Un-Schweddy Balls

Nearly everyone has seen the infamous SNL sketch. This year, I made these cookies as gifts for family and friends, layered between waxed paper in decorative containers. Larry's little girls really like these, in spite of the "healthy" quotient. Their mama has the container in the freezer and has been doling them out as treats. She asked me for the recipe, which was impromptu, but here goes: 2/3 stick unsalted butter, softened but not melted; 1 cup coconut sugar (or use medium or dark brown sugar); 1 egg; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1/2 tsp. sea salt; 1 T. plus 1 tsp. agave syrup. Cream together. Zest 1 mandarin orange without white pithy part, or equivalent amount regular grated orange peel; squeeze juice into mixture. Use half the juice if it's a large orange. Mix all until ingredients are blended and a bit fluffier. Sift dry ingredients: 2/3 cup unbleached flour; 1/3 cup coconut flour; 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (whole wheat is okay; pastry flour has less gluten); 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1/3 tsp. ground ginger; 1/4 tsp. cloves; 1/3 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg. Add to creamed butter/coconut sugar mixture and stir. Add: 2/3 cup quick oats; 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. baking powder It should be a fairly stiff, sticky dough. Add: 1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used Trader Joe's orange-flavored, but regular are okay); 1/3 cup dried blueberries; 1/2 cup chopped pecans; 1/2 cup bulk coconut (fine shreds). Incorporate dried fruit and coconut into rest of ingredients and let dough sit about 20 minutes, as the coconut flour and dried fruits will absorb some of the moisture. Preheat oven to 350. Form into 2" to 2.5" balls using your hands. If the dough is too dry to hold together easily, add a little juice or milk. If you prefer flatter cookies, flatten with a wet glass bottom or fork. (I like the round shape because they are a little denser and creamier in the middle and the dried fruit doesn't get as hard in the oven.) Space the balls on a half sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly (I use coconut spray, which adds another layer of coconut flavor). Bake about 15 minutes, or until the outside surface and coconut start to turn a little brown. If they were flattened, it will be about 12 minutes or so. Cool before stacking or putting in a cookie jar. To be really decadent, these could be dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate.

Eggplant & Tofu in Black Bean Garlic Sauce

This is an approximation of what I used to get at Thanh Thao on Hawthorne in Portland, Oregon. I'm not good at exact measurements, but this is pretty close. I use my toaster oven as part of the process. Cube one medium Italian egglant or two smaller Asian thin eggplants, salt, and let the chunks sit about 15-20 minutes. Dab with a towel to remove excess moisture, and spread the chunks on an aluminum foil-lined and oiled baking tray. Spray chunks lightly with a neutral oil, then put them under the broiler. When one side picks up some color, turn the pieces and broil them some more. (The best way to pre-cook the eggplant is to do larger slices on a grill, where it picks up some char and grill marks, then cube.) You're not cooking the eggplant until it's done at this stage. Hold the chunks for a minute while you: Heat 2 T. peanut oil (or other oil with a high temperature threshold) in a wok. Throw in the same size chunks of about half a tub of very firm tofu, cubed and drained. Add the chopped white part of two green onions, saving the green for later, and gently stir fry at high heat with 2 cloved chopped garlic, 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil, and 1. T. chopped cilantro (I use the stuff in a tube), plus 1 tsp. fish sauce and some red pepper flakes if you're feeling adventurous. Add the partially cooked eggplant and about 1/3 of a small jar of black bean garlic paste (Lee Kum Kee brand is available in a lot of grocery stores and it isn't bad; I get one at an Asian grocery that's a little less salty, with more distinct fermented black beans in the mix). Depending on the saltiness and moisture level of the eggplant and tofu, add about 1/3 cup broth, maybe 1 tsp. of soy sauce, and the chopped green scallion tops at the very end, saving some for a garnish. Sometimes it's also thickened with a little cornstarch. This all goes together pretty quickly. Don't cook it into mush. Serve over rice --- jasmine brown rice is perfect --- with the additional green onion pieces. Some authentic versions also use more garlic, a little dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine, a dash of Chinese black vinegar and maybe some sugar. There's even a preserved mustard root that can be added.

Mushroom Veggie Burgers

Most meatless burgers are sad, sodden affairs, necessarily camouflaged by all the condiments, lettuce and tomato that will fit on a bun. As a former macrobiotic hippie (it must have been the California/Colorado air) I have not-so-fond memories of veggie burgers made with beans and brown rice and lumpen loaves laden with lentils (yes, that was alliterative in the extreme). "Diet for a Small Planet", anyone? Growing up in a household of nine, I remember Mom sometimes using TVP in the interest of economy to stretch hamburger in chili, meatloaf, etc. I always thought it smelled suspiciously like dry dog food. A recent cholesterol screening has sent me back to the older regime, somewhat modified. Tom, the piratical chicken farmer/Vietnam vet with an eye patch, no longer has my patronage, and I am missing his free-range eggs with the bright yellow yolks. I'm also cutting back on the economical chicken legs and thighs that had been a regular feature of the simpler meals Mom will eat these days. Cheese, my constant craving, has also been pared back to lower-fat varieties. Trader Joe's no longer carries a wonderful jalapeno jack that was zero fat, but I look for parmesan and anything lower than 9 percent. One thing I do like is falafel, but its fat content depends on how much oil is used to fry it. Also, it's not one of Mom's favorite things. She does like cumin, however, and it is laden with fiber and protein as well as flavor. I decided to experiment with a veggie burger variant using falafel mix adulterated with TVP and dried mushrooms to make a veggie burger. To begin, I soaked 3/4 cup each of unflavored TVP and falafel mix plus 2 T. dried onion flakes in 1/2 cup of low-salt chicken broth for 10 minutes. I crumbled in 2 dried morels, 1-1/2 T. dried chanterelles, and 1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, and added 1 teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder, plus 1 teaspoon smoked salt, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of Bragg's amino (or use soy sauce), and 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika. After it sat a few more minutes, I added half an 11.5 oz. can of low-salt V-8 juice, which adds flavor, nutrition and a pleasing reddish hue. After letting the mixture set for a half hour, covered, in the refrigerator, I formed it into 3/4 inch patties and fried them in a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet. A slice of tomato, a little lettuce and some ketchup on a whole wheat bun made Mom happy. I refrigerated the other half of the mixture and tried some more patties a couple of days later. It had plumped a little more and was totally texturally satisfying. I popped a leftover patty under the broiler a day later and discovered it added a lovely crunch. More falafel mix is on the shopping list. Another shopping note: I buy the dried morels and chanterelles from Heidi at the local farmers' market, but Trader Joe's has resumed carrying a dried mushroom mixture that would work nicely. Sliced dried shiitakes crumble quite easily and are less than $2 a package at an Asian grocery in Vancouver. (That would be WA, not BC. There is a growing Asian contingent across the Columbia from Portland, and the prices are excellent.)

Warming Waffles

Having leftover squash usually means making soup, but I had just finished a batch and didn't think Mom would appreciate a rerun. The King Arthur Flour site posted a Gingerbread Waffle recipe that sounded intriguing, as my sister had stayed overnight and a special breakfast was in order. I opted to hybridize the recipe incorporating leftover squash from Christmas dinner plus the gingerbread theme, and it turned out to be a winner, especially with sliced ripe d'Anjou pear served on the waffles. I didn't measure, but here's an approximation that will work, give or take a splash or two of buttermilk. I started with about 1-1/2 cups of the squash puree, which had begun as a knobby, orange non-pumpkin (Kabocha?), oven-roasted and immersion blended. To the puree, I added 1/4 cup dark molasses, 2 T. Truvia, the equivalent of 2 eggs (Eggbeaters), about 1/3 cup coconut sugar (you could use brown sugar), plus 2 T. canola oil. To that mixture, I added 1/3 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and a pinch of cloves, plus a little sea salt. I used about 3/4 cup each of whole wheat pastry flour and unbleached flour, with 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. baking soda. I mixed the dry ingredients together with the liquid ingredients, just stirring enough to incorporate, which resulted in a fairly stiff dough that I thinned with buttermilk until it was the consistency of a thick pancake batter. The waffles were a hit, as they were light yet substantial enough that one made a perfect breakfast. I would not hesitate to use roasted sweet potatoes in a similar role.

Fruit Cake That's Not A Fruitcake

Our neighbors on both sides have been pleasant this year, unlike the bunch who used to live next door, up at all hours with lost friends who sometimes woke us rapping on the wrong window. In gratitude for the more sedate couple now residing to the west and the sweet pair to the east who are occasionally helpful to us two old ladies, in the spirit of the holidays, I was inspired to do some baking. The bulk section beckons this time of year with its cornucopia of dried fruits and nuts. I indulged and also bought some pecans and Plugra butter. Mom used to make fruitcakes every year, sending them to various family members around the country. Fruitcake is the butt of too many jokes, and I must admit that citron can be pretty rank, although Mom's candied grapefruit peel was toothsome. Her holiday date cakes were legendarily moist and yummy but over-the-top rich, particularly when iced. I would rather have a cake that's not so dense as to possibly stand in as a doorstop, containing smaller pieces of natural dried fruits, not citron. This batch makes four small loaves, which are great as gifts or can be frozen for later. I used disposable baking pans for the gifts. They are made of paper from Japan, 2 - 1/2" by 7", and do not have to be greased, or you could use small metal loaf pans sprayed with canola. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine: 1 - 1/2 cubes unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 - 1/2 cups coconut sugar (or use 1-1/4 cup brown sugar); 2 eggs; 1/3 cup agave syrup; 1/2 cup (one four-ounce cup) unsweetened applesauce. Cream together until eggs are incorporated and mixtured is lightened. Add: 1 cup chopped dates; 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; 1/3 cup chopped dried pineapple (optional); 2/3 cup dried cranberries; 3/4 cup chopped pecans; 1 tsp. sea salt; 1 - 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; a pinch of cloves; 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger; 1/3 tsp. ground coriander; 1/3 tsp. grated nutmeg; and 1/3 tsp. ground cardamom. Stir above into creamed mixture, then add: 3/4 cup coconut flour; 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour; 1 - 3/4 cup unbleached flour; 1 tsp. soda; 1 - 1/2 tsp. baking powder; and 1 - 1/3 cup buttermilk Mix flour into the combined ingredients; do not overmix. The dough should not be as liquid as cake batter, but depending on the coconut flour and other ingredients, it could need a bit more moisture. Set your timer for 35 minutes. The center should be set and springy with a toothpick coming out clean and cracks developing in the top. If not, leave it in another five or so minutes. Note the array of spices in thise recipe, borne from the East by my sister, who brought back a bounty from India that sends wafts to my nose when I open that cupboard. Another sis just sent me a coffee grinder to be used only for spices, a Christmas gift resulting from our discussion of that wondrous largesse. A few cardamom pods were split down the side and their tiny contents delivered to the blade, followed by some real mace. The nutmeg was grated on a 'toy' grater, a gift a few years back from my youngest sister, who gave me tiny kitchen Christmas tree ornaments that are adorably true to life. Though I haven't tried the miniature copper pans for real, they look like they would deliver.

PB2+ Cookies

Once again prevailed upon to provide cookies for a candidates' night, I set to work with two serendipitous ingredients I hadn't tried before. The discontinued rack at Carson General Store had a couple of packages of chocolate chips mixed with peanut butter chips. Normally I would have passed them right by, as they contain sugar plus fat, but I thought of cookie-baking duty and picked up a bag for $1.89, a bargain. Baking everything low-sugar, low-fat is a necessity at home, but providing verboten ingredients to the general public causes no qualms, as they would likely pass by any cookie that looked or smelled too healthy. Chocolate chips, especially premium dark chocolate varieties, aren't that high in sugar/fat in the overall scheme of things. My sister gave me a jar of PB2 mixed with "premium chocolate" (make that cocoa powder). This relatively new item is basically peanut butter minus 85% of the fat, and is supposed to be reconsituted with water before making a sandwich, etc. It also has some sugar, but little in the way of incomprehensible chemistry. The chocolate version is a peanut/cocoa low-fat Nutella-like powder. The chips inspired me to throw in a little of this powder with the complimentary flavors and see what happened. The result was better than the "Political Horse Pucky Cookies" of the previous posting, and disappeared even faster. I happen to know they were better because I split the only leftover cookie (snatched from outstretched hands) with Mom last night. Here's my recipe for PB2+ Cookies, which makes about three dozen. Start with 1 cube softened butter, and add 1 cup coconut sugar, 1/4 cup erythritol, and 1 tsp. vanilla paste (or extract). Cream together, stirring in 2 eggs. Then add 1/2 cup PB2+ powder, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 cup unbleached flour (you could use gluten-free), 1/2 cup coconut flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. baking soda and 3/4 cup quick oats. Stir together with 1/2 cup milk, adding the bag of chips last, mixing until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough still has a few dry pockets, add a small splash of milk. Using two spoons, form 2" balls and smoosh them down a little, distributing them evenly on parchment paper on a half-sheet pan. Bake in three batches at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool before storing. To transport them, I put them on paper plates in layers separated by waxed paper, placed in a cake carrier. These are not guilt-free, due to the butter plus small amounts of real sugar in the powder and chips, but the coconut sugar, coconut flour and oatmeal (higher fiber)and protein of the peanut powder redeem them somewhat.

Political Horse Pucky Cookies

Asked to contribute cookies for a candidates' night at the American Legion Hall on the upper Washougal River, I concocted a batch using two ingredients I've been experimenting with lately, coconut flour and coconut sugar; (the latter is a good substitute for brown sugar). The dough is rather stiff and I rolled it into two-inch balls, thinking they would spread some while baking. They didn't, and the result looked like what we as kids used to call horse apples. The candidates' night was an endurance test of political pandering, patriotic posturing, appalling punditry and rigid folding chairs, bookended by flag ceremonies performed by two Eagle Scouts put through their paces by their Boy Scout leader, who barked orders at the boys and interjected his own comments into the proceedings. After two hours punctuated by sporadic bell ringing to signal 'time' for the more long-winded among the office seekers, relieved constituents who had endured those folding chairs without a break fell on the refreshments like locusts. Most of the offered goodies were from the Washougal Safeway bakery, so the rather homely appearance of my horse pucky cookies and a small sign revealing their healthier ingredients did not deter those who descended upon the refreshment table. Two waxed paper levels of cookies rapidly disappeared, leaving a few balls on a paper plate that I was able to take home in Mom's cake carrier. A couple of people asked for the recipe. I hadn't written it down, as I had improvised the batch, so here goes: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened slightly; 1 cup coconut sugar + 1/3 cup erythritol + 1 tsp. stevia powder (you could substitute 1 cup brown sugar, or just 1-1/2 cups coconut sugar, as it is slightly less sweet). Cream together and beat in: 2 eggs, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. good vanilla extract. Add: 3/4 cup coconut flour, 1 cup unbleached flour (you could use gluten-free flour), 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup old-fashioned oats (" " " gluten-free oats), 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 3/4 cup buttermilk. Stir together, adding: 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 2/3 cup dried cranberries. This combination of ingredients results in a stiff dough, so add more buttermilk if the dough still has dry patches, as the coconut flour and oatmeal absorb liquid. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with canola. Roll the dough into 2" balls and distribute evenly over the pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 12 minutes per batch; remove and cool. If stacking them up, use waxed or parchment paper between the layers. Coconut flour can be deceptive. When first removed from the oven the texture may seem dry, but they soften a little in an hour or two, making baked goods that keep their moisture a couple of days. These can also be frozen.

Another Breakfast of Champions

As otherwise noted in these pages, my breakfasts are seldom cereal. Since returning from Alaska, I've had to feed my sourdoughs, so I had a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries this morning, and buckwheat sourdough pancakes with banana yesterday. Mom often has an omelet or fritatta, my way of working a few more vegetables into her diet, and I eat them with her. But on the mornings Mom wants hot or cold cereal, I eschew usual breakfast fare and either rustle up an Asian rice or rice noodle stirfry, or make a breakfast burrito featuring leftovers plus wholewheat flour tortillas and Veronica's homemade-style fresh salsa from Hood River, which are always in the fridge, as is a hunk of tofu. I am not a vegetarian, but find I don't miss the meat, and it is on the menu much less these days. Whatever the time of day, it's always time for a stirfry or Asian noodles. Here is my "Daybreak Pad See Ew." Briefly stirfry chopped gai lan or broccoli in a wok with a little peanut oil and a dash of sesame oil, adding the chopped white part of a couple of scallions and two cloves of chopped garlic. Scramble in one egg. Add 2 T. soy sauce and 1 T. fish sauce to 1/2 package cubed extra firm tofu; place in center of the wok, moving vegetables to the side, then pour in about 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth, and add pre-soaked rice noodles. (Optional: Add 1 handful bean sprouts.) Stir together and cover briefly. Serve immediately with chopped green scallion. Other garnish options: chili sauce on the side, dried chili flakes or chopped chili (a jalapeno is fine) sprinkled on top, and the juice of a wedge of lime and chopped peanuts scattered over the dish. This can also be made with asparagus. If you prefer meat, replace the tofu with bits of fresh pork or chicken, cooking it in step one rather than later in assembling the dish.

Not-So-Hot Jerk Chicken

I love jerk chicken, but have had to do without or improvise since leaving Brooklyn in 1983. Lately, I have renewed my love affair with allspice and have always loved the warm spices in Moroccan and Caribbean food. However, Mom has zero tolerance for heat these days. We are officially entering barbecue season. This is a jerk chicken alternative intended for those whose guests can't stand the heat and have to stay out of the kitchen. Guest free? Go ahead and use a scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (or two or three if you can stand it). 1 roasted red sweet pepper, seeded; or drained equivalent of jarred roasted red pepper 1/2 sweet onion, coarsely chopped 2 scallions, coarsely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a chef's knife 3 long sprigs fresh thyme, leaves taken off the stem 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or 1/4 cup brown sugar; or 1 T. dark molasses plus 2 T. erythritol) 1 T. + 1 tsp ground allspice 2 tsp sea salt 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/3 cup unsweetened, unflavored rice wine vinegar 2 T. soy sauce juice of 1 large (or 2 small) squeezed lime, plus lime wedges for serving 1 T. vegetable oil, plus more for brushing grill Freshly ground pepper 1 chicken cut into 8 pieces, 8 drumsticks and thighs, or 4 chicken breasts, cut in half Place red pepper, onion, scallions, garlic, and thyme in a food processor and turn into a coarse paste. Add coconut sugar, allspice, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, and oil; season with pepper. Process until smooth. Marinade can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before continuing. Transfer 1/3 of the marinade to a small bowl and cover and refrigerate for later use to brush on chicken. Transfer remaining marinade to a large glass baking dish or bowl and coat chicken, rubbing marinade under the skin and all over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Take out chicken 1/2 hour before grilling. Heat the grill to low (if you are using a charcoal grill, hold your hand 5 inches above the grate for up to 7 seconds to make sure it's hot enough). Brush grate lightly with oil. Place chicken on grill, skin sides down. Discard the used marinade. Grill chicken, brushing occasionally with the reserved fresh marinade, until browned but not charred. Turn chicken, and continue to cook, moving if necessary to cooler part and basting until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with lime wedges. Oven variation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a heavy skillet placed on medium-low heat. Add part of the chicken to the skillet, skin side down --- do not overcrowd the skillet. Discard used marinade. Cook, brushing occasionally with reserved fresh marinade, turning, until well browned on all sides, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a non-reactive baking dish. Wipe out skillet, brush with more oil and cook remaining chicken, transferring cooked chicken to the baking dish. Brush chicken with more marinade, and transfer to oven. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve with lime wedges. Rice cooked in coconut milk and a romaine or butter lettuce salad with de-skinned orange segments (fancy name: supremes)would be a great accompaniment.

Not Nutella

Nearly every kid between the ages of two and 20 is familiar with Nutella, which used to be reserved for Euro youngsters. When I could find it here, I occasionally liked to smear it on pancakes or enliven ice cream. Now that I am sugar- and fat-free, it is verboten, not to mention expensive. That classic chocolate/hazelnut combination still entices, but I think I've found a remedy that incorporates another favorite, strawberries. My memory was jogged via a Facebook posting by my cousin that included a photo of a chocolate waffle, referencing our Grandma Smith as inspiration. Feeding my sourdough collection now includes two jars of Alaska sourdough (I've been intending to give one away), as well as one French culture and the buckwheat pancake version. I made a batch of sourdough waffle batter from the halves of the non-buckwheat jars, adding to the bowl some Bob's Red Mill 10-grain pancake mix (I find it in the bulk at Huckleberries or Winco), plus buttermilk and a little Eggbeaters. I always add a couple of shakes of salt, about a quarter-teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of baking powder. It made a great batch of Belgian waffles, but Mom's limit was one, and I decided to try something different with the remaining batter, inspired by Cousin Deb. I added about one-third cup of Trader Joe's unsweetened cocoa powder, three packets of stevia, plus the coup de grace, some hazelnut extract. Last Christmas, my sister Polly gave me a collection of natural flavorings, including an intense vanilla sludge with tiny seeds, maple extract, and hazelnut. I was reaching for the vanilla when a light bulb went on ---- Nutella-flavored waffles. Since the waffle iron was already hot, I decided to make the remaining batter into waffles and freeze them. While at Grocery Outlet, I had scored a two-pound container of California strawberries for $1.99. Their fragrance sent a siren song to me as I walked by. They were absolutely perfect, not a moldy or bruised one in the bunch, so to keep them that way, after returning home, I immediately washed, de-stemmed and halved them with some erythritol and a little stevia, and had them stashed in the refrigerator. For dessert, which could just as easily be brunch, I plugged in the waffle iron and reheated a couple of the frozen waffles. Halves can also be thrown in the toaster, but Belgian waffle crags and crannies do better in their original maker. Topped with strawberries and a little juice, they are decadent, a real guilt-free indulgence. The only possible improvement would be a little vanilla ice cream. In the sugar-free, low-fat ice cream department, I've learned from disappointing, chalky experience that Dreyer's is much superior to Breyer's. Umpqua also isn't bad, but it can be hard to find in these parts. Today, May Day, it's supposed to be near 90, so homemade ice cream weather is fast approaching (See previous postings). This morning, Mom and I were reminiscing about a May 1 tradition that has sadly disappeared. She remembers picking small bouquets, leaving them on the neighbors' steps, ringing the bell and running. As kids in Yakima where we had nearby neighbors, we wove baskets from construction paper, filled them with lilacs and other flowers, rang the doorbell and left them on the nearby doorsteps of the more tolerant types, those who actually smiled when they saw us rather than frowning and thinking, "How can they handle all those rambunctious kids?"

The blood-red moon May yet lead to June

Yesterday felt like May already, balmy yet breezy, with a light haze and mucho pollen contributing to the haze also in my head. I couldn't look at the yard without doing something about the overwintered mess, so I grabbed a giant pair of loppers --- overkill for what I lopped, mostly deadhead hydrangea, rosebush ends with last year's bloom remains, dead overgrown oregano and some Blue Lake bean tendrils stubbornly wound around the cable to the TV dish on the roof. I definitely had to use some finesse with those giant rusty loppers to avoid a service interruption, but the job got done. Last night was a "blood moon," a phenomenon combining an eclipse with a lining up of the planet and moon that results in a blood-red orb. This not-once-in-a-blue-moon but an even rarer event was advertised to begin shortly before 11 p.m. Clouds were coming in, but I was impelled to put on my fleece robe, a giant shawl and a hat before venturing out into the darkness. A front was coming in, and clouds rolled across the sky as I sat in a folding chair, shivering, while listening to Jobim on my MP3 player. Perhaps I thought Brazil might warm things up? The MP3 player charger ran out of juice before the skies cleared and a shadow crawled across the face of the moon. Without a tripod, my zoom contributed to the general shakiness and lack of resolution of the images I was able to capture. It was indeed a deeply orange and brooding mystery, actually culminating a bit after midnight. A couple of the photos convey the scene at seven-eighths completion, but the final eclipse was too dark to show in the last images. By that time, I was thoroughly chilled and ready for bed. Nevertheless, the juxtaposition of a mysterious sky, a glimmer of an eye in the backyard and Jobim's saudade cast its magic. In a month, I will be 65, but I never felt it less than last night shivering under that portent-ridden sky. Ukraine, the Kansas City shootings, the one-year anniversary of the Boston bombings --- blood red seems about right, but optimism is stubborn. All is wrong but right in the world, after all. Yesterday, I had an email from a long-lost New York friend, someone I sang with several years and shared the details of failed affairs with. She is living in the Catskills, also retired, and still sings a little. I don't know if she will respond again to the emailed outpouring sent in reply. As usual, I reveal far too much, thus pushing people away. Something was in the air besides pollen yesterday, and I knew it from the moment I awoke. Breakfast was biscuits and gravy, guilt-free version. I located a half-roll of frozen turkey breakfast sausage, and while it thawed in the microwave, mixed up drop biscuits with one-third whole wheat flour, two-thirds unbleached, baking soda, salt and baking powder with about 1-1/2 T. of butter/olive oil spread worked in, plus a half-cup of sourdough starter, and the last of the buttermilk plus some thinned yogurt that was runny anyway. While they baked in the toasted oven, I lightly browned the sausage (just until the red is gone --- any more and it toughens). Dried onion and garlic, some dried sage, black pepper, a pinch of smoked salt and onion powder went into the skillet with 2 percent milk, a couple of glugs of evaporated milk, and a slurry of cornstarch. The gravy was done about the same time as the drop biscuits, and the rest of the dough was turned into (very rough) cinnamon rolls with coconut sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Mom was quite happy for a break in the cereal, buckwheat sourdough pancake or Eggbeater omelette routine. So was I. After a night of blood-red moon and red eyes in the backyard, I warmed a remaining biscuit with leftover gravy in the microwave, sprinkled with a little more evap. The sky is gray, and rain is in the forecast, but there are still reasons to be optimistic, in spite of CNN (which Mom seems to be watching perpetually these days, while muttering that Putin is Hitler).

Cranberry rolls and a chocolate syrup catastrophe

Our neighbors to the east have been good to us, so we decided a homemade gift was in order. I wanted to make a pan of rolls to accompany a card. Out of the refrigerator and onto the counter went my two containers of sourdough, one begun a couple of years ago from French brioche yeast and a batch of Alaskan starter from an envelope that was found in the back of the cupboard, dated 1996. It's been thriving more than a year now. I plugged in the KitchenAid, something I am using more often these days because my arthritic hands can't do as much hand mixing and kneading. Half of the starter from each jar was spooned into the mixer, and after the starters were fed and returned to the fridge, I added a 1 tsp. of yeast slurry and additional lukewarm water to the mixer with a bit of honey and some flour, including unbleached and whole wheat pastry flours, plus a dash of salt, making it about the consistency of thick pancake batter. After a thorough mixing, I covered it with a cotton dishtowel and let it grow a couple of hours. Then I added more flour, (two-thirds unbleached, one-third spelt), incorporating about one-third cup of gluten flour into the dough, which got a little more water but was deemed ready for another rise when it began climbing the dough hook, not quite a dough ball. An hour later, it had risen well. I turned on the mixer and was adding a bit more whole wheat pastry flour when kitchen gremlins went into action. A bottle of Walden Farms sugar-free chocolate syrup jumped from the shelf and managed to shatter in front of the stove, liberally distributing glass and syrup all over the floor while the mixer ran. The dough got a bit over-mixed as I ran for the broom and dustpan. Turning off the mixer and covering the dough once again, I had no option but to fill a mop bucket and go to work. Thirty minutes later, the syrup was gone and the floor was ready for holiday guests. Phew. Too tired to plunge back into roll-making, I instead turned my attention to what I was going to do with the dough. I put about a cup of almonds in the toaster oven on low for about 20 minutes while the floor dried, then dumped them into the food processor with some orange-flavored dried cranberries from Trader Joe's and a few chopped dried apricots. After a rough chop, I added cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and coconut sugar and gave them a whirl. I patted half the dough into a rectangle, and dotted it with room temperature butter covered with the fruit-nut mixture. Rolling it up, I used a serrated knife to cut into rounds, making cinnamon rolls with the addition of another sprinkle of Saigon cinnamon. The rolls were placed to rise two of those toss-away aluminum cake pans. After they doubled in size, they went into a 350-degree pre-heated oven. After they browned some, I pulled them out and cooled them on racks while I mixed up a little butter with sugar-free maple syrup and some confectioner's sugar (a real indulgence). After drizzling the icing over the rolls, a still-warm pan was delivered to the neighbors. Half the almond-cranberry-apricot mixture remained, and I quickly mixed it into an oatmeal cookie dough with more coconut sugar and the last of the real butter, about 1/4 of a stick. The cookies went into the oven with a walnut half topping each one. The result: Cookies to give as presents for my nephews, and two pans of rolls for us as well as the pan that went to the neighbors. The orange-flavored dried cranberry mixture was perfect in each batch, adding a piquant tang that cut the potential for the rolls being overly sweet. The last pan of rolls, sans icing, rests in the freezer. I'm still trying to decide if I'll buy another bottle of chocolate syrup.