Sept. 27: I'll never eat that other crap again!

Pole beans in my garden

My pole beans were ripe today so I went out and picked them all. I thought I'd be swimming in them, but turns out I only had enough for one recipe. Do they keep producing more or was that it?

I may be the only person on the planet that loves green bean casserole. You know, that dish served on Thanksgiving made from a can of cream of mushroom soup, a couple cans of green beans, and a can of those crispy onion strings. Good stuff. So I thought I'd make a fresher version and see if it held a candle to the "real thing." Oh my gosh, I'll never eat that crap from a can again! This is the best recipe ever. I got it from the Best Recipes Light cookbook. Once you get a taste of this, you'll never go back. I made some modifications which I'll put in parentheses below.

Skillet Green Bean Casserole
1 t olive oil
8 oz white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/4 inch thick (I can't stand these mushrooms so I only used about 6 oz and minced them beyond recognition)
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 t minced fresh thyme
Pinch cayenne (I used four dashes)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth, of course)
1/4 c dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated, minced, and rehydrating liquid strained (I used shitake mushrooms because that's the one mushroom I like, and it added a nice woody flavor)
1.5 lbs green beans, ends trimmed (I used whatever came off my plant, I think it was about that much)
1 t cornstarch
1 T water
3 T light cream cheese (I used regular because it's what I had)
Ground black pepper
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine the oil, white mushrooms, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, 2 to 5 minutes

2. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, porcini mushrooms, and strained mushroom liquid (~1/4 cup) and add the green beans. Increase the heat to medium-high, cover, and cook until the beans are tender with a light crunch in the center, 6 to 9 minutes.

3. Push the green beans to one side of the skillet. Whisk the cornstarch and water together, then pour into the empty side fo the skillet and bring to a simmer, about 30 seconds. Whisk the cream cheeseinto the sauce until smooth. Toss the sauce with the green beans and continue to cook, uncovered, until the green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan before servings.

6 servings, 100 calories per serving.

Skillet Green Bean Casserole

Sept. 24: Meet My New Energy Efficient Friend

Me & Whirly

Well, I had an unexpected event today. I awoke to my water heater leaking and a big puddle on the floor. The carpeted floor. You see, my hot water heater is in the back of my bedroom closet. Just one more weird thing about my jimmy-rigged 1920s house. After clearing everything out of the closet, and sopping up all the water with towels, I tried to locate the leak. There were several. I did some poking around on the internet. Maybe I just need to snug up the water line fittings. Done. Still leaking. Maybe I just need to flush it and let off a little pressure. Hooked up the hose to the drain spout and drained for about 15 minutes. Still leaking. Ugh! With the help of a couple coworkers I found a plumber that could come out at 2:00 to take a look and give me an estimate.

In the meantime, I thought I remembered that my sister had replaced a water heater on her own before. I called her, and turns out she has replaced two - one for her main house and one for her guest house. Jackpot! With her guidance I decided to tackle this project on my own and I called off the plumber. Honestly, if it weren't for Jill doing all these home improvement projects before me, I'd never have the confidence I do to tackle them myself. Thank you, Jill, you truly are an inspiration to me. Thank goodness you were born first.

I headed to Lowes and the sales guy was super helpful, he had replaced his own water heater just three days before. I loaded it all up in the back of my Jeep and took it home. I'll spare you the details about the agony of draining and disconnecting everything, a trip back to Lowes for more supplies, hoisting the old one out and the new one in, and ripping out all that nasty soaked carpet. But eight hours, $300, and a scratch on my bumper later, I have hot water! That's a photo of me and my new friend, Whirly. You'll have to excuse my haggard, sweaty look. It's been a long day. And bonus - I'll get $35 from the Energy Trust of Oregon for upgrading to a more efficient model. Wahoo!

Sept. 22: Plum Terrific!

Plums!

I had a tough day last Thursday, and I took a personal day off of work. I was walking to Albertsons grocery store with my reusable bag when I passed by my neighbor up on a ladder picking plums from her plum tree. She offered me as many plums as I wanted, and do you know I teared up at the offer. Just the generosity felt like a hug I so desperately needed. I put a bunch in my bag thinking I'd make a plum pie with them.


Sunday I was taking a dip in the tub after my last 20-mile run before the Chicago Marathon, and I was reading Prevention magazine. They had a recipe for Plums with Sour Cream and Ruby Syrup. I tried it tonight, and it smells great, though I admit I haven't tasted it yet. I threw it into tupperwares to take to work. I don't like sour cream so I've eliminated it, but here's the full recipe anyway.

Ingredients:
1 lb plumbs sliced
1/4 cup sugar
Freshly grated zest of 1 orange
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 teaspoon minced rosemary
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1. Put plums in 8-10" skillet over high heat. Sprinkle with sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and rosemary and stir. When plums begin t give up their juice and sugar dissolves, cook 2 minutes, then turn off heat. (In all, this should take about 4 minutes) Allow plums to cool in pan at least 10 minutes. Transfer plums with slotted spoon to 4 bowls (or double the recipe and transfer to 2 tupperwares like me).

2. Bring juices to a boil over high heat. Cook until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. You should have about 2 tablespoons.

3. Dollop 2 tablespoons of the sour cream on the top of each bowl of plums and drizzle with syrup. Sprinkle with 1.5 teaspoons of walnuts over each serving.

Finished product!

Sept. 19: Increasing Energy Efficiency

The bulbs are good for the earth -- but look at all that packaging going to the landfill!

My bathroom fan broke about a week and a half ago. It was making some funny noises, then one morning I went to flip the switch before hopping in the shower and nothing. Light fine, fan broken. There's not a separate circuit breaker for the fan. The previous owners of my house left the manual for just about everything -- including the screen door -- so I referred to it in hopes of finding a Trouble Shooting section. No such luck, but I did see how it was put together and that the fan was separate. Last week I went to Lowes and stared at the wall of bathroom light/fan combos for a while. They range from $75-200. Am I better off hiring a handyman to diagnose the problem and perhaps replace just a part? Or am I better off just buying a whole new light/fan and replacing it myself? Probably the latter in terms of cost, but not in terms of conservation. Today I got a wild hair and decided to take the fan apart myself and just see if I could 1) find a replacement motor, 2) replace it, and 3) have that actually be the problem. I went back to Lowes. Side note, I've boycotted Home Depot ever since a sales guy said, "why don't you just have your man do it?" when I was in the middle of replacing the bathroom faucet and realized I needed longer supply lines. Not the thing to say, especially when I'm clearly in the middle of a project and having to make another trip to the hardware store. He got an earful. Anyway, Lowes had one bathroom fan motor in stock, and it was exactly the one I needed. I installed it, and as luck would have it, that was indeed the problem. I only spent $14.97 and now I have a fully functional (and quieter) fan!

While I had the step ladder out, I thought about the rest of the light fixtures in my house. They were about 1/3 compact fluorescent lightbulbs, but the other 2/3 were not. Isn't that one of the most basic things someone looking to go lean and green would do? CFLs not only use 75% less energy -- around the tune of saving $32 over the life of each bulb -- but they also last a lot longer at an average of 10 years. Less bulbs in the landfills, less of me on a stepladder changing bulbs, less energy use, and less money in the long run. A win-win-win-win. Granted, the upfront cost is more than a conventional bulb. Replacing seven regular bulbs and three ceiling fan bulbs cost $38.87. I went with the fancy, non-coiled kind which are about $1 more each. And, while I was at it, I went ahead and replaced the filter on my furnace. Now my house is humming with energy efficiency.

Sept. 18: Jalapeno Burns

Why did I not know that you can get skin burns from handling jalapenos? My thumb and index finger were on fire today and I didn't know why... and I realized I scooped out the seeds with those two fingers. I googled burn and jalapenos, and wouldn't you know, there is such a thing! Apparently you're supposed to wear gloves... lesson learned.

Sept. 17: Some Like it Hot

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

First off, a shout out to my first two blog followers, Andrea and Kate. Holla! Andrea, fellow diver and water polo player, locker partner, blonde knockout, fierce and determined, and a dear and loyal friend. And Katie, a tiny little redhead with a big personality, educator, strong woman full of wisdom and heart, and my soulmate of a best friend that I've known for 26 years. Thank you for your support.

Well it continues to be a rough time with my dad in and out of the hospital three times since Saturday. His cancer continues to grow and spread and the pain has become intolerable, even for him. This is a man who dropped a refridgerator on his foot and shattered it while helping my sister move, and kept going. If he's complaining of intolerable pain, it is absolutely unimaginable for the rest of us. It looks like we're going hospice from here on out. Which, according to NCI (National Cancer Institute), that's for being comfortable and preparing the patient and family for death when there's less than six months to go. Today I had lots of dizzy spells and nausea, presumably from stress. What do I do? I was going to visit for Christmas, but is there time? How do you know? Do I load Abbey in the Jeep and drive to Arizona? Then maybe I could stop by my alma mater, I haven't been to New Mexico since I moved to Portland nine years ago. Or maybe I could cross the border and spend a week or two in Mexico. Find a little place to rent on the ocean. Or maybe I save that trip for the funeral. Nothing soothes my soul like travel, especially to the ocean. I'm just feeling like I just want to escape it all. It hurts my heart to think of my dad in pain. My bathroom fan broke and I read the manual, but there's no troubleshooting section. I would normally call my dad in this situation and ask what to do. I know I can do it with a little guidance, I've changed light fixtures and ceiling fans. It just hits home how much I'll miss about him.

So, with all this grief and stress, what do I do? While cook of course! I picked more broccoli and basil from my garden and made a pasta salad. I also I got these jalapenos from the farmers market the other day and decided to make jalapeno poppers with leftover cream cheese I used for the frosting on a red velvet cake a couple months ago. No letting things go to waste! (except I threw out half a wedge of brie today - ugh) After I sliced the peppers open and took out the seeds, I touched my mouth. And holy hell my lips are still on fire! I think those must be some hot jalapenos! I used Panko for the first time. Anyone used it? Apparently it's Japanese breadcrumbs that are light and especially crispy. We shall see if they are really all that. So here's the finished product, I have to admit I'm a little afraid of them. Do they look like pure heat to anyone else???

Sept. 15: Does this thing have a reset button?

Do you ever wish you could just hit the reset button? Just put things back the way they were and start over? I had such a day yesterday. I just wanted to go back, start over, and make different decisions.

First, it was Monday. Mondays are always busy and stressful at work and I don't take a break. No break, mistake #1. Then after my regular job, I skipped dinner, and observed an Anger Management group. No dinner, mistake #2. I'll be facilitating my own group in a couple weeks. On my drive out to Clackamas for the group I learned my dad is back in the hospital. I almost turned the car around, but thought maybe it's better to be distracted by work than to wallow by myself at home. Well, the Anger Management group is not a light-hearted experience. Mistake #3. At 9:00pm I headed home, after a 13-hour stressful workday and a family emergency, drained and exhausted in every way. I stopped at the grocery store and bought a bottle of wine and a bag of BBQ Wavy Lays. Mistakes #4 and #5. I got home, poured myself a glass of wine, opened the bag of chips, and began stirring the pot with someone I care about via text. Mistake #6. Unable to turn my mind off I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning, making it incredibly difficult to drag myself to work. Mistake #7. It's like I said to myself, "Hey, you're feeling bad. Let's see what all we can do to make it worse." That's seven decision points I would handle differently, if only I could push the reset button. Ugh.

Sept. 13: When Life Hands You Tomatoes... Make Romesco Sauce!

Is anyone else swimming in tomatoes right now? I can't keep up with the crop! I picked another full bowl of them and they sat in my kitchen for a few days. I had to do something with them or else they would have gone bad. And we know I'm not letting things go bad these days. If you're swimming in tomatoes too, you MUST try this sauce.

A couple months ago my friend Angela and I went out for dinner at Toro Bravo, a great tapas bar in North Portland (www.torobravopdx.com if you must know). We ordered a couple tapas to share and a couple for our own, the perfect way to handle eating tapas with a vegetarian as far as I'm concerned. For her own tapas plate, Angela got seared scallops with romesco. Neither of us had heard of romesco, and it was absolutely DIVINE. I had to sample the sauce after Angela practically melted into her seat on the first bite. It's so rich and thick and full of nutty garlicky goodness. It tastes like there's parmesan or romano, and cream, but no! It's not nearly as naughty. Angela later found a recipe online and shared it with me, I saved it, and I finally made it tonight. That's it up there in the photo, in another Sylvia Zuber original bowl (love you Mom!) . Oh my gosh. You must try it. Just the smell of the garlic and tomatoes roasting in the oven and permeating throughout my house... I almost had to eat my arm.

I adapted this recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/romesco_sauce.aspx (thanks Angela and Kris!). I just used the tomatoes from my garden (see previous post for a photo) and I used a blender instead of a food processor cuz I don't have one. I didn't know how to blanch almonds so I'll tell you - just put them in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Then grab those suckers by the fat end and squeeze to pop the almonds out of the skin. I couldn't get the GD skins off the hazelnuts so I just freaking left them on. It's fine.

You can put this sauce on seafood or meat, on veggies, on pasta, dip pieces of bread in it, use it as a sandwich spread.... or just eat it by the spoonful like I did tonight. ;-) Enjoy.

I'll Make You Zucchini Pancakes, Pretend Like It's the Weekend Now

Last year I planted three zucchini plants and ended up absolutely swimming in zucchinis. I ate them every which way you can imagine. This year I only planted one and I've been looking forward to making this recipe. Part pancake, part savory, and all yummy goodness!

2 eggs
2 zucchinis, shredded
1/2 onion, grated (get ready to cry)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in the zucchini and onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Heat a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil in a skillet over low-medium heat. Spoon the mixture onto the skillet and you'll need to use the spoon to flatten them out a bit. Brown on both sides and serve warm. Makes about a dozen small pancakes.

Sept. 12: Farmers' Market Day

I started my day today with a visit to my neighborhood farmers' market. Every year I get so spoiled by getting the most beautiful produce, direct from the farmer who grew it, that I turn my nose up at the grocery store crap in the winter. It's just so absolutely fresh and full of flavor, and keeps for so long. Probably because it didn't spend days on a ship or truck being transported here from who-knows-where.

Alright, while shopping at farmers' markets are a great way to reduce impact on the environment while supporting local farmers, it's nothing new for me. I'm realizing that I haven't been making a big enough effort. What else can I do? I'm running out of ideas. Ugh.

Abbey and I went for a hike today on one of my favorite trails, Angels Rest. It's out in the Columbia River Gorge about 30 miles west of Portland. It climbs up to a little mesa with a spectacular view of the gorge. About five miles round trip. That was my cross training today, and cheap entertainment, just the cost of gas.

Sept. 9: Nourishing the Soul.... and Stomach

Today was a bit of a rough day at work. I looked forward to checking out a support group after work, a free drop-in group for friends and family of cancer patients at Providence. The group started at 5:00 and I had a 4:00 meeting with my supervisor, who just returned from a two-week vacation. Not surprising, our meeting went all the way to 5:00 and I missed the group. I still drove over there so at least I could see where it was and where to park so I can get there easily next week. The hospital was surprisingly quiet and there is a cancer wing, where the support group is held. As I was walking down the hall, and into the Cancer Center Lobby as announced by a huge sign and fountain, tears welled up in my eyes. Just walking into the lobby and seeing the sign! I think that means I waited too long. I'm sure I'll be a blubbery mess next week, but hopefully it'll be a nice place to get support, validation, and learn to cope as best as is possible. Oh, and it's free. :-)

So I came home and made this delicious pasta salad, a modified version of a tasty pasta salad I've gotten at Whole Foods. Cooking is another way to nourish my soul, and my stomach. It's whole wheat pasta, spinach, roasted red pepper, and cubes of smoked mozzarella. The dressing is mayo, white wine vinegar, garlic, italian flat leaf parsley, grated parmesan, and a dash of cayenne. It's simply delicious, this picture doesn't do it justice.

I've noticed that a lot of my posts and photos revolve around food. I guess that's because I love it so much! And the more I cook tasty things, the less I am tempted to eat out. So far it's looking like another week of bringing my lunch to work every single day. That's success.

Sept 8: Labor Day Weekend Recap

I had a pretty low-key weekend so the fact that I'm not writing in my blog until now is sheer laziness. Overall I stuck to the plan and had a successful weekend. I have been off wine for four days now and it is hard! It was hard to walk past that aisle at the grocery store this weekend. I hope it gets easier.

I started my Saturday with 10:00 AM Yoga class, which I haven't been to in a couple months. It was a rainy day and the class was absolutely PACKED. It was a great class and I left feeling refreshed and invigorated. The Hollywood District farmers market is a couple blocks away from my gym so I went straight over there after yoga. Despite the rain there were just as many people as there normally are. A little rain doesn't keep Oregonians indoors! I spent most of the day getting groceries, cleaning (with homemade cleanser), doing laundry, and cooking for the week. I made some empanadas con queso from scratch, including roasting poblano chiles from the farmers market. Yum.

Sunday morning I got my first 20-mile long run done on trails in Forest Park. It was raining, I was slow, and it hurt, but I got the miles done and that felt good. I always love coming back from a trail run muddy. I spent the rest of the day recovering between a long soak in the tub and laying on the couch downing fluids.

Monday morning Erica and Terri came over for a Labor Day brunch, instead of going out for breakfast. That was purely in an effort to save money. Go team! I meant to snap a couple photos for the blog but forgot. (Thanks to Andre for his Norwegian Pannekaken recipe - I made them!) Everything was delicious and it was great company. Afterward Terri and I went to the Pearl District to check out sidewalk sales. I ended up getting a top half off from Anthropologie, but I didn't need it and I think I'm going to take it back. Why do I keep rewarding myself for saving money by spending money? It just doesn't make sense. We did stop for coffee, but at least I chose the iced coffee for $1.60 instead of the iced mocha for $3 as I would have done before.

And now, back to the grind of the work week.

Sept. 4: No Wining Allowed

Gosh do I love wine. I really do. I love to end my day by relaxing and sipping a delicious glass of wine. I love to knit with glass of wine. I love to take a bubble bath with a glass of wine and jazz playing on the stereo. I love to have a glass of wine while I cook. And there are really so many great wineries in Oregon, so many great wines. But the reality is, it's an expensive habit with no real nutritional value. Sure, some say red wine is good for the heart, just like dark chocolate. But get real, my heart doesn't need help, I'm young and active. So it's time to cut this money pit out of my life, or at least reduce it. Special occasions only seems reasonable. And special occasions never happen alone. So there we go. It's public. No more wine.

Sept. 3: Worrying is like paying interest on a debt you don't owe

Today was a worry wart day. I spent some time worrying about work, about my property taxes due next month, about financing a trip in the Spring, about my dad fighting stage IV colon cancer. And then I spent some time in the garden after work and my worries melted away. I mean look at those beautiful artichokes and blackberries! That's what life is all about, getting back to basics.

Score one for Sarah today, I avoided a trip to the vending machine by bringing Chex to snack on in the afternoon. Even after being lured by my boss! ("Sarah, I'm heading down to the vending machine, want to come?" "No thank you, I've got my tasteless corn Chex!") I wonder if I could sprinkle some herbs on them to make them taste better. Gotta use up that GD cereal since I'm not letting anything go to waste. Ugh.

I bought my tickets to Chicago for the marathon this week. At the same time I'll be earning the last miles toward my ticket next Spring. I can't wait for my visit to my hometown. My favorite season to visit Chi-town is the Fall. Absolutely gorgeous. It almost makes me want to move back... but not quite.

September 2: Indigo Granita, Office Dishes, & Cloth Napkins

Courtesy of www.juliemorris.net

A friend just told me about Julie Morris' website which is devoted to "an eco-friendly exploration of simple, flavorful, and natural food made for fabulous living and wellness." Check it out, I for one am dying to try this Indigo Granita that packs an antioxident punch with blueberries and acai. (Thanks Miel!)

I just finished eating my brown bag lunch, and I'm proud of myself for not going to the New Season's to buy lunch. I used to get their delicious $5 Caesar salad at least once a week. I think I have gotten it once in the last three weeks since starting this endeavor. I made flour tortillas from scratch last night, as well as a filling of aborio rice with red chile, onions, tomatoes, crumbled feta, and sliced almonds for crunch. I brought them to work in separate reusable tupperwares. But then I realized I needed a plate for the assembly, and so I grabbed a paper plate from the stash available to us in the break room. And then tossed it after I finished lunch. How wasteful! I already have a desk set of flatware, and a mug and a bowl too, don't ask me how they ended up here. I never use the mug and bowl. But a plate I would use, I need to bring a plate.

Which got me to thinking about cloth napkins, as I tossed that paper towel away with the paper plate. I can't remember the last time I used a cloth napkin outside of a restaurant. It seems most people use paper. Imagine all the trees, all the energy and pollutants during production, packaging, and transportation of paper napkins. The current US population is 307,341,590 (http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html). If half the population used one paper napkin every other day, that's 2.8 billion napkins per year going in the trash! Cloth napkins you just toss in the wash, right? Seems easy enough. And would save money in the long run, so it's a win-win.

To Color or Not to Color

Today's post is about living leaner and trimming my spending habits, the hardest part for me of this adventure.

I got my hair cut on Saturday and resisted the very strong temptation to get highlights. Good job Sarah! As a reward I bought myself some Bumble and Bumble thickening spray. ($40 haircut+$8 tip+$24 styling product = $72... ugh) Okay maybe I shouldn't have rewarded myself for saving money by spending money. Baby steps.

I used to color my hair, starting at age 28 when I found my first gray hair. I'll never forget it. I was in graduate school and I was sitting in class one night twirling my hair around my finger. I glanced down to see one really light, really scraggly hair, and realized it was my first gray. The room spun and I yanked it out of my head. I thought I am waaay to young to be going gray so I went straight to the hair salon. Coloring is expensive, and once you're on that path you have to keep it up. Because roots are not cute, ever. And I was getting two processes: darkening part, and highlighting part. After a couple years of forking out lots of dough (close to $200/visit?), and not knowing how much gray I really had, I decided to phase it out. I got fewer highlights over two visits just to transition the grow-out. And finally after a couple years growing it out I am back to my natural color. There's a few grays in there, but not noticible unless you're up close looking for them. I'm okay with that.

But, now I just think my natural color is this dark blonde blaahhh. I really want to start highlighting again. Really bad! But it's a total waste of money! I'm not doing it myself, that just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. And call me a snob, but I can spot a drug store job a mile away. How can I justify spending money on something so unnecessary? Maybe I can focus on harm reduction instead of all out abstinance. Yesterday I was looking on the Aveda Institute website (www.avedapdx.com) to see how much they charge. In a desperate moment I got my brows waxed there once and the student did a great job and was closely supervised by her instructor. Getting highlights there would be $35+. That's so cheap! That too could be a disaster waiting to happen, but hopefully the instructor would be closely supervising again. But the biggest thing I'm worried about is CHEATING on my hair stylist! Is that ridiculous? I'd feel utterly guilt-ridden the next time I went in for a haircut. Ugh. Guess I'll let it perculate a bit longer.