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full-spectrum post-rain sky drama
florescent green mossy rock carpets




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chocolate stout bundt cake
with cocoa-buttermilk icing


(recipe from Heidi Swanson)

for the cake:
2 c chocolate porter or stout beer
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder (non-dutched)
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c muscovado or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c plain whole yogurt
3/4 c pure maple syrup

for the icing:
3/4 c powdered sugar
1/4 c natural cocoa powder (non-dutched)
2 Tbsp buttermilk
flaky sea salt, to serve

Preheat oven to 350F, with a rack in the center. Butter and flour (generously) a 11 or 12-cup capacity bundt pan (or equivalent). You can bake this in other cake pans, just be mindful to avoid filling the pan(s) more than 2/3 - 3/4 full. Adjust the baking time as well - baking until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the center tests clean when you insert a knife. In a saucepan simmer the beer down to 1 cup. Remove from heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in the cocoa powder, mixing until smooth, then set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to let off heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, and maple syrup. Whisk well, until nicely blended and uniform in appearance. Gradually add the (cooled) stout mixture, stirring all the while. Stir until well blended. Add the flour mixture, folding until just blended, using as few strokes as possible. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 35 - 45 minutes if using the bundt pan, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You really don't want to over bake this cake - err on the slightly moist side if anything. Remove from the oven, and turn out onto a cooling rack after seven minutes. In the meantime, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, cocoa, and buttermilk. Really go at it for at least a minute. The icing should end up smooth and creamy looking, adjust with a touch of powdered sugar or a few extra drops of buttermilk if you want to tweak the consistency at all. When the cake is completely cool, run the icing around the top with an offset spatula and let it set. Serve sprinkled with a bit of flaky sea salt. But don't sprinkle with flakes of salt until ready to serve, or you'll end up with little divots.


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aut(i)obiography volume three

and

can't seem to get enough of
bill withers lately,
especially
((( this )))




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Bucatini alla Carbonara
 <<<  for one  >>>


A friend of mine recently made me pasta alla carbonara. It instantly transported me back to Italy last summer, where I wilted with pleasure from my first experiences of this dish. I never realized it was so rich, so indulgent; the perfect combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner. And for anyone with an egg obsession such as I, it's a must-have. Of course I had to make it for myself. I adapted this recipe from Mario Batali.

1 serving Rustichella d'Abruzzo bucatini noodles (or other long noodles)
1/4 c pasta water (after cooking noodles)
1 slice bacon
1/4 c parmigiano reggiano, grated
about 2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 beautiful egg, separated

Boil a pot of salted water. Cook noodles. Cook bacon in skillet. Remove bacon and chop, leaving pan with bacon fat on stove. When pasta is cooked, add to bacon-pan with pasta water and cook on med-high for a few minutes while liquid reduces. Remove from heat. Add parmigiano, chopped bacon, pepper, and egg white. Toss. Plate pasta and top with egg yolk and more black pepper. (Mix yolk into dish right before eating.) No salt necessary in my opinion; the bacon and parmigiano do the trick.
 

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yesterday was a very exciting day.

i have been on the lookout
for fresh bergamot
for a couple of years now.
i always seem to just miss
its short growing season.

but this year is different. i bought $25 of bergamot
at BiRite market in San Francisco,
juiced it all, & froze it in ice cubes trays
so i can have it on hand
(especially when summer strikes)
for this uniquely delicious cocktail...


THE B-LINE
(recipe courtesy of Ken at Range)

Place a chunk of orange in a glass (about 1/2 of a slice). Muddle.
Add a splash of orange bitters, 1/2 oz honey syrup (made by reducing 50% water & 50% honey), 1 oz bergamot juice, 1 1/2 oz bourbon, and 3/4 oz Lillet Blanc.
Shake and serve up.

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rain spells

leisurely mornings
spent in an overstuffed leather chair

all-day fires

and tried-and-true,
Marno's Chicken Noodle Soup
from The New Basics Cookbook



1 chicken (4 lbs), preferably a stewing hen
2 onions, halved
4 whole cloves (I like more, around 10)
4 ribs of celery, with leaves
4 carrots, peeled
3 parsnips, peeled
3 cloves of garlic
6 sprigs dill
6 sprigs parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 quarts water
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
Marno's Noodles (recipe to follow)
1 1/2 cups fresh English peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Rinse the chicken well and place it in a large soup pot.  Stud each onion half with clove, and add them to the pot along with the celery, carrots, parsnips, garlic, sprigs of dill and parsley, and salt and pepper.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.  Occasionally skim off any foam that forms on top. Remove the chicken from the soup and allow it to cool.  Remove the skin and bones, and shred the meat.  Reserve the meat, covered, in the refrigerator. Strain the soup, discarding the vegetables, and return the liquid to the pot.  Add the bouillon cube (for stronger flavor) and adjust the seasonings.  Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes (to intensify the flavor). Set aside. Make the noodles. Before serving, bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil.  Add the noodles and cook until they are tender, 4 minutes.  Gently stir in the reserved chicken and the peas, chopped dill, and chopped parsley.  Heat through and serve. Yields 8 servings.


Marno's Noodles
(I like to double the noodle recipe)

1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
(I add 1 tsp ground nutmeg)

Beat the egg and salt together in a bowl.  Mix the flour in with a fork.  Using your hands, form the mixture into a ball and knead it to form the dough. Dust a work surface with flour, and roll the dough out to form a very thin rectangle approximately 18x9 inches. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll the dough up in jelly-roll fashion, along the long side, to form an 18-inch long roll. Slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide rings. Carefully shake out the rings to form long noodles, and let them rest on a baking sheet for 10 minutes before adding to the soup.


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such pleasure
richness
sweetness

in this one seemingly simple pot



Baked Beans
from Diner Journal Issue #9, Fall 2008,
based on Jasper White's recipe for baked beans

This was a really easy recipe but was a bit of a time commitment.
After boiling on stove, I put pot in oven for a good 2 1/2 hours. Totally worth it.


1 lb navy beans, soaked overnight
1 onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp Coleman's dry mustard
2 bay leaves
1/3 c maple syrup
1/3 c molasses
1/4 c vinegar (i used red wine vinegar)
6 oz salt pork, thinly sliced (bacon if you can't find salt pork)
salt to taste

Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until they start to sweat. Add the tomato paste and cook until the onions often and the tomato paste has cooked a little. Add the mustard, bay, maple syrup, molasses, and vinegar. Add the beans and cover with water, bring everything to a boil and then place the salt pork on top of the pot, cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake beans at 300F until tender. This will probably take a long time as beans don't cook very well in acidic liquids. Keep checking beans and adding water as necessary. When beans are cooked season with salt and then let go a little longer until they are truly tender.

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mornings with tea and Lolita
in my overstuffed leather chair

(( and the sun's lighthearted entrance ))

ps. it's March