditions?

There is no doubt that they are better off. BUT the images that the terms “cage-free” and “free-range” bring to mind to most people are pretty far from the reality of most chickens, whether laying hens or those used for meat.

Who regulates these labels?

There is very little actual regulation, but there are some definitions published by the USDA which are called “Trade Descriptions”. Although they are voluntary, apparently most poultry farms conform to these standards.

CRACKING THE CODE: WHAT DO ALL THE LABELS *REALLY* MEAN?

UNITED EGG PRODUCERS CERTIFIED

The overwhelming majority of the U.S. egg industry complies with this voluntary program, which permits routine cruel and inhumane factory farm practices. Hens laying these eggs have 67 square inches of cage space per bird, less area than a sheet of paper. The hens are confined in restrictive, barren battery cages and cannot perform many of their natural behaviors, including perching, nesting, foraging or even spreading their wings. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. This is a program of the United Egg Producers.

CAGE-FREE

This simply means that the hens are not kept in cages, though there are no regulations to govern care beyond that. According to the Humane Society, cage-free hens usually do not have access to the outdoors. They can engage in many of their natural behaviors such as walking, nesting and spreading their wings. Beak cutting is permitted. There is no third-party auditing.

FREE RANGE/FREE ROAMING

Free-range chickens are (according to voluntary regulations) supposed to have “access to the outdoors” — however, by many reports, the care of many of these hens is structured so that they are very unlikely to go outside. The doors are not opened until the hens are of an age where they are likely to keep doing what they are used to doing, and when the (usually small) doors are opened, they usually don’t go outside. Michael Pollan, in his best-selling book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, describes one farm producing organic, free-range chickens for meat. He says that the chickens are “given outside access” at 5 weeks, then killed at 7 weeks. He never saw a chicken go outside during his visit.

There are no standards in “free-roaming” egg production. This essentially means the hens are “cage-free.” There is no third-party auditing.

ORGANIC

There are regulations to govern what can be called organic. The chickens must be fed organic feed (grown without commercial fertilizers or pesticides), and not given hormones or antibiotics. The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, and are required to have outdoor access, but the amount, duration, and quality of outdoor access is undefined. They are fed an organic, all-vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and pesticides, as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. Beak cutting and forced molting through starvation are permitted. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing.

CERTIFIED HUMANE / HUMANELY RAISED

This is a totally unregulated definition, although organizations are springing up to try to come up with common definitions. The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses but may be kept indoors at all times. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density and number of perches and nesting boxes. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Certified Humane is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care.

AMERICAN HUMANE CERTIFIED

This label allows both cage confinement and cage-free systems. Each animal who is confined in these so-called “furnished cages” has about the space of a legal-sized sheet of paper. An abundance of scientific evidence demonstrates that these cages are detrimental to animal welfare, and they are opposed by nearly every major US and EU animal welfare group. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. American Humane Certified is a program of American Humane Association.

ANIMAL WELFARE APPROVED

The highest animal welfare standards of any third-party auditing program. The birds are cage-free and continuous outdoor perching access is required. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density, perching, space and nesting boxes. Birds must be allowed to molt naturally. Beak cutting is prohibited. Animal Welfare Approved is a program of the Animal Welfare Institute.

PASTURED / PASTURE-RAISED HENS

According to the USDA Trade Descriptions, “birds are raised outdoors using movable enclosures located on grass and fed an organic diet (without hormones or non-organic additives) and/or raised without antibiotics.”The advantage to pasture-raised eggs is that the hens are able to eat a wide variety of the natural food of chickens — greens, grubs, etc. Not only do many people find these eggs to be much tastier, but there is accumulating evidence that the eggs from these hens have better nutritional profiles — less cholesterol, less fat but more healthy Omega-3 fat, and more of other nutrients such as Vitamin A, lutein, vitamin E, and beta-carotene.

VEGETARIAN-FED / NATURAL / OMEGA-3 ENRICHED

These label claims have no relevance to animal welfare.

 

So with all the crazy labels, what’s an egg-eater to do? My solution was simple – and just a short drive up the road. Instead of purchasing my eggs from a producer by way of a grocery store, I’m turning to local farmers to provide my dairy needs from now on. Not only does buying local give me the ability to know EXACTLY where my eggs are coming from (and thus, how those animals are treated), it also means my dollars stay local, supporting area farms and farmers who share my commitment to animal welfare.

My friend Jennifer (the photographer who  of the amazingly beautiful image at the top of this blog) hooked me up with local farmer Deb at Merciful Hearts. Meet Deb and check out the farm on the Merciful Hearts Farm Blog.