Sadness...

One of my heroes died today...he found the beauty in the ordinary and shared it with all who would listen.

LA Times--Studs Terkel, who made his name listening to ordinary folks talk about their ordinary lives -- and who turned that knack for conversation into a much-honored literary career -- died Friday. He was 96. More...

Breadfruit

Here is my breadfruit. Any suggestions?

Ain't No Virgin Mary Here!

My friend is selling a potato chip on Ebay. A very special chip indeed. This one is vaguely shaped like the United States; and by "vaguely" I mean "Hey, I think I just spotted Texas?"



You too could have this chip, but it probably won't bring some holy blessing.

And Adam...good use of the word "patriotic." Now people will HAVE to bid on your chip or risk being seen as a terrorist! Good luck!

(If you knew Adam, you'd be rolling on the floor laughing right now!)

Moroccan Soup Addendum

I forgot to mention that the entire soup is pureed before serving....that may help with your texture question Ceri!

Cheez!

After reading Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral," I became intrigued with the idea of making one's own cheese. Last week I finally attempted to make paneer, an Indian cottage cheese. I'd seen so many recipes for this particular cheese that I'd decided it must be easier to make than most, and the recipes seemed pretty simple. It turned out pretty well, so I took the next step and attempted to make feta.

Here's my feta, it tastes SO good!



Next up I'm going to work on curing tofu feta-style for a vegan option.

Giving up Gluten

Even though I'm still waiting on some official diagnosis (which in itself would be a minor medical miracle), I have found that I feel much better when not eating gluten. So...on that note, I've been busy gathering recipes and ideas on how to eat without wheat (seems impossible for one of massive German heritage!) On the sidebar, I've listed sites that feature not only gluten-free recipes, but many recipes that rely on natural foods, of which I'm a huge fan. I believe that a gluten-free diet does NOT have to consist of Styrofoam or starving!

Moroccan Tomato Soup

1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
28 oz canned tomatoes, crushed
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Frank's Hot Sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup catsup
2 cups water -- as needed

In a food processor, blend onion and garlic cloves

Fry mixture in olive oil until cooked

Add crushed tomatoes with liquid, peanut butter, cumin, hot sauce, cayenne, salt and pepper, vinegar and catsup. Add water until soup is desired consistency. Simmer until heated through. Blend soup with a hand blender.

NOTES: I replaced Cayenne with Paprika. Added more salt and pepper to taste. In the future, try half as much vinegar. Perhaps reduce peanut butter slightly.

Serve with a rustic bread

Makes Approx 4 servings