Simple pleasures really are the best --- Ella and Oscar accompanied by smoked gouda and Milton's whole wheat graham crackers, followed by a sip or three of Washington Hills Reisling, rounded out a day that had flummoxed and stymied me. I awakened this Wednesday thinking of several errands reaching imperative status. This weekend includes a couple of events that necessitate a new black ink cartridge, not as easy as it sounds this far from an Office Max. I had ordered a set of cartridges from Amazon, but they do not include black, which would have cost nearly as much in shipping as the entire color set had with free shipping. Earlier this week, Mom and I temporarily succumbed to a flu bug; she was still suffering and although she wanted to make the trip into town, she was obviously not up to it. She eventually made the right decision after a coughing spell. I verified online that my monthly Social Security check had been deposited, and soon the sun was out, although it segued back into rain. My departure was followed almost immediately by a plunge in oil pressure 15 miles after leaving home. I pulled into the town of North Bonneville and turned off the pickup's engine. A magical solution doesn't always work --- if I wait a few minutes and restart the engine, likely as not the oil pressure will resume as if nothing happened. It worked this time but I was wary the rest of the trip. I had memorized the phone number of the only tow truck still operating in the county. Traveling into another county introduces an element of added expense that creates additional anxiety. Every time I shut off the engine in a parking lot, I resigned myself to the possibility that it might not start again, enough anxiety to limit purchases and urge a return to more familiar territory. I was back inside the county lines around 3 p.m. I was glad to see home again, and soon after dinner retreated to my room with Pandora and the added comforts of smoked gouda, crackers and reisling. Not to mention Ella and Oscar.

Getting spicy

I found a garam masala mixture in the bulk section at Huckleberries in Hood River including cardamom, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, fennel and white pepper. It is not as spicy as curry mixtures with chilis.
It smelled quite pungent --- many Indians make their own to ensure strength and freshness. I bought enough to fill a small jar, and I also bought some turmeric, thinking I could substitute a mixture of the two for Mom, who objects if a curry is too spicy.
Spices such as those used in curry dishes can cut triglyceride levels by about one-third even if the meal is high in fat, according to a recent study at Penn State by researcher Sheila West, as quoted on NPR.
Her findings have been corroborated by cardiologist Ravi Dave at UCLA, who added that in addition to lowering triglycerides, insulin levels also dropped about 20 percent. Although other herbs and spices have these properties, he especially finds benefit in using curry. In India, the health benefits of spices are a part of Ayurvedic medicine.
As Mom is a diabetic who takes cholesterol-lowering drugs, I thought she could benefit from more of these spices in her diet. She already uses quite a bit of cinnamon.
Garam masala has healthful properties due to its combination of ingredients, which can vary by region and family tradition. In addition to cinnamon and coriander considered as useful in controlling blood sugar in diabetics, they are also anti-inflammatory.
Coriander has been found to lower cholesterol and can also be used for joint pain. Cumin contains iron, helps digestion and purportedly even helps fight cancer. Turmeric root powder is used in curry mixtures, and gives it the bright yellow color. Turmeric has curcumin, a strong anti-inflammatory, and is supposed to aid digestion in the bowel. Claims for its other health benefits include fighting arthritis, cancer, even Alzheimer's. Some say it also offers protection against cardiovascular and liver disease.
Ginger is another anti-inflammatory, and may be useful in fighting heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and arthritis. Bay leaf has antifungal and anti-bacterial properties.
Other ingredients in garam masala can include malabar leaves, nutmeg and star anise. The mixture can be toasted in the pan as the first step in cooking, or mixed with water, vinegar or coconut milk to make a paste to be added during cooking. It can also be added at the end of cooking to preserve more pungency.
I caught a whiff of the spice packages as I opened the cupboard yesterday, but decided I wouldn't make chicken tikka masala, as first planned. Mom is on a soup kick due to the cold weather and has been feeling a bit fragile. We had finished a batch of clam chowder, so I decided to make split pea soup. I veered a bit from Indian tradition by using Canadian bacon ends and pieces --- they are quite low in fat and add meaty flavor.
Split Pea Soup with Garam Masala
2 large carrots cut in 1/2" pieces
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. or so of freshly grated ginger
Add the above to a large dutch oven with 2 bay leaves and sweat the vegetables, stirring. Pour in the contents of a 32-ounce box of low-salt chicken broth, and chop 2/3 cup of the Canadian bacon ends and pieces, if used. Add a 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire, two grinds of black pepper, and 2 tsp. dried chives (optional).
Into the pot add 1 lb. split peas. Stir, reduce to a simmer and cover. When the peas begin to break up, check the moisture, adding 1-2 cups water or broth as needed. Toward the end of cooking, taste and add the appropriate amount of salt, plus 2 T. garam masala and 1 T. turmeric. Let the flavors blend and the split peas cook to the desired consistency. If you are tolerant of heat, add chili flakes or sriracha to taste. To make it even more spicy, you could add 1 chopped and seeded chili pepper with the vegetables at the beginning of cooking.
In a thicker version, this can also be served over brown basmati rice.