About a month ago, the Big D and I were at the local Co-op. Him, juggling three gallon-sized water bottles. Me, trying to find something to ward off morning sickness [more on that later, or maybe just another time]. We both rush in past the table set up in the front door, but I returned to the entrance to get a shopping cart, because handling three empty water bottles is far easier than dealing with three full ones.
I got interested in this lady sitting in the entrance apparently trying to recruit co-op members to run for the Board of Directors. Sounds interesting to me. I'm a member, I've got nothing, nada, zilch going on in my life right now. Well, nothing except for the weary task of making a baby within my own body. [Jeez, so this is what being female is all about? More on that later, or maybe just some other time.]
I keep distracting myself by dwelling on my biological functions. But, what I really want to do is talk about this refreshing change in my life. Not the baby, but the Board.
So, I'm going to run, that means, I'm going to throw my name in for the election. I've never, ever been able to "win" something like this. In some ways it makes me think about popularity contests, haunting memories of unsuccessful bids for student council, etc. But, what the heck, I'm an adult now...and a woman of color. Sadly, there are no people of color on the Board so maybe my brown face will attract some voters.
Yet, another distraction by my biological features...Anyway, so I attended a Board meeting last night. Some would call it boring. I found it utterly fascinating. Most of it was completely over my head and it's rare that I leave a situation where I am astounded by the flow of new ideas, complex projects, and revolutionary discussions.
What really got me - here it is, the thing I wanted to talk about - is that the Board President and the General Manager of the Coop both seemed brilliant and really knew their thing. This is astonishing to me! I rarely encountered this at the University! The College of Liberal Arts was a work environment where the guy answering the phones and booking advising appointment knew more than the Associate Dean and Assistant Dean with their heads put together. I am not exaggerating. Not in the least bit! That the College dealt with leaders more engrossed with their insecure personalities and their failed academic career attempts to be faculty stars was something I knew that just needed to be dealt with in a daily working relationship. But now that I'm out, I am duly impressed with the idea that competent leaders can and will bring about productive environments. And in this case, I believe that these Co-op folks will bring about positive, perhaps revolutionary change!
It was exciting for me! After leaving the University I was jaded, thinking the world was an unproductive place where people just putzed around in the daily grind. Sure there were bright spots here and there but that seemed mostly created by brilliant talented people who did so on their own accord. I couldn't figure out how to make this happen in my own life.
Truth is I was totally isolated, sheltered perhaps, at the University. Living in but not engaged in this great neighborhood where I've owned a home for the last twelve years - NE Minneapolis. Was I a snob? This is a serious question for me. Was I more concerned with global change through University initiatives, rather than seeing the local potential of my neighborhood? The diversity represented on the Central Avenue business district is staggering. It makes me stumble on my feet and stammer out defensive reasons for living where I live - smack dab in the middle of white, Minnesota nice.
And, although this diversity may not be represented in the Co-op Board, perhaps I can be the one to help change that. These folks are doing a great job, but with four new seats open, the doors of opportunity are wide open for me to step in and connect - locally!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A Refreshing Change
About a month ago, the Big D and I were at the local Co-op. Him, juggling three gallon-sized water bottles. Me, trying to find something to ward off morning sickness [more on that later, or maybe just another time]. We both rush in past the table set up in the front door, but I returned to the entrance to get a shopping cart, because handling three empty water bottles is far easier than dealing with three full ones.
I got interested in this lady sitting in the entrance apparently trying to recruit co-op members to run for the Board of Directors. Sounds interesting to me. I'm a member, I've got nothing, nada, zilch going on in my life right now. Well, nothing except for the weary task of making a baby within my own body. [Jeez, so this is what being female is all about? More on that later, or maybe just some other time.]
I keep distracting myself by dwelling on my biological functions. But, what I really want to do is talk about this refreshing change in my life. Not the baby, but the Board.
So, I'm going to run, that means, I'm going to throw my name in for the election. I've never, ever been able to "win" something like this. In some ways it makes me think about popularity contests, haunting memories of unsuccessful bids for student council, etc. But, what the heck, I'm an adult now...and a woman of color. Sadly, there are no people of color on the Board so maybe my brown face will attract some voters.
Yet, another distraction by my biological features...Anyway, so I attended a Board meeting last night. Some would call it boring. I found it utterly fascinating. Most of it was completely over my head and it's rare that I leave a situation where I am astounded by the flow of new ideas, complex projects, and revolutionary discussions.
What really got me - here it is, the thing I wanted to talk about - is that the Board President and the General Manager of the Coop both seemed brilliant and really knew their thing. This is astonishing to me! I rarely encountered this at the University! The College of Liberal Arts was a work environment where the guy answering the phones and booking advising appointment knew more than the Associate Dean and Assistant Dean with their heads put together. I am not exaggerating. Not in the least bit! That the College dealt with leaders more engrossed with their insecure personalities and their failed academic career attempts to be faculty stars was something I knew that just needed to be dealt with in a daily working relationship. But now that I'm out, I am duly impressed with the idea that competent leaders can and will bring about productive environments. And in this case, I believe that these Co-op folks will bring about positive, perhaps revolutionary change!
It was exciting for me! After leaving the University I was jaded, thinking the world was an unproductive place where people just putzed around in the daily grind. Sure there were bright spots here and there but that seemed mostly created by brilliant talented people who did so on their own accord. I couldn't figure out how to make this happen in my own life.
Truth is I was totally isolated, sheltered perhaps, at the University. Living in but not engaged in this great neighborhood where I've owned a home for the last twelve years - NE Minneapolis. Was I a snob? This is a serious question for me. Was I more concerned with global change through University initiatives, rather than seeing the local potential of my neighborhood? The diversity represented on the Central Avenue business district is staggering. It makes me stumble on my feet and stammer out defensive reasons for living where I live - smack dab in the middle of white, Minnesota nice.
And, although this diversity may not be represented in the Co-op Board, perhaps I can be the one to help change that. These folks are doing a great job, but with four new seats open, the doors of opportunity are wide open for me to step in and connect - locally!
I got interested in this lady sitting in the entrance apparently trying to recruit co-op members to run for the Board of Directors. Sounds interesting to me. I'm a member, I've got nothing, nada, zilch going on in my life right now. Well, nothing except for the weary task of making a baby within my own body. [Jeez, so this is what being female is all about? More on that later, or maybe just some other time.]
I keep distracting myself by dwelling on my biological functions. But, what I really want to do is talk about this refreshing change in my life. Not the baby, but the Board.
So, I'm going to run, that means, I'm going to throw my name in for the election. I've never, ever been able to "win" something like this. In some ways it makes me think about popularity contests, haunting memories of unsuccessful bids for student council, etc. But, what the heck, I'm an adult now...and a woman of color. Sadly, there are no people of color on the Board so maybe my brown face will attract some voters.
Yet, another distraction by my biological features...Anyway, so I attended a Board meeting last night. Some would call it boring. I found it utterly fascinating. Most of it was completely over my head and it's rare that I leave a situation where I am astounded by the flow of new ideas, complex projects, and revolutionary discussions.
What really got me - here it is, the thing I wanted to talk about - is that the Board President and the General Manager of the Coop both seemed brilliant and really knew their thing. This is astonishing to me! I rarely encountered this at the University! The College of Liberal Arts was a work environment where the guy answering the phones and booking advising appointment knew more than the Associate Dean and Assistant Dean with their heads put together. I am not exaggerating. Not in the least bit! That the College dealt with leaders more engrossed with their insecure personalities and their failed academic career attempts to be faculty stars was something I knew that just needed to be dealt with in a daily working relationship. But now that I'm out, I am duly impressed with the idea that competent leaders can and will bring about productive environments. And in this case, I believe that these Co-op folks will bring about positive, perhaps revolutionary change!
It was exciting for me! After leaving the University I was jaded, thinking the world was an unproductive place where people just putzed around in the daily grind. Sure there were bright spots here and there but that seemed mostly created by brilliant talented people who did so on their own accord. I couldn't figure out how to make this happen in my own life.
Truth is I was totally isolated, sheltered perhaps, at the University. Living in but not engaged in this great neighborhood where I've owned a home for the last twelve years - NE Minneapolis. Was I a snob? This is a serious question for me. Was I more concerned with global change through University initiatives, rather than seeing the local potential of my neighborhood? The diversity represented on the Central Avenue business district is staggering. It makes me stumble on my feet and stammer out defensive reasons for living where I live - smack dab in the middle of white, Minnesota nice.
And, although this diversity may not be represented in the Co-op Board, perhaps I can be the one to help change that. These folks are doing a great job, but with four new seats open, the doors of opportunity are wide open for me to step in and connect - locally!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Be back soon...
Am a little bit sick these days so I'll resume blogging when I'm feeling a little better and adjusted to the changes in my life...
All good, but for now, a little tiring.
Be well and love one another.
All good, but for now, a little tiring.
Be well and love one another.
Be back soon...
Am a little bit sick these days so I'll resume blogging when I'm feeling a little better and adjusted to the changes in my life...
All good, but for now, a little tiring.
Be well and love one another.
All good, but for now, a little tiring.
Be well and love one another.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
a recipe for beets and many other vegetables
I have no picture for last week's CSA box because we were busy trying to get out of the dang city for the fourth of July weekend. Delaying the departure to pick up the CSA was well worth it. Although I was a bit hasty with what I decided to give to my mother, I did manage to score some amazing beets.
So, vegetables like beets, turnips, parsnips, etc are what I associate with "american" cooking. These vegetables were not part of my mother's repertoire (of gujarati cooking) as I was growing up. They were relatively unknown to me until the year we began the CSA. Of course, I'd seen them at the farmer's market, but I never had the courage to buy them as I had no idea how to prepare them. The only other encounter I had with them was some strange versions of these vegetables that were served in school lunches. I assume they came fresh out of a can.
The beets in last week's box seemed like large jewels. They were shiny and wet and rich with color. The leaves had magenta veins in them and my mouth just started watering when I pulled them out of the box. I kept the whole batch for myself, in fact, it never even occurred to me to split these babies up with my mother.
I first tried the beets with a recipe that came from the farm. It was a recipe for baby turnips, but I have since found that they work great with a whole lot of vegetables.
Here is my modifies version of the recipe:
Beets with Honey Mustard Dressing
1 bunch beets, greens removed and reserved for later.
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
* cut beets into halves or quarters. Boil in a saucepan until tender (about 10 minutes)
* while beets are cooking, combine vinegar, honey, and mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
* chops beets greens.
* drain beets in colander.
* In a small saute pan, heat olive oil. Add beets and saute until lightly golden. Add vinegar-honey mixture and stir until well coated and glaze begins to bubble in the pan.
* add the beet greens and cook another 2-3 minutes until the greens wilt.
I have done this recipe with turnips, potatoes, and carrots. It's a great way to quickly cook up the some veggies. Sometime I'll try this without boiling the veggies because I dislike using up so many pans.
That's it for today. Seems like lately the weather had been affecting my mood. It's too dang hot for me and I am reluctant to sit with my laptop that just seems to heat up the rest of me. Oh well, sometime, somewhere I will figure what the heck I intend to do with this blog.
So, vegetables like beets, turnips, parsnips, etc are what I associate with "american" cooking. These vegetables were not part of my mother's repertoire (of gujarati cooking) as I was growing up. They were relatively unknown to me until the year we began the CSA. Of course, I'd seen them at the farmer's market, but I never had the courage to buy them as I had no idea how to prepare them. The only other encounter I had with them was some strange versions of these vegetables that were served in school lunches. I assume they came fresh out of a can.
The beets in last week's box seemed like large jewels. They were shiny and wet and rich with color. The leaves had magenta veins in them and my mouth just started watering when I pulled them out of the box. I kept the whole batch for myself, in fact, it never even occurred to me to split these babies up with my mother.
I first tried the beets with a recipe that came from the farm. It was a recipe for baby turnips, but I have since found that they work great with a whole lot of vegetables.
Here is my modifies version of the recipe:
Beets with Honey Mustard Dressing
1 bunch beets, greens removed and reserved for later.
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
* cut beets into halves or quarters. Boil in a saucepan until tender (about 10 minutes)
* while beets are cooking, combine vinegar, honey, and mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
* chops beets greens.
* drain beets in colander.
* In a small saute pan, heat olive oil. Add beets and saute until lightly golden. Add vinegar-honey mixture and stir until well coated and glaze begins to bubble in the pan.
* add the beet greens and cook another 2-3 minutes until the greens wilt.
I have done this recipe with turnips, potatoes, and carrots. It's a great way to quickly cook up the some veggies. Sometime I'll try this without boiling the veggies because I dislike using up so many pans.
That's it for today. Seems like lately the weather had been affecting my mood. It's too dang hot for me and I am reluctant to sit with my laptop that just seems to heat up the rest of me. Oh well, sometime, somewhere I will figure what the heck I intend to do with this blog.
a recipe for beets and many other vegetables
I have no picture for last week's CSA box because we were busy trying to get out of the dang city for the fourth of July weekend. Delaying the departure to pick up the CSA was well worth it. Although I was a bit hasty with what I decided to give to my mother, I did manage to score some amazing beets.
So, vegetables like beets, turnips, parsnips, etc are what I associate with "american" cooking. These vegetables were not part of my mother's repertoire (of gujarati cooking) as I was growing up. They were relatively unknown to me until the year we began the CSA. Of course, I'd seen them at the farmer's market, but I never had the courage to buy them as I had no idea how to prepare them. The only other encounter I had with them was some strange versions of these vegetables that were served in school lunches. I assume they came fresh out of a can.
The beets in last week's box seemed like large jewels. They were shiny and wet and rich with color. The leaves had magenta veins in them and my mouth just started watering when I pulled them out of the box. I kept the whole batch for myself, in fact, it never even occurred to me to split these babies up with my mother.
I first tried the beets with a recipe that came from the farm. It was a recipe for baby turnips, but I have since found that they work great with a whole lot of vegetables.
Here is my modifies version of the recipe:
Beets with Honey Mustard Dressing
1 bunch beets, greens removed and reserved for later.
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
* cut beets into halves or quarters. Boil in a saucepan until tender (about 10 minutes)
* while beets are cooking, combine vinegar, honey, and mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
* chops beets greens.
* drain beets in colander.
* In a small saute pan, heat olive oil. Add beets and saute until lightly golden. Add vinegar-honey mixture and stir until well coated and glaze begins to bubble in the pan.
* add the beet greens and cook another 2-3 minutes until the greens wilt.
I have done this recipe with turnips, potatoes, and carrots. It's a great way to quickly cook up the some veggies. Sometime I'll try this without boiling the veggies because I dislike using up so many pans.
That's it for today. Seems like lately the weather had been affecting my mood. It's too dang hot for me and I am reluctant to sit with my laptop that just seems to heat up the rest of me. Oh well, sometime, somewhere I will figure what the heck I intend to do with this blog.
So, vegetables like beets, turnips, parsnips, etc are what I associate with "american" cooking. These vegetables were not part of my mother's repertoire (of gujarati cooking) as I was growing up. They were relatively unknown to me until the year we began the CSA. Of course, I'd seen them at the farmer's market, but I never had the courage to buy them as I had no idea how to prepare them. The only other encounter I had with them was some strange versions of these vegetables that were served in school lunches. I assume they came fresh out of a can.
The beets in last week's box seemed like large jewels. They were shiny and wet and rich with color. The leaves had magenta veins in them and my mouth just started watering when I pulled them out of the box. I kept the whole batch for myself, in fact, it never even occurred to me to split these babies up with my mother.
I first tried the beets with a recipe that came from the farm. It was a recipe for baby turnips, but I have since found that they work great with a whole lot of vegetables.
Here is my modifies version of the recipe:
Beets with Honey Mustard Dressing
1 bunch beets, greens removed and reserved for later.
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
* cut beets into halves or quarters. Boil in a saucepan until tender (about 10 minutes)
* while beets are cooking, combine vinegar, honey, and mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
* chops beets greens.
* drain beets in colander.
* In a small saute pan, heat olive oil. Add beets and saute until lightly golden. Add vinegar-honey mixture and stir until well coated and glaze begins to bubble in the pan.
* add the beet greens and cook another 2-3 minutes until the greens wilt.
I have done this recipe with turnips, potatoes, and carrots. It's a great way to quickly cook up the some veggies. Sometime I'll try this without boiling the veggies because I dislike using up so many pans.
That's it for today. Seems like lately the weather had been affecting my mood. It's too dang hot for me and I am reluctant to sit with my laptop that just seems to heat up the rest of me. Oh well, sometime, somewhere I will figure what the heck I intend to do with this blog.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Fusion of Sorts...
It's always tricky trying a new recipe. It can be a little scary, but taking the leap can also be very rewarding. I had planned to make a curry noodle recipe using a number of my CSA veggies along with a porcini mushroom fettuccine that I picked up from Annona Gourmet (the place where I bought that fabulous cherry balsamic vinegar). This I had planned for Sunday and so, I also picked up a baguette from the Eastside Coop. But Sunday ended up being filled by lots of gardening and hauling of mulch so I was too tired to get going in the kitchen.
Plans for that curry noodle dish was shifted to Monday. But, I had forgotten about that baguette, which was hard as a rock by dinner time on Monday. I had always wondered what a bread salad was all about, so I did it. The Big D was a little freaked out. Bread? In the salad? Somehow it all worked for me in my mind. I had planned to make a salad, and since the bread was hard, I just thought I would make a bread salad. Thoughts about how to use that bread to soak up the curry sauce with the noodles, I figured, would just work it's way out when it came time to eat.
Fusion number one: Italian bread salad with Asian Curry Noodles
Fusion number two: Curry Noodles.
The dish ultimately tasted to me like a Malaysian dish: a blend of Indian curry flavors with Thai-type noodles. I'd only had Malaysian food once - loved it! - and the memory of it was of all those great Indian flavors but none of that fried heavy taste. Why Thai? Well there was a lot of lime in this dish and a can of coconut milk, which I associate with the Thai curries I've cooked at home.
Here are the results:
Plans for that curry noodle dish was shifted to Monday. But, I had forgotten about that baguette, which was hard as a rock by dinner time on Monday. I had always wondered what a bread salad was all about, so I did it. The Big D was a little freaked out. Bread? In the salad? Somehow it all worked for me in my mind. I had planned to make a salad, and since the bread was hard, I just thought I would make a bread salad. Thoughts about how to use that bread to soak up the curry sauce with the noodles, I figured, would just work it's way out when it came time to eat.
Fusion number one: Italian bread salad with Asian Curry Noodles
Fusion number two: Curry Noodles.
The dish ultimately tasted to me like a Malaysian dish: a blend of Indian curry flavors with Thai-type noodles. I'd only had Malaysian food once - loved it! - and the memory of it was of all those great Indian flavors but none of that fried heavy taste. Why Thai? Well there was a lot of lime in this dish and a can of coconut milk, which I associate with the Thai curries I've cooked at home.
Here are the results:
Looks good, no? Tastes good? No. Hey, but it looks pretty!
The first bite was much better than the last. The Big D ate it all, but I disliked mine so much near the end that I decided not to share with my neighbor. The fusion of Italian and Asian didn't work either. All in all, it was not a good experiment. That's why I haven't shared the recipe. I know I added too much cumin, too much turmeric, too much of everything.
The only great satisfaction I got from this was using up a ton of my CSA veggies, but what good is that if we don't eat the left-overs. Arrgghhh....
A word on mulching before I go: Every year I buy a bag or four of mulch. I try to wait for the sales and by the time those roll around the weeds have gone nuts so there is alot of time pulling weeds before the mulch goes on. That's hard work, annoying, and rather expensive. Especially now when we are trying to rid ourselves of a lawn.
This year, I finally figured out why city parks have those big piles of mulch! Duh! Actually, I've known for a while, just never figured how to transport the large amount that I needed. Finally, I bought a big plastic tub for $5 and made several trips to a local park. This experience really makes me wonder why people by the dyed stuff. Especially since there is so much available for free. It looks "natural" in my yard. And that's because it was mulched from the trees that grow in my neighborhood. I was so happy about this experience that the food disaster could be easily forgotten!
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