All There Is To It

Spreading Love Like Honey 2: An Older Version

Yes, it's been 10 whole months since I first said I'd share the enormous wealth of attention I get from the blogosphere (can't you just smell the BS in that wry?)... 

And I promise, it's not that I'm so unimpressed with every other blog out there. I'm not impressed with mine enough to be unimpressed with anyone else's (that's part of the beauty of this whole blogging thing, we're all just winging it out here, except for those Luckies who grabbed some corporate sponsorship along the way...)

No, it's not that I think my blog doesn't stink, it's that I go through weeks and, this time, months where I don't have time to read anyone else's blog.

But by gosh, retweet me and I feel obliged.

And that's how I landed on An Older Version.

 
Here's her About Me:

"Infertility to parenthood. Budgeting. Decorating. Pets. Marriage. Money. Food. Organizing. Relationships. Thrifting. Pondering. LIFE."

I know. Sigh. Another one. BUT... she's entertaining. And for my first 3 cups of coffee, that's what I like when I have time before commencing the daily grind.

Get past her post du jour -- it DOES have nifty belly pics and details like "My uterus actually moved over my pubic bone weeks before it is even supposed to be possible." -- and get down to where you learn that microwave cleanliness symbolizes deeper issues. Down again and you get some juicy bits on what the Wonder of Pregnancy can do to your corporal existence, the kind of stuff that you should all be telling your daughters instead of the Disney version about making babies.

Older Version's not new to the scene and her blog is hooked up and lauded. So I want you to know that I'm being big here by featuring her blog as if she needs my attention, thereby calling attention to the fact that my blog is none of that. Or something. I just like her style and wanted y'all to know.

And besides that, I have a PILE of review products that I need to be writing about, and now that The Move From The Sticks is accomplished and my heart has stopped racing in a rapid off-kilter way, I think it's high time I get to work.
 
And I'd rather just browse through An Older Version and stuff like that.

On the Verge of TMI: Crunchy Mamas Need Their Juice, Too

As a Sorta Sociologist, I dig watching how people change over time -- individuals and groups. I like looking backwards with a little hindsight and I like how change unfolds in front of us, even if we're not seeing it. 

An example: the word "hippie" isn't necessarily synonymous with "dirty" any more. In fact, hippies used to live an "alternative" lifestyle. Now, it's not only cool to call yourself a hippie, but if you don't, there's a segment of society that's gonna assume that you must be a Fascist instead. What was outlandishly resurrected in the late 60's (and let's be honest -- none of it was introduced by "the hippies"; all they did was re-tread clothing from the Middle Ages and 1800's American West, plus a few other lifestyle and hygiene preferences) is now considered "Green," the Latest Way To Be.

Take intimate lubrication products, for example.

(Yes, it's an important issue, I know. That's why I get paid the big bucks, to talk about life-altering, civilization-changing events.) 

Okay, here's how this goes: I get sent product review pitches every day. 95 percent are of no interest to me. Many are steered toward the baby-making market, naturally. Well, I'm not into baby-making any more, personally, even though I write about it. In fact, I'm so old that if I were into baby-making right now, I'd be making local news. 

Recently, Aloe Cadabra® wrote me to suggest that men and women who are trying to conceive might need a little help now and then in the lubrication department. True enough, I wrote back, but what about those of us who are done procreating but not done with related activities, so to speak? 

SO, I wound up with a few bottles of the stuff. Three different scents, too: Natural Aloe, French Lavender, and Tahitian Vanilla.

Without going into nitty gritty -- or rather slippery smooth -- details, let's just say that I can vouch for these products.

They work.

But then so do a lot of other lube products. So what makes these worth the $10.00 for a 2.5 oz bottle? (Free shipping.)

Besides the fact that I find everything more visually appealing about their box and graphics than Brand X (which is what was already -- ahem -- on hand), and in spite of their clever name, and that their scents are pretty pleasant without being overwhelming... it's what's behind the cute moniker that makes Aloe Cadabra a superior product.

It's 95% organic aloe. In fact, as Someone Who Shall Remain Nameless said, virtually everything on Aloe Cadabra's ingredient list is plainly readable. Yes, you could eat this stuff. I wouldn't recommend it, but like the box says, only food grade ingredients go into the recipe, "so no worries if ingested." 

Okay, the edibility of a personal lubricant may not be a selling point for you, but I'll divulge one highlight that might be: the stuff absorbs into your skin. Not right away, because that wouldn't work so well. But if you've had any experience with mojo juice, you know that sometimes when you're done, well, it's not so good. Sticky and flaky later = bad. Soft and smooth later = good.

That brings me to another point Someone Else mentioned: the stuff won't last forever. Food grade preservatives, ya know. But the boxes I was sent have Sell-By dates two years down the road, which is good enough for me. And it is a little more encouraging to know that a product that's gettin' all in the middle of everything isn't super-amped with weird chemicals. Some of those other brands seem more appropriate to lube machinery than people parts.

Another bonus, also pointed out by Someone Else, was that the bottle's got an inverted shape. No jamming a near-empty bottle against your palm at an inopportune time. 

So does this really tie in to how this post began, about dirty hippies and how they've changed and how now it's all cool to be Green & Crunchy? 

Only if you stretch it pretty thin. But I really did owe these folks a post for all that great lube they sent. And I'm not really prude, but I'm definitely no Pamela Madsen when it comes to talking about sex in public. So there ya go.

(NOW you want my job, huh?)

Disclosure: Aloe Cadabra provided me with the information, including 
product sample/s, for this post. I was not required to write a 
positive review. Any expressed opinion is completely my own. View my official Disclosure 
Policy.

Where I Stop Talking Long Enough to Spread Love Like Honey

The blogosphere is the Internet's potential in full bloom. Back in pre-blog days (are you sick of me writing about 'back in the day' yet?), it seemed like everyone was vying for Web real estate, as if there wasn't enough to go around. So there was all this talk about collaboration and joining hands to sing kumbaya around the cyber-world, but behind all that was some really ugly back-stabbing going on. Now, the way blogging platforms work, if you don't cross-pollinate, you're doomed.

I get it. I'm just not very good at it.
I like to think it's because I'm too busy. But when I read or hear about other bloggers' daily lives, and I see how in-touch they seem to stay with so many other blogs... hm. Maybe it's me. And maybe it's more than just having too many plates to spin at one time.

Take birthdays, for example. 

You know those (mostly) women who vigilantly maintain birthday calendars and then do something nice (and usually really unique and touching) for the Birthday Boy or Girl every single year? Even if they slip up and don't get the gifting done for a day or two, they do it, by golly.

I've never been that good of a friend.

My longest-time friends know that about me and are merciful. They shrug and laugh (and probably roll their eyes, but I don't know because I'm hardly ever around them physically) when I finally catch up weeks or months later with a feeble, "Sorry I forgot your birthday again!" I'm awful lucky to have such friends.

So it is with the whole blog-connecting thing for me. I may get on a roll now and then -- and I'm talking every few months, so make that a couple of times a year -- and find my eyeballs deluged with great blogs that strike chords with me. Here's how the rest of that occasional pattern goes: I feel an urge to share the blog with others, so my head starts racing around the various blogs where I write, trying to find the best fit for featuring this newly-found blog, while at the same time I'm checking out their blogrolls and thinking I should have one of those, and then I think about the time involved in creating a blogroll on top of writing a new post to introduce this great find on one of my blogs... and by then, I'm ready for a nap.

So, here's what I'm thinking (and it only took me til nearly 50 years old to figure this out): I talk too much. (Sorry, mom...)

One of the reasons that I value, and by that I mean crave, a devoted editor is because "wordy" is something I am and don't want to be. I'll never forget the time I spotted my supervisor's notes from her first interview with me, back when I was an over-zealous, over-educated, self-righteous college-student-social-worker-wanna-be: "verbose" was the word she used. Now that I'm a nap-inclined, under-educated, self-righteous middle-aged-writer, I really despise the sound of that word. More importantly, I now see the value in clamming up. Real value. I'm talking make-those-blog-wheels-spin-faster value.

From here on out, I'll be cross-linking more and spewing less. At least, that's my goal. It's worthy, right?

I think I'll try the same tactic with that whole Bad Friend problem of mine, too. Doesn't really matter if I have something to say -- so long as I just say hello.

First blog to get graced by my new aim to spread love like honey: Blue Jean Gourmet. 

Compelling thing that first caught my eye: Nishta Mehra's Twitter bio -- "first-generation Indian foodie raised in the South; un-snobby, enthusiastic cook"

The thing that makes her feature-worthy here: This post -- Cupcakes With No Name -- not so much because of the cupcakes, because I'm not a cupcake fan, but I like her take on the stories we tell ourselves. Reminded me of this post by my former editor: telling stories and microwave bacon peach potato with a side of peach tomato olive blue salad

So. What's with the whole 'spreading love' thing, aside from realizing I need to send more around of what I want to come around online? You'll have to read about that on Trailer Park Karma where I yammer incessantly about the way I want to be when I grow up.

Not Everything That Resembles Cheese Crackers Are Yummy. Just So You Know.

Samples. I get samples. And sometimes they sit at my desk for awhile before the younger member of the household pipes up with a request to open the package.


Today's treat: Mother's Tranquil Tummy, little crackers by Natures Options. 

What preteen doesn't like cheese crackers? I can't stand the things, myself, but my son's got pretty typical tastebuds, so... Perplexed though he was to find that what looked on the box's outside to be a favorite snack was instead three little boxes with a pretty pregnant woman on them, Mr Fearless gave 'em a shot.

These cute little wafers are made with ginger to soothe morning sickness. Having fueled Mr Fearless' own prenatal growth with not much more than slowly-ingested spoonfuls of chicken broth and sliced lemons, I think these special saltines are a good idea. The package says they can also be consumed to remedy non-pregnancy related conditions like motion sickness and medication reactions.

And I can attest right here and now that even stress-related nausea -- say, the kind you get when you're moving 350 miles from the only place you've ever lived -- responds nicely to the 250 mg of ginger in Tranquil Tummy crackers.

But I don't recommend them to the average snack-savvy preteen.

[Disclosure: Natures Options provided me with the information, including 
product sample/s, for this post. I was not required to write a 
positive review. Any expressed opinion is completely my own. View my official Disclosure 
Policy.]

Trying to Get Pregnant? Touch This!

This is BIG.

Not so big that it'll hurt. Just big enough to make you giggle and feel silly. But if it's in your vicinity -- just do it. You'll be glad. Trust me.

Ripley's Believe It or Not is bringing back the traveling Fertility Statues!

I'm hoping to convince the Editor to venture forth with me (and maybe The Homeschooled Boy) to the lovely central Texas oasis of San Antonio just to see these tall wooden statues from the Ivory Coast. The Ripley's Odditorium folks claim more than 2,000 women have reportedly been knocked up after touching these anatomically correct carvings.  

The story goes that within a few months of the newly purchased statues being placed in the lobby of Ripley Entertainment's corporate headquarters in 1993, 13 women staffers and office visitors got pregnant. A Wall Street Journal article broke the news, and suddenly baby-desperate women around the world wanted to get their hands on the idols.

It's awful nice of the Ripley folks to drag their statues around the globe for the sake of those mamma-wannabe's.

And for the record, I won't be touching anything in the vicinity. I just want an excuse to make a quick tax-deductible roadtrip.

For the low-down on When & Where you can Touch The Fertility Statues, visit the 2010 Tour Schedule page.

Making Soup, Making Babies, It's All the Same: Simple Is Best

I'm at the tail-end of the whole baby-making circle (though I guess if it's a circle, there's really no end, so that's a terrible metaphor...)

So, anyway -- cooking with the goal of getting pregnant is no longer my issue. Hallelujah.

BUT -- there's a clamoring horde out there who will do anything, and I mean ANYthing, to grab those pink-and-blue rings and bring that baby home. This review's mostly for them.

I may not be an active participant in the fertility arena, but creating things that taste good and keep my dependents chugging along -- big fan of that. So every now and then, my worlds collide (the one where I'm Followed By Sperm Banks and the one where I try to keep my abode's pantry stocked) and I find myself reading things like The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook.

Right off the bat, I connected with this book (not the first of its kind, by the way, but more options are always better than none) by way of the forward written by Dr. Philip Chenette. After explaining the threads between what we eat and how we conceive, he said this:

"Our science is only beginning to unravel these mysteries, but there is no doubt that every human is a product of a unique recipe in the form of DNA from the sperm and egg in combination with nutritional building blocks needed to interpret that recipe. A good recipe, with adequate building blocks, is essential to the outcome of a healthy child."

Reminded me of my own dear Editor (at Trailer Park Karma) who frequently comments on how we're each just 'bags of soup'... The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook's recipes help you concoct your own little bag o' soup.

The story of how Cindy Bailey, one of FKC's co-authors (along with her cooking, science-patent-holding husband, Pierre Giauque, Ph.D.), went from having her baby dreams dashed in a doctor's office to boosting her own fertility via lifestyle changes hearkens to compadre Julia Indichova's personal journey. Julia, author of one of the first books that essentially scoffed at the You're Too Old To Have a Baby soapbox years ago, is credited by Cindy and Pierre as inspiration and support. That clicks with me, since I count Julia as a friend and colleague.

An especially inviting aspect of The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook is that Pierre created the 60 recipes. He grew up helping his single working mom cook for his siblings. More connections abounding: You know how much I like hearing single mom stories, but to add to it a son who grows up to be a culinary artist toting a physics Ph.D. -- we're talking yum yum.

Allow me to gush just a bit more: this book was created by a groovy, internationally-traveled, northern Cali-living couple who sometimes use CANS in their cooking. Ahhh... that's relaxation in the kitchen from my vantage point. And if your culinary time is uptight, that's no good for the whole baby-making scene.

I've left more than a few books in their boxes when the intimidation factor is too high. Life is short and full, so I'm mostly attracted to things I can pull off with just enough effort. I'm done with trying to make an impression. I'm also a huge skeptic. What some folks call "easy"... well, let's just say many of my best friends are slackers, and that's fine by me. The subtitle of FKC is "Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility" -- and after I took a deep breath, preparing for "simple" ingredients that require costly purchases either online or at peculiarly-stocked boutique stores, I found myself instead drooling over the photos in this cookbook. Maybe it was just my lunchtime, but this IS a lovely production, and primarily because of its simplicity.

Besides the mouth-watering photos, the recipes are brief, clear, and cut to the chase. Nothing in this book looks too challenging for daily use. And that's the point: if you're eating with a specific physiological goal in mind (in this case, getting pregnant), then you're looking for direction that's not hard to follow every single day.

There's nothing magic in these combinations of ingredients. Of course, the authors are thrilled to have their own little production (son, Julien) front-and-center on the book's cover suggesting evidence of a wholesome diet's benefits. The bottom line for me, though, is that this is healthy cooking done easy. I'm looking forward to trying a lot of Pierre's ideas -- with nary a babydust wish in mind.

Better Late Than Never: Out of the Frying Pan

I’m going to cut to chase here. It’s been about two years since I received a copy of Gillian Clark’s Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef’s Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal.

Being another single mama, I’m hoping Gillian understands the delay. But I’m not holding my breath.

Gillian Clark is a savvy, ambitious business-minded woman, so she might be a tad miffed at how long it finally took me to write down my thoughts (which she hopefully won’t think are now mulled to the point of fermentation.)

Ms. Clark doesn’t let life get in her way (like I do…) She is a matter-of-fact character who doesn’t indulge in self-pity. With those traits, she’s created her own little food empire in the Washington, D.C. area, first with Colorado Kitchen, and recently with The General Store.

Gillian Clark’s food, though, is all about the warmth of family. Her recipes, laced through the tale that begins with her failing marriage, are simply real (and pretty simple, too, thankfully.)

So far, our house has tried Gillian’s “Best Mashed Potatoes Anywhere,” “Braised Cube Steak,” and her signature “Carrot Sage Soup,” which is also mentioned in this blog by Washington Post’s Kim O’Donnel. All three recipes are good reasons for Clark’s success in the competitive D.C. restaurant market, and there are far more dishes we’ll be trying from the book.

Reading Gillian’s memoir at night brought me back to a time when I wrote letters, in long-hand on lined paper, back and forth with a good friend in another city. The Lone Mom in me connected with the author’s fear and dread, the what-if’s, the exhaustion, the whittling down of priorities to a fine point to match the available resources. Even on nights when I could barely keep my lids open, Out of the Frying Pan beckoned from my bedside table. From the three stacks of topics ranging from religion to care-giving to humor to food, it was Gillian’s voice that reached out like the best kind of friend, the only one who really “gets” you.

I just love happy endings, especially when getting to them takes an awful lot of hard work. I just wish that I lived near enough to go have some of that friend chicken and lemon chess pie made by the Chef, herself.

You can read more about Gillian Clark’s life and her book in this review/interview at The Sister Project.

Trailer Park Eggplant Fritters

What comes around goes around, even in trailer parks. Even in the minds of those who don't actually live in trailer parks (any more) but who can't quite shake elements of the experience...

So I'm giving some Showin Off Love to my friend, Mira Dessy, a woman whose love of healthy food is apparent not just on her blog grains & more, but in the way she lives (Mira uses words like "holistic" and "supportive" on her blog bio, even though she stays right down the highway from me...)

I liked the sound of one of Mira's many recipes -- but I thought some of the ingredients that she "had on hand" were funny. Grapeseed oil? Ezekiel flour?

So I couldn't resist daring to make the Trailer Park Version. Mira egged me on and, one beer later, I was documenting my trial for all the (small) world to see on Facebook.   

I'm feeling a new career coming on... (guess I'd better hurry before the cholesterol catches up with me.)

This Valentine's Day, Give Your Girl a Power Trip

It’s a win-win-win Valentine’s Day gift! If you’re shopping for a girl sweetie, here’s a way you can wind up with a precious googah for her and empower other girls to be girlMoguls!

GirlMogul Designs is the creation of Andrea Stein, mom of a daughter she lovingly describes as a “dirt eating, freewheeling force of nature” -- NOT a princess. While looking at the pretty pretty doodads available for girls in most stores, Stein first imagined a “CEO” shirt for her powerful little one. Now she offers a whole line of clothing for girls of all ages who want to break the stale diva molds wide open.

She also offers jewelry in the iCARE! Line by High IntenCity™ -- purchase proceeds make their way back to Girls Incorporated, a non-profit that thinks along the same lines as Stein, dedicated to the mission of inspiring all girls to be ‘strong, smart and bold'.  

GirlMogul offers standard and 3-day shipping, so you still have time to buy through their online store for Valentine’s Day. And if puffy red hearts aren’t your Future Brain Surgeon Grrrl’s thang, there are also iCare! bracelets (charm & ID) as well as a variety of other pendant necklaces, all of which support Girls Inc.

A Museum After My Own Heart & Palate

This is truly unfair. Not only is it being demonstrated at a venue that's just not do-able for me at the moment, not only is it the kind of recipe that I simply never get around to playing with because I'm the only one at home who'll enjoy it, but it's made of two of my most favorite things in life: oysters and mushrooms.

I signed up for mailings from the Southern Food & Beverage Museum mostly because I want to support the rebuilding of New Orleans in whatever way possible. I get their stuff -- I read it, I dream, I can't attend their events, I delete the emails.
But THIS...

If you're in the NOLA area this weekend, step on in this Saturday, January 31 at 2PM to watch Chef Tenney Flynn, executive chef and co-owner of GW Fins, prepare some classics like half-shell oysters with caviar, oyster stew, pickled oysters, and this:

GW Fins Oyster and Mushroom Tart

3-2-1 Pastry Dough

3 lbs.  Soft Flour

1 lb.  Lard, Cold, Cut in ¼ inch dice

1lb. Butter, Cut in ¼ inch dice

2 cups Very Cold Water

1. Cut lard into flour to the texture of course crumbs
2. Mix in butter, leaving small pieces the size of peas
3. Add cold water, stir to gather – portion into 1 pound discs, dredge in the flour and refridgerate at least four hours or overnight (this will minimize shrinking)
4. Roll onto a floured board in a cool place.  Cut to fit small tart pans or shallow brulee dishes.  Line the containers with buttered parchment and place the dough inside, fluting the edges.  Chill and dock the bottom and sides with a fork.
5. Refridgerate one hour and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.  If the dough bubbles up during cooking, press it back down with your fingers. 

Hold at room temperature. 

Mixed Mushrooms

1 lb. Oyster Mushrooms

½ lb. Shitake Mushrooms

1 oz.  Dried Porcini, reconstituted with ½ cup warm water

2 Tbs Shallots

2 Tbs. White Wine

2 tsp. Fines Herbs (70% parsley, 20% chervil, 10% chives, chopped)

2 Tbs. Brandy

4 oz. Butter

2 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

      Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method to Cook

1. Sweat shallots in oil and butter, raise heat and add shitakes, saute for 2 minutes, add reconstituted porcinis, and then oyster mushrooms.  Cook stirring often for 2-3 minutes.  Add white wine, reduce to dry.  Add brandy, salt, pepper and fines herbs.  Reserve warm.

 

Crumbs

1 cup Course French Bread Crumbs

2 Tbs. Butter

1 Tbs. Diced Shallots

1 tsp. Diced Garlic

1 tsp. Fresh Thyme leaves, chopped

      Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Sweat the shallots and garlic in the butter with the thyme for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the bread crumbs to coat.  Season with Salt and pepper.

 

Sauce

2 cups Oyster Liquor

2 oz. Demi Glace

2 Tbs. Dark Roux

1 Tbs. Shallots, Diced

2 oz. White Wine

1 Tbs. Fines Herbs

2 Tbs. Butter 

1. Sweat shallots in butter, deglaze with white wine.  Add oyster liquor, bring to a boil and whisk in dark roux to tighten to a heavy consistency.
2. Add demi glace, seasoning and herbs.  Remove.

 

To Assemble Tart

40 Fresh Louisiana Oysters – 5 Per Tart 

1. Heat 4 oz. sautéed mushrooms, add 2 oz. oyster sauce.  Bring to a simmer and add oysters and cook until edges start to curl.
2. Spoon this mixture into a pre-heated tart shell placing oysters on top.
3. Sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs and serve with demi glace.

Southern Food & Beverage Museum admission is required. SoFAB is a nonprofit organization based in New Orleans, dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of the culture of food and drink in the South.

And lord lord... if you have a chance to try the recipe, tell me how you like dat, cher.