Home of the Wanderer

It will be a treat! There are many tales about Granny Sage’s fish stew, and of its effects. If you want to know more, or to find out why I don’t have anyone on whom to test the storied properties of the stew, get in touch. I’ll be glad to tell you in person.  (And no, I don’t mean I’ve lost my committee – they’ll be here.)

After a weekend-long training with the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), a late-night meeting of the initial co-creators of MasterPeace Theater, and an early morning, and in anticipation of three weeks of full-paced work and travel, I decided that tonight I would take some time off.

Fortunately, I’d already heard from most of the folks who would have come to the committee meeting that, for one reason or another, they were already busy. I called the rest of them to check in, and share my hope that I would see them next week.

So now I have time to catch up on my work! (more…)

It’s Monday again, and I’m planning another dinner. It’s not like I don’t eat in between, but my other meals seem like less of a production to me. Maybe it’s because my other meals aren’t prepped for four or more people, weekly. Maybe it’s because I use the leftovers and ideas from this Monday meal to inform my other meals. In any case, here’s my working draft for a menu:

• Kale, maybe with an apple-cider-vinaigrette and chopped toasted nuts.
• Yams, roasted with a coating of (non-hydrogenated) shortening.
• Baked apples.

And of course, (more…)

Another week, another new menu:

• Roasted root vegetables (first sauteéd a little, then salted, peppered, and put in the oven).
• Collards, and maybe some chard, with cranberries, apples, and possibly raisins, braised in apple juice.
• Bread and Earth Balance.

I haven’t gotten the ghee yet, and in any case have been unable to find a local source – the best I’ve found so far is Colorado, and I imagine it’s still a lot more pricey even than Earth Balance, while being less versatile. I will try it, but as you can probably tell… I’m hesitant. The dairy allergy isn’t helping with that. (more…)

Each week, I’ve been making dinner for a group of friends who are helping to plan a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party. Sometimes I re-use recipes, but I have more fun coming up with new ones. For example, tonight’s menu:

• A salad of apples, and pears, and mixed greens, with toasted hazelnuts and walnuts, and a sprinkled crumbling of blue cheese.
• Acorn squash roasted with maple syrup and butter (actually, Earth Balance, my favorite non-hydrogenated margarine).
• Steamed fresh brussel sprouts, with a lemon-butter sauce (still using Earth Balance).

All local but the syrup, the cheese, and the Earth Balance, which come from somewhere in Canada, northern California, and all over the world, respectively.

Come to think of it, maybe I need a new replacement for butter. Something local. Probably something low-tech. Maybe butter itself? Or should I continue to avoid the allergen, and rely on my carbon offsets to handle the impact of this globalized food item?

[Edit: Sometimes, the store doesn't have what's in my head.  No mixed greens, but brussel sprouts instead. -Gavin, at 17:40]