Kali's Temple of Doom

Valentine's Day 2012: Sweet!

2012-02-14T00:58:00.002-05:00

We had a minor crisis at the house yesterday morning and it took me hours to shake the jitters. I cried. I admit it.

It turns out my friends are, as they have been for years, an amazing support system – even virtually – so that their calming words helped me settle my frayed nerves. After a few deep breaths, I decided to make pea soup.

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Cooking relaxes me. Although I do not recommend playing with sharp knives to calm most people’s nerves (do not try this at home, kids!). Then, to continue my relaxation, I listened to the roiling boil and bubbling of the pea soup as I finished yet another chapter of the crime novel.

By early evening, I was so tired I felt at the brink of collapse because I never went to bed. I literally felt like the human personification of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A nap took care of it all and all is back to normal at the limestone.

Thank you all for your love, I felt it deeply.

After midnight, I logged on and on my first visit to Google I enjoyed the Valentine’s Day doodle with Tony Bennett singing to the most adorable and brilliant little animated video.

To my surprise and absolute delight, when you click past the doodle (the second try), my Google+ status update announcing my weekend Twitter feed appears second on the search. Below that silly movie with Reese Whiterspoon and Captain Kirk and the other guy; above another Google+ update regarding a game bundle from Felicia Day (OMG, total nerdgasm!).

Here’s the thing, we were not only above the fold, but above the Wikipedia entry.

How cool is that?!

I finally broke out the chutney!

2012-02-10T04:40:00.003-05:00

Sometime last year a very good friend of ours sent me a package with international foodstuff. She said she hoped it would be both research for my food writing as well as inspiration for more kitchen adventures.

The jar of chutney sat next to the microwave and got moved occasionally when I needed to move the blender or reach to the big bowl were the onions and garlic reside.

Every day I stared at it and I knew it would be opened and used, but I had not yet come to clue as to what to do with it.

Mom is not a picky eater by any means. In fact, it was she who instilled the concept in my head that before I outright rejected a food, I had to try it at least once. “I don’t like that” or “I won’t eat that” must be fully rationalized with something that starts with “I tried it once and…”

As it turns out, Mom will point out that she does not like fruit in her main course. This is not absolutely true and I was able to knock down that argument. What her palate objects to is a sweet entrée.

I argued for sweet and sour chicken or pork and she conceded that if done well, she loved sweet and sour chicken and/or pork.

I looked for the right recipe and it needs a little tweaking, but essentially with a small portion of pork loin cut in strips you can have a really good dish in less than 10 minutes (it’ll take longer to cook the rice).

The recipes I found seared the meat, added green beans and then added the sauce until it bubbled and was ready to serve.

I seasoned the meat overnight with sea salt (not too much because the chutney already contains salt), garlic powder, fresh cracked black pepper and about half a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

I seared the meat on one side as the rice cooked (about 6 minutes). Then I turned the meat and added slivers of bell pepper (orange) and Spanish onions; covered, and cooked in medium low heat for another 6 minutes.

I checked the meat for doneness, added the sauce and served a minute later.

We used Major Grey’s mango chutney and we will certainly be trying it again!

Sweet & Sour Sauce

4 tablespoons chutney

1 tablespoon vinegar

1-1 ½ tablespoons water

A dash of hot pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

The result is a mild sweet and sour sauce. If you prefer it on the sweeter side, add chutney. If you prefer it on the tarter side, add vinegar. If you like it hot, go nuts with the Frank’s Red! Less water produces a thicker sauce and the opposite produces a runnier one. If you want a more authentic Asian flavor, add a little grated ginger for a potent heat.

The original recipe called for white wine vinegar, I used regular white vinegar, but using different vinegars will create a different effect. Balsamic will give it a smokier taste. Red wine vinegar will add a little tart sweetness and depth. Sherry vinegar will give it a slightly different finish, more dry than sweet.

Now that the chutney has received the Mom seal of approval, I will be looking for other exciting things to do with the remainder of my little jar. I have my heart set on roasted chicken in a chutney glaze…

Brandin' Fool!

2012-02-05T02:50:00.000-05:00

It has been an interesting week that has left me on the curve and on yellow alert, if I may mix my metaphors. In one case I dropped the ball, so I can’t complain about my fate, and all I can do is sit back and wait. In the other case, I’m getting a bit of the runaround and my fate is to wait it out.

Waiting… That can kill you, you know? I know patience is a virtue, but I’m not that noble.

In the meantime, I’ve been hit by a creative surge that included putting out the new volume of the cookbook series, a translation of the latest mini-memoir, and write a chapter for the next crime novel.

I also created a new cover for the cookbooks (and theoretically the food column -- though that website is currently in flux so it’ll keep until there’s some resolution). The new logo made me think of branding it and its basic outline became the logo for this blog, the e-publishing blog, the online portal and the Google Plus e-book page, and the new avatar for the Twitter account.

The Amazon author page has been updated and when I was uploading the book trailers it occurred to me that the Spanish editions should get their own trailers and that may very well be the next project. I have to think of the music for it.

I applied for several nice jobs last week and hope one of them comes to fruition, though I have no control over that. I really do need to get back to work, it’s time to rebuild rather than not.

Right now all thoughts are of Super Bowl Sunday. No, I did not suddenly become a football fan. I’m still a fútbol grrrl. But this year is different, not necessarily because of the Giants but because now it is a matter of family pride – so I root with my cousins. This year the Super Bowl is a Watley thing.

More importantly, we have an awesome Game Day Menu that just has my head filled with all sorts of happy thoughts!

For brunch, Mom is making French toast and sausage patties with an orange and blueberry sauce.

Dinner is an eclectic affair that includes Italian slaw (with oil and vinegar and mustard seeds), tamales with a sour cream topping (seasoned with chopped capers, pimentos, fresh parsley and scallions, and a dash of wine vinegar), and some bastardized and “healthy” version of Buffalo chicken wings with a homemade, dilly Ranch dressing (whose coolest feature is that I boiled a bunch of garlic cloves in a spicy stock and the mashed them into the dressing, and because the sour cream and slaw have vinegar in them I substituted with lemon juice).

Mom is busy making her Valentine’s Day candies and in the next few days she’ll start making pretty chocolates too.

So, the challenge continues and tightens its grip, but we keep going, secure in the knowledge that this too shall pass and there is plenty to look forward to!

I love tamarinds

2012-02-01T00:46:00.000-05:00

“Then there is the tamarind. I thought tamarinds were made to eat, but that was probably not the idea.

I ate several, and it seemed to me that they were rather sour that year.

They pursed up my lips, till they resembled the stem-end of a tomato,

and I had to take my sustenance through a quill for twenty-four hours.

They sharpened my teeth till I could have shaved with them,

and gave them a "wire edge" that I was afraid would stay;

but a citizen said no, it will come off when the enamel does" -

which was comforting, at any rate.

I found, afterward, that only strangers eat tamarinds -

but they only eat them once.”

― Mark Twain, Mark Twain in Hawaii: Roughing It in the Sandwich Islands

Tamarinds are an acquired taste, I have been told.

By themselves they can be sour to sweet-and-sour, depending on how ripe they may be. In fact, tamarind is a base for many a sweet and sour dish, mostly in Asian cuisines.

I personally do not turn up my nose at anything or anyone who makes me pucker up. I find it deliciously exciting! So I love tamarinds.

I did, after all, spend a whole childhood playing and eating under the shade of one of these trees. It sheltered and nurtured me and it was often home base on some games of tag.

Around the world the tamarind is used as a pickling agent, as an element in savory soups and stews, candied, and as a refreshing drink.

The tamarind tree is mentioned in early Sanskrit texts and it is sacred to Krishna, the incarnation of the god Vishnu, who sat under the tree when he was separated from his beloved Rhada. He is said to have entered a state of grace as her spirit permeated him. The tamarind tree has its own special place in a tale of Divine Love!

I tell you all this because I put out the little ebook “Fruits of the Family Tree” (available exclusively at the Kindle Store right now). If you’d like to read an excerpt, all about my beloved tamarind, you can find it here.

Sweet, delicious limbo...

2012-01-29T18:40:00.000-05:00

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.”

-Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror King under the Mountain

My travels through limbo continue. It’s an interesting time, for a downtime that is. I’m certainly more hopeful than I was in the aftermath of 2001, although the responses to my job search are not much better at the moment. There are far better opportunities available. The competition is stifling, though.

Still, because there are more interesting jobs available and many more opening up, I have some real adventures to look forward to when I land something. In the meantime, I accumulate bits by doing the odd freelance project.

My taxes are done and I expect my refund in the next week. Of course, it is smaller than last year’s, but it always feels good to get a check instead of having to write one! And although it cut into my refund, there was a squee factor in adding my publishing royalties in the mix.

Book sales are picking up again and that is always welcome, because every penny counts when there’s no steady income coming in.

Regardless of whatever else happened this past year, I accomplished a long-running fantasy and I continue to build on my portfolio and the whole enterprise. It started as an experiment and the journey has not failed to surprise me every step of the way.

With the lunar new year, I guess I am hoping that being born in a year of the dragon bodes well for me.

On the home front, both Mom and I are well and looking forward to trying out all these new recipes for the Cocina Latina cookbook as well as some of the more ingenious finds that I have been tweeting (like the chocolate pudding with honey and avocado).

For the moment, even if in limbo, I am not exactly on neutral. I do wish things would move a little faster, but I remind myself to enjoy the pace because it can change at the drop of a hat.

The theme that I want to remind myself of this week is that even if there isn’t a lot going on right this moment, I have a lot to look forward to. There’s “The Hobbit” for my birthday, and in between I have a lot of reading to do, a lot of learning to acquire, a lot of new friends to acquaint myself with and a lot of patience to make it to the next stage.

Before we move on to all that, I need to do a little research and write a new food column for Barbara Bretton’s website. Quick cheats for pasta sauces? Breakfast for dinner? Yes, it’s hard being me…

Braveheart

2012-01-25T22:53:00.000-05:00

“I pick my favourite quotations

and store them in my mind

as ready armour,

offensive or defensive,

amid the struggle

of this turbulent existence.”

Robert Burns

Today was an uncharacteristically balmy day for late January. To celebrate my godfather’s birthday, we met at El Viejo Yayo for pernil sandwiches with fries and avocado salad, a Puerto Rican coffee (akin to espresso on meth) and flan. It’s a thing.

There is a magic that happens with family no matter how long you haven’t seen each other. Our lunch was also to commemorate the life of a lifetime friend of the family who passed away recently. He’d been given a six-month diagnosis in 1974. I am convinced doctors just can’t count. According to some of these people I shouldn’t have made it past pre-adolescence. Two for two, guys!

Victor could have been, perhaps should have been, my father. He lived life to its fullest knowing full well the odds were firmly against. His only objective was to enjoy every moment.

That is not sustainable for most. It did not matter to him. He made it his life’s mission. Mission accomplished as I am fairly sure that up to that last moment, he did it his way.

I made a pit stop at the old office to hand-deliver a very important piece of paperwork. While there I met with a friend who has been fighting a bout with cancer. She feels almost overwhelmed by the whole ordeal, which is natural, but I wanted to remind her that she has jumped over some seemingly insurmountable hurdles and she can beat this too.

I left her with a smile on her face and I hope it keeps for a bit.

The most interesting part of the trip was running into former colleagues who reminded me that, despite the unfortunate slippery slope that job became, I am appreciated and respected by my peers. This came at the perfect time as I was starting to feel slightly down because the response is lesser than expected at this point.

Finally, we stopped at Trader Joe’s – because good food is nutritious, it also feeds the soul and it is a great creative jolt.

Tomorrow, we hit the problem with renewed zeal. Friends, family, good food and lots of love are truly inspiring. FTW!

We Want Affordable Cookbooks!

2012-01-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

I love bookstores. They are my churches for I worship words and they carry books with lots of words. (Universities are my cathedrals, but follow it to its logical conclusion because this is not about that.)

Of course I love dictionaries and I own several. Fiction has several genres that appeal to me. Non-fiction can be interesting but it requires your full attention. My passion, though, is cookbooks.

I love cookbooks but I find that the new offerings from the major publishers gets pricier and pricier and, while everybody enjoys good food porn, I don’t need to pay for glossy photos of food. What I want, what every buyer of a cookbook wants and needs is killer recipes.

New ingredients, new cooking methods, new flavor combinations – all this excites a cook. The old, tried and true works too – whether for the new cook or for the nostalgia factor. Cookbooks doted with anecdotes or histories are a breed on to themselves and better left for cooks who also happen to be excellent storytellers.

The beauty of electronic readers is that now we have not only the traditionally published cookbooks but also independent and self-published tomes. Usually researched and kitchen tested by home cooks or non-celebrity chefs, these cookbooks offer the same thrills but at a fraction of the price.

These are some of the little gems on Smashwords that I plan to get once I find a job. I can afford it all now, but have resolved not to make any non-vital purchases until I am fully solvent again. Tasty morsels to look forward to:

Emma's Pennsylvania Kitchen by Laura Perkins. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
During the Great Depression and later during the Second World War, my Great Grandmother Emma Patterson was a professional cook at the hotel in Spangler, Pennsylvania. When she passed away, she left behind six handwritten recipe notebooks. I hope you enjoy rediscovering these old family recipes, many of which may not have been used for over half a century. I call it kitchen archaeology.

50 Decadent Uncooked Candy Recipes by Brenda Van Niekerk. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
Try making these easy, decadent uncooked candy recipes. Some of the recipes within the book: No Bake Slice, Chocolate Delights, Christmas Nougat, Crisp Marshmallow Squares Cherry Nut Squares, Coconut Drops, Coconut Caramel Balls, Chocolate And Peanut Butter Squares, Coffee Walnut Lumps, Uncooked Nutty Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies, Date Dainties, Orange And Lemon Coconut Ice,

Savory Moroccan Cusine - Experience the Exotic Flavors of North Africa by Budget Bistro . $3.99 from Smashwords.com
If you are looking for the best in hand selected budget-wise menu recipes, let The Budget Bistro be your source for incredibly delicious culinary creations. Each of our themed cookbooks will include delicious recipes that will fit nicely in your budget.

Easy Cake Recipes by Samuel Parker. $0.99 from Smashwords.com
This book contains easy instructions to prepare tasty cakes.

Happy New Year in Hummus

2012-01-10T01:52:00.001-05:00

Hummus is spreadable gold!

Hummus is probably one of the simplest things to make. Essentially, it consists of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. There are hundreds of variations, as many as there are cooks. In the last three decades it has gone from a Middle Eastern delicacy known mostly to those born in the culture or gourmets, to being part of the popular culture. Is there anyone who hasn’t had, seen or heard of hummus?

At this point, as a packaged food, almost every supermarket has its own hummus spread in the deli section. Of course, some of these are better than others and rarely will you find a prepared one that tastes better than the homemade kind running the gamut from bland to unnatural.

It stands to reason that the freshest your ingredients, the more complex your flavors.

As with any prepackaged foods, I suggest you look carefully to the label and find a brand that has low sodium and only natural ingredients. If you can’t pronounce it, put it down and walk away quickly.

Most brands are priced relatively reasonably, so experimentation will not send you to the poor house. I strongly recommend Trader Joe’s Garlic and Roasted Garlic Hummus, both superior items. For those of you in the New York area, The Family Store has the best hummus in the world. The regular one is exceptional, and I only prefer Minerva’s over my own mother’s; the black bean variety is to die for!

I’m not sure it is necessary to assert that hummus is one of my favorite dips/spreads. It has just become one of my favorite cooking ingredients.

We finally tried the recipe for hummus crusted chicken and have expanded it. I made sliced pork loin the same way. Both were great successes and now I look forward to trying the same with fish.

You can start with cutlets (I do not discount veal or lamb), lightly salt and pepper the meat. Spread hummus over the meat (add olive oil on thicker products). Then bread the meat. We used panko seasoned with garlic powder, but feel free to use regular breadcrumbs.

Brown at a medium high flame of four to six minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the cut; but if it browns too fast, lower heat.

For the pork, and I recommend doing this for all meats, I finished cooking by adding a quarter cup of stock and some capers and covered to steam another five or so minutes. Finish off my serving with lemon wedges.

You’ll have a crunchy exterior and a juicy, tender and delicious meat. Even more awesome: leftovers are great in sandwiches.

The Year in Review

2011-12-31T01:01:00.001-05:00

Year of the Phoenix?

This was certainly it!

2011 will be relegated to mere history in just hours. And good riddance, I’d say if I were not so grateful for the bounty of wondrous things it brought to my life.

I started the year healthier and stronger than I’d been in years, and have reached a lovely plateau of steady health since the spring. I have had no need for my asthma management meds most of the year and, for the first time in over five or six years, I haven’t fallen victim to a debilitating bronchitis or pneumonia.

My weight is returning to human proportions! I don’t pretend to ever return to the outrageous and almost pornographic mid-20s figure, but you may have to start hiding your sons soon…

I lost my job and it was a good gig. I was able to help hundreds, nay thousands of teachers, and by extension put in a tiny effort in making the education system better for our children. It was sad to lose the steady income, the daily interaction with my colleagues, but not the politics or the bureaucracy. I will never miss that! I believe I left my mark and that is good enough for me.

In losing my job, my path to self-publishing was wide open and I sashayed through it with beautiful music in my soul. I was able to give myself completely to this creative pursuit and in the process learned more about my own passions and was able to hone in all my skills and education into the project.

It certainly did not hurt that my books have earned me a few dollars in profit and this has given me the opportunity to meet new people, learned new things, taste new foods and build up my portfolio. More ideas flow freely and it gives me a sense of liberation beyond anything I have experienced before.

Now, I can search for new opportunities that better match my passions, skills, talents and expands my knowledge-base. I am ready for new adventures and mine is waiting for me to find it.

Blessed with yet another year in the company of my mother, who is the most loving support system and most awesome travel companion, I hope to become more like her because it is a truly worthy pursuit.

Another blessing came through social media as I reconnected with old friends, whom I missed; found new friends, whom I treasure; and continue to discover a new (and growing) family, who are reshaping my understanding of my place in this world and making me stronger, smarter and opening my heart to new kinds of love and respect.

Was 2011 the best year of my life? There have been better moments, but the changes have certainly been life-affirming and will continue to affect my life positively.

Thank you for sharing in my journey (you know who you are)!

For 2012, I wish for all of us a year full of good health, good humor, good food, good reads and wondrous adventures. Don’t expect the new year to be magically perfect, make the best of what you have at hand, seize the opportunities that present themselves and all is surely to improve.

Resolve to expand your horizons, even if you have to go up in flames to renew yourself!

Little Bits of Heaven

2011-12-22T23:13:00.002-05:00

For Xmas eve we have put together a little menu of pure mirth.

The first part of the meal includes warm appetizers. There will be two selections from Trader Joe’s that we tried earlier this month and we really liked.

Spicy shrimp bao are steamed buns stuffed with shrimp, Thai basil and hoisin sauce. The crab and langostino Rangoon are crispy wontons with a fish and creamy cheese filling. I will be making my faux soy dipping sauce for it.

Additionally, a friend has sent us two packs of Pedro’s Tamales (beef and pork). I think I'm breaking out the pork ones.

For the cold appetizers (a misnomer because they will be all at room temperature), the feast kicks it up a notch.

I still have a couple of days to decide whether I’m going to make devilled eggs, eggs a la Russe or regular egg salad for the caviar. Mom made a trip to Sahadi’s and we’ll have a truffle mousse as well as a country pate. There are pita chips to slather our goodies on as well as cracked pepper crackers.

We have Brie and Gouda. We also have capicola, Serrano ham and Iberico.

And finally, we have a salmon mousse and tapenade. Oh, yes, and black olives!

A sparkling wine will probably round out our little feast and give us the required sustenance to spend the night wrapping gifts for the little kids and cookies and candies for the neighbors.

That’s the way Santa’s helpers throw down in Brooklyn.

How do you do it?

Another Festivus Miracle!

2011-12-20T00:11:00.000-05:00

The end of the year has brought a waterfall of prospects my way that makes for an exciting 2012. (Click on entry for active links.)

On Dec 20, look for a profile of my novel Justified at The Indie Spotlight. The blog features independent and self-published works and it’s a great resource for readers, I highly recommend you check it out.

Please check out Barbara Bretton’s newest installment of the Sugar Maple series. I was lucky enough to contribute an essay and recipe to the epilogue of her new title, Spells & Stitches. You can get it at Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions, and at Smashwords and several other electronic retailers.

I've just produced a new book trailer for the cookbook. It has the requisite food porn and a bluesy soundtrack for you enjoyment.

In January, look for advertising for my titles on eFiction magazine.

Finally, after a couple of weeks of relative drought, a couple of awesome spots have opened up that have me salivating. I applied to both, but there is one in particular that is the equivalent of a fancy degustation menu at a five-star Michelin restaurant.

I also have my annual cache of pasteles and I am happy, happy, happy!

One Night with B.B.

2011-12-18T04:40:00.000-05:00

Busy weekend at the Temple. I’ve just done my very first bilingual book launch.

Available at Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, One Night with BB (Una Noche con BB) comes in a variety of file formats for multiple ereaders and comes with two mp3 files to enhance the reading experience.

A colorful vignette in four acts, it details a live performance of B.B. King--the King of the Blues--at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-12-14T05:22:00.002-05:00

As a post birthday celebration I took the Geek Test and scored over 49%. Apparently this makes me a super geek. I know some who’d probably argue that score isn’t high enough!

I received a birthday greeting a day ahead from someone who has never really shown any respect for me or whom, in my opinion, does not wish me well. She asked how I've been, and I knew reading and answering that what she wanted to hear was a tale of woe.

I was gracious and then highly amused when her translation of my response has me all but destitute. By the third or fourth telling of the story, I'll be homeless and all my shoes will have holes in the soles!

This person has always had a tenuous grasp on reality her entire life, so much so I wish she’d take up writing fiction. It wouldn’t be half as witty as she images, but it would be interesting in a bizarre way (in the same way watching carnage on screen excites some people).

Had a quiet birthday with Trader Joe’s bounty and a few gifts, including a humorous book titled Cruel Kings and Mean Queens that will make for great reading and research for the steampunk book series.

Also got a cookbook called The Fearless Chef. There are several recipes (already bookmarked) that I wish to try out and will, of course, be reporting on as soon as I make them:

Crab dip with garlic crostini
Aioli
Pork and black bean stew
Green rice
Crispy plantain cakes
Mashed potatoes with salt cod
Shrimp-stuffed squid

And now, we enter another age and meet new challenges along the way knowing we have family and friends that will make the journey with me and make it more the worthwhile.

The business of being Kali

2011-12-10T23:55:00.001-05:00

This one is all business. Click through for direct links.

First, all my titles are on sale for the holidays. For less than a buck you can have the sarcastic, vicarious thrill of a little killing of an obnoxious boss plus a road trip; or a little dysfunction and dim sum; or dozens of love letters to food with matching recipes!

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

I also created an online portal at Weebly which will have (updated) information about all my books and projects – current, ongoing and upcoming.

Also look for a new food column some time this week all about tinned sardines. Why sardines? Cheap, portable goodness in a can. Come on! Your cupboard should always have at least two tins. Trust me.

That is all.

Down and Out in Brooklyn

2011-12-05T23:26:00.001-05:00

I spent a full eight months of relative perfect health. In that time, I used my pump three times but haven’t had a single asthmatic episode. I’ve had maybe three sinus headaches, quickly taken care of with OTC meds. There may have been a short sneezing bout on a pollen heavy day, no big deal.

My contention that our old dusty office with its vents blowing soot and all sorts of debris on us daily was slowly killing me has been validated by the fact that not a single day since I left was spent with teary or burning eyes, choking for air, sneezing or coughing for hours and escalating the asthma to eleven.

My only regret is that they would not take it seriously because it only affected me immediately and quite dramatically. Still, I am afraid there will be long term effects for the others. That just can’t be healthy! Thankfully, they’ve moved to another space and I hope their environmental conditions are better.

At any rate, I have broken that new record and find myself battling a small infection on antibiotics right now. Of course, I am a little run down and there were a few moments I’d rather not repeat – a deep fever accompanied by the shivers (ugh!).

I think the worst part of being sick is that my appetite is gone and that freaks my Mother out… Apparently, no matter how old you get, a mother has this internal red alert that screams, “Oh no, my baby’s not eating! There’s something wrong.”

Of course, she made me chicken soup, which is always a good way to pave the recovery.

This has put the brakes on the creative juices, though ideas peak through and I am taking notes. Please play nice with each other until I can join in the fun!

Chicken Macbeth?

2011-11-21T03:18:00.001-05:00

I should be writing my NaNoWriMo novel right now, I still have over 17,000 words to go. I just don’t feel like it.

There are a million things I should do, but some times I listen to my inner inniu and stay in the moment. I know it’s not sustainable and I may even live to regret following its siren song. But, then I think, I’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow…

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time.
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

I’m on Macbeth mode right now, which I recognize is not optimal, but it shall pass.

I wanted crispy chicken, because frankly that makes me happy, but what I made was the juiciest chicken I’ve ever made.

Now, chicken is one of the things I do really well because I love it so much, I could eat it every day. I own a cookbook called “365 Ways to Cook Chicken” and it doesn’t cover all the ways I have my way with the bird in the kitchen!

The one thing I should make clear is that cooking depends on a lot of details that most people do not put in their recipes but which affect the final result. (I can tell you how to make something exactly the same way I did, if perhaps I use my George Foreman grill, and detail the temperature and exact times needed to get the appropriate result.) But most recipes tend to ignore little things like: gas or electric range and the type of pan used.

So if you intend on following me on this one, know that I used one of my favorite pans, which I have owned for a few years and is just right for this. You don’t need to buy this, I’m suggesting that you should have something similar because the results are spectacular and equipment is important – almost as much as the quality of your ingredients.

The secret here is that you’re going to brown and sear and finish cooking by steaming the chicken, which will give you a beautiful breast with juicy meat.

What you’ll need:

1 egg, beaten and mixed with garlic powder and 1 tablespoon of water

2-3 chicken breast halves, each cut in half for a thinner cutlet (resulting in 4-6 cutlets)

1 teaspoon each: dried chives, basil and Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ cup plain breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup chicken stock plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Procedure:

Mix the herbs, seasonings, breadcrumbs and cheese. Add olive oil to moisten the mixture.

Soak chicken in egg mixture, shake off excess back on bowl, place on top of breadcrumb mix and press down to cover. Turn and repeat. Put chicken on a platter and repeat with the rest of the chicken pieces.

Heat about one tablespoon of cooking oil on high heat for about a minute. Place chicken in pan and lower heat to medium high. Brown chicken for 3-4 minutes one each side. Cook in two batches, if necessary. Do not crowd the pan.

Return all the chicken to pot (bigger pieces in the bottom and smaller ones can overlap, but make sure the thicker end points to the sides of the pot).

Pour stock over chicken and quickly cover with lid. Cook on a medium low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until juices run clear.

The breadcrumbs will create a golden coating that will protect the chicken, while the rest of the herbs will season the chicken. The stock will steam the chicken and allow you to further season the meat, and keep it moist and give you a savory sauce to pour over it when you serve.

If you wish, in the last minute or two of cooking, you may turn the chicken to further brown the other side. In the end, you’ll have chicken that is a golden brown (as in the picture), tasty and succulent in the purest sense.

We served ours with noodles, but rice or vegetables will be a lovely accompaniment as well.

¡Buen provecho!

Now I have to perpetrate a kidnapping by seafaring pirates…

When Art Hits You Over the Head

2011-11-16T22:09:00.001-05:00

This afternoon, as I chatted with Mom in her bedroom, the Chinese batik fell off the wall, bounced off the bureau and landed on my head. Luckily, the frame is made of bamboo and very light, and instead of glass it has a sheet of plexi-glass. Nothing broke, not even the conversation.

The painting has been hanging in that same spot for about 26 years. For some reason I can’t begin to explain, one of the screws that hold the back wire in place came completely unscrewed. The bamboo is fine, not shattered or eaten through by termites. It screwed back in place without much hassle.

As I fixed it, I had a chance to look at it carefully, something I don’t do often. I see it every day, but I rarely stop to really look at it and appreciate its ageless beauty.

For those not familiar with the art form, batik is a method of dyeing cloth with wax. The technique is ancient and many surviving examples that are thousands of years old.

Wikipedia has a pretty good page on it, a good resource to start, if you’re interested in learning more about it here.

Generally, though methods vary, you drip melted wax on fabric, created patterns in the wax, and then apply dye to the fabric. The patterns can range from geometric figures, floral designs, landscapes, religious iconography and also as a form of story-telling.

It amused me to think that had my great grandmother been in the room with us, she would have warned me to pay attention because this incident probably meant that her mother, who was half Chinese, was probably trying to tell me something.

That’s right, that’s the Latin American way. Our ghosts don’t roam the hallways in white sheets and dragging chains going, “Woo woo woo.” Our ghosts are metaphysical counselors, protectors and muses. Our mothers, their mothers and their mothers before them are the story tellers. The difference is that instead of fabric dyeing, ours is an oral tradition.

That oral tradition has fueled our literary tradition and magical realism, although Latin Americans do have a fine arts tradition as well. The closest thing we have is woodblock printing, woodcut painting, lithographs and linocuts in which (generally) blocks of wood are cut and died and transferred to paper and sometimes fabric.

My love of batik comes from an earlier admiration of great Puerto Rican lithographic art. I came to the art forms in reversed order. But it hardly matters how you come upon your knowledge as long as you enjoy acquiring it.

FYI, my favorite linocut artist was Angel Botello and this one of his creations:

There is a pretty awesome collection of similar works available here for your edification: El Museo de El Barrio.

Steak and Chimichurri

2011-11-14T04:51:00.001-05:00

Food Porn by Thomas Vo: http://thomasvo.deviantart.com/

There is a factor of elemental torture to my weekends as I dedicate myself to search for great ideas for brunch and brown bag lunches. I generally start running the feed around midnight because that phrase reminds me of Dexter Gordon and it’s cool.

That will have to end as soon as I start working, of course, because I will not be able to stay up past midnight on Sundays (unless I improbably become a hair dresser).

At any rate, as much as I love reading about food, at some point, after the first half dozen recipes it is a miracle I don’t just pass out, left drooling and unconscious on the keyboard of my laptop.

I tend to pick recipes that sound like something I would like and I try to test the recipes, or at least sample. Then, as usual, I find some way to tweak it. I am nothing if not a kitchen anarchist! I find freedom, joy and universal truth in owning a recipe.

To me the process is like heavenly music and poetry.

Sunday I steered clear of the chicken because you have to throw in a change-up every once in a while to keep your palate on its toes. (That is an awful turn of phrase but it sounded really funny in my head and I am keeping it!)

We don’t eat beef very often. Lately we have been marinating our steaks, but I went for a simple dry rub instead. First mix ¼ teaspoon of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder, combine in a bowl, sprinkle over steak and press down to coat on both sides. Refrigerate until ready to cook (I used my little George Foreman grill for this recipe).

I also made chimuchurri sauce to top the steak. This was more an eyeballed production but I’ll give you approximate measurements. Start with ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, 2 capfuls of red wine vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper, 2-4 garlic cloves (crushed and minced), 1 tablespoon of red onion and 1-2 tablespoons finely diced pepper (I had a yellow pepper which is meaty and mild), and chopped fresh parsley.

Mix in a jar, shake well until garlic emulsifies and let it sit for at least one hour before cooking (can be kept overnight and may be refrigerated, but serve at room temperature).

Grill steak 6 minutes on medium and let sit for at least two minutes before slicing, top with sauce. We served with a maftoul salad (with chickpeas and peppers) and sweet potato.

Guest Blogging at La Bella Novella

2011-11-04T23:59:00.001-04:00

I don’t do mirror blog entries with ebooks by Kali because there is clearly a difference between Kali the High Priestess of the Temple of Doom and Kali the Author. Nevertheless, this is my first guest blog so I tweeted, blogged, FB’d and Google+’d. I’m readying my lighter and a bunch of old shoes for smoke signals later…

La Bella Novella, run by the lovely Ashley, is doing a Blog Party for NaNoWriMo. This evening, at zero hour, they’ll be featuring my guest blog on this crazy thing we do in November. Go check it out and leave Ash a nice note for her efforts!

I have been on a manic ascent of writing. The notes I had been writing for weeks have given shape to two great characters for the steampunk novel. Things have changed, settings, names… All those viewings of "Upstairs, Downstairs" will not go to waste.

I had not touched the novel for weeks (months) because I was stuck. I throw all that out and whatever my freestyle writing touched opened a whole new story that seems to be gathering momentum.

This is a powerful creative drive and I intend to ride to my 50,000 word goal and beyond!

Put on another pot of coffee because it’s going to be a long, sleepless drive…

Best advice I have heard this week? “When in doubt, just add ninjas.” (Erin Morgenstern)

NaNoWriMo!

A simple Sunday dinner

2011-10-31T02:42:00.002-04:00

Tonight I went simple with panko crusted, pan fried tilapia fillets, with grilled zucchini and peppers and a mustard/dill sauce. (Remember that I was cooking for two, so if you want to try this out, consider you may have to adjust your ingredients and seasonings.)

I started by making the sauce which is a really simple thing: 2 tablespoons each of extra virgin olive oil and Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of dill weed and a tablespoon of lemon juice (vinegar works here as well). You may add a dash of salt, but it’s not really necessary. You may also crush some pepper into it. Beat and blend into a thick, smooth sauce. It’ll have the consistency of a dip but you may water it down a bit if you want a thinner sauce to pour over fish and veggies. Set it aside.

Then I started on the seasoning for the fish. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and add garlic powder and pepper to taste, and blend. On a plate, pour around 2 cups of panko breadcrumbs and add about a tablespoon of garlic powder and Italian seasonings.

Brush mayonnaise over the fish and place it (one fillet at a time) on the panko and press down to make sure there’s panko on every surface of the fillet. Do this with all the fish and set it aside.

I used one zucchini, cut in half and then lengthwise into ¼ inch slices. Then I julienne half a red pepper. Place in a container with a lid, put the veggies in and pour about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over it, a dash of salt and some freshly crushed pepper. Cover the lid and shake well to coat every piece.

I took my time with the prep because I wasn’t doing anything else and Mom was busy making Halloween ghost hands (clear disposable gloves with candy corn as finger tips, popcorn filling and an orange ribbon to tie it all up). Altogether this shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes and you can do it ahead of time – obviously, if you do this, refrigerate the fish and cover it.

Cooking time is around 4 minutes.

I started by turning on my George Foreman grill and preheating a cast iron skillet at high heat (this should take 3-4 minutes). Pour about a tablespoon of vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the skillet and spray the grill plates. When the oil hot (I tested with a tiny piece of panko), place the fish in the skillet without crowding, and lower heat to medium high.

Place all the zucchini on the grill plate, side by side, and the peppers over it. Close lid and let it cook through for about 4 minutes.

About 2 minutes into cooking, start turning the tilapia carefully. You’ll know when it is time to turn because you’ll see the panko browning on the sides. Cook another 2 or so minutes and plate.

Serve along with vegetables and pour sauce over the dish or to the side for dipping.

The result was a more even golden brown than the photo (see details below for another delicious tilapia recipe) and crunchy, the fish will be flaky. The veggies will have a bit of crunch and a few char marks. The sauce offers a tangy finish to the different textures and the peppers will add a slight sweetness to it all.

Enjoy!

Photo credit: All rights Chereen Zaki at In Sock Monkey Slippers – click through for an awesome recipe of panko crusted tilapia (oven) with salsa verde.

Hail Sunday Chicken

2011-10-24T02:58:00.001-04:00

I love chicken.

Anyone who knows me even a little bit is aware of my obsessive love for the bird. I could eat chicken every day and be perfectly happy.

I probably know how to cook chicken in a few hundred different ways. The Sunday chicken is probably one of my favorites. Most people think oven roasted whole chicken when they add Sunday to the equation. My version is made on the stovetop.

It is simply but probably one of the tastiest treats. It’s also versatile in that it goes well with pasta, rice, potatoes or even sweet potatoes, a salad or vegetables. More importantly, preparation is minimal so you can be done in minutes and go off to enjoy time with your family or the Sunday Times puzzle.

My favorite cut for this dish is legs and thighs (separated).

Start by sprinkling salt and pepper on the chicken, skin side up. Don’t over salt. In fact, take a teaspoon of salt and pinch it to distribute over all the pieces. Sprinkle pepper over chicken, and be as generous as you dare. Pat the condiments on the skin and season the underside next. Instead of salt, use garlic powder and pepper.

Finely mince garlic, I use four large cloves but you can use less if you prefer. Finely mince pepper (you need at least two tablespoons). I used a small red bell pepper, but you can use any kind you prefer.

Pour a tablespoon or two of oil on a skillet – enough to coat the surface. I used corn oil, but any vegetable or canola variety is acceptable here. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side up. Do not crowd the pieces.

Pour extra virgin olive oil and about a teaspoon of red wine vinegar over chicken. The olive oil will make the sauce creamier and the vinegar will lend a hint of tanginess.

Sprinkle a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and disperse the garlic and peppers evenly over the chicken. Some of it will fall over to the bottom and that is fine. The herbs and veggies help season the dish and add color for a lovely presentation.

Cover and cook over a medium low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, until juices run clear.

The chicken will render some liquid and the leftover can be frozen for later use. It is a great base for a soup, rice or pasta. The garlic and peppers that fall to the bottom of the pan will caramelize and a teaspoon of this is a fabulous seasoning for mayonnaise in a sandwich spread.

That’s my Sunday chicken. I love chicken.

Four Generations

2011-10-16T23:25:00.000-04:00

Fully immersed in this family tree project, I wanted to share some photos with the others. Unfortunately, I killed my little digital camera. One of the batteries leaked and the acid build up prevents an effective connection.

I will fix that later this week. A swab and some vinegar will take care of the problem.

Instead, I took videos of a couple of images and then edited it and extracted images. The image above shows the progression between my great grandmother Matilde, my grandfather (whose given name seems to be in flux depending on a variety of factors), my mother and me.

I saw that oil painting every day for about 16 years. My grandfather was convinced that I looked just like his mother. My aunt (one of his children from a previous marriage) -- who’d never seen the portrait until Mom and I made a photographic copy and gave her the original after my grandfather passed -- also believed that I looked exactly like her.

I still don’t see it!

To Be is to Be a Part of...

2011-10-15T22:37:00.002-04:00

The last few days have been a flurry of activity and memories and a whole lot of learning.

One of my younger cousins has begun a genealogy. One of the older cousins and I had talked about doing this some 25 years ago. Several things conspired against it – but I recognize that while I had a lot of enthusiasm for the project I also had some reluctance to proceed and I let it slip.

About a decade later, another cousin and my aunt tried to convince me to put the family history together. I did not do it then either. Of course, as you allow time to pass you risk losing a lot of connections with elders dying, memories fading and primary sources further detached.

The process is arduous and I do not envy the amount of work involved, though I appreciate the sweet focus necessary to do this kind of research. It’s a Zen thing. But it is the revelations that spark an inner pageantry and fireworks display the likes of which haven’t been seen since Louis XIV visited Louis II of Bourbon (see Vatel for the spectacle, and you can see the trailer here).

Inevitably, family secrets will spill out. Some of these are mortifying, but I believe the three generations that follow me need to know these things. Knowing your past and the mistakes made therein should be sufficient reason to avoid more of the same in the future. Unless it is inherent to the DNA and some traits are.

As we gather more information and start connecting the dots, our family expands as we find more of “us” and bond – and realize that distance has no effect of genetics. Besides, putting yourself in the context of history has a humbling and inclusive effect that is awesome.

It’s extraordinary.

Follow me...

2011-10-09T03:38:00.000-04:00

I’ve had a Twitter account since the fall of 2009, though the idea of the social network is exhausting. It has sat there, mostly inactive, virtually collecting dust. Until last week when I felt a distinct need to connect in a clusterfrak of wired activity.

Of course, once I published the cookbook and the novel, it was understood that Twitter would have to become a part of my overall online marketing plan.

I refuse to use my Facebook account for this purpose. For the moment, that account is strictly for friends and family, and I do not wish to mix business and pleasure.

Google+ with its circles and hangouts seems perfectly suited for this purpose. Twitter is a good secondary conduit for promotional purposes.

You may follow me on Twitter @KaliAmanda.

On Fridays and Saturdays, I will post a series of tweets for Weekend Chefs with tips and links for breakfast and brunch ideas. Saturdays and Sundays, I will post a series of tweets, Brown-bag it!, with tips and links to brown-bag lunches during the work week. These can be found under the hash tag #KaliFoodGoddess.

I began the series this weekend and you should go check it, there are some really cool links added there. The link will be to independent blogs (no corporate shilling). My favorite is the link to making your own sushi rolls -- a really easy method.

Of course, any updates on the food column and subsequent cookbooks will appear under this hash tag as well.

The immersion is near complete. Resistance is futile.

Steve Jobs Broke my Heart

2011-10-05T22:56:00.001-04:00

I took a nap in the late afternoon. I awoke to heartbreak.

In the next few days everyone with a voice will weigh on the influence Steve Jobs had in our culture, cemented for over 30 years on innovation—on Facebook, Google+, newspapers, magazines, radio, in every conceivable communications medium … I think we broke Twitter.

He redefined wonder for us – a wizard who opened our eyes to better ways to do things. “There’s gotta be a better way.” Make no mistake we were wide-eyed children in his world, who watched in amazement as he unfolded new and exciting things for us.

I will not try to convert the unconverted. This is not the blog equivalent of Kool-Aid.

Those of us who were in some part privy to the innovations and the magic will mourn our leader. I do this (excerpts from Steve’s commencement speech at Stanford in 2005) as a reminder of his influence.

“I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

Good night, sweet prince, rest in peace and thank you for all the fish. (Old Mac joke for the First Generation.)