Brown bagging it

Our fair capital city has a lot of problems, it's true. Overzealous parking enforcement. Corrupt politicians. Outrageous rush hour traffic. But every so often our DC city council does something truly great. Thank you to our local officials for allowing to-go cocktails during these crazy times. It supports our local bars and restaurants AND our sanity.

I very much enjoyed the some-assembly-required negroni Matt ordered for me last night as part of our delicious takeout dinner from Copycat. Props to my friend Jenny for telling me about their tasty food (and also forewarning me that they would not sell me a cocktail unless I also ordered food). I would bike over to H Street for more of those dumplings and hand pulled noodles any day. And they do make a mean cocktail. Or, rather, they gave me the tools to make my own, including a piece of fresh orange zest and a rather sizeable ice cube.

Classy, delicious, and earth friendly with its reusable packaging, this was my kind of drink:

 

Happy Earth Month, indeed!

Gardening has NOT been cancelled

A dear friend sent this to me a few weeks ago and I have kept it on my desktop ever since:

During relative seclusion and 10-hour days in front of a computer in recent weeks, I've made it a point to get outdoors -- safely -- and be around green things as much as possible. Though I did go into a bit of a weeding frenzy in the backyard garden after a couple brunch cocktails on Easter Sunday, most of my outdoor time lately has been spent at my school's garden. I think some days it's the best part of my week to spend a couple of hours shoveling wheelbarrowfuls of wood chips or digging up tenacious wire grass invading the garden paths. (It's a great workout, too -- thanks for allowing us to garden, Mayor Bowser.) I didn't even mind getting my shoes and pants completely soaked last week while repairing the drip irrigation system. Nor was I phased by getting sprayed in the face a few times on a warm, sunny afternoon as I fumbled to turn off the water source.

Many folks have walked past -- at a safe distance -- while I've been in the garden in recent weeks. Some of them have been kids and parents that I know, and who were excited to see that I was still nurturing the spaces they'd helped with earlier this school year. But many of the casual, garden-side conversations were with total strangers strolling past. A few stopped to ask how they might help, and a handful of them commented on how they pass by the garden regularly and are elated to see healthy, colorful living things thriving amid these times where it seems like all there is is bad news. (While I still support my local NPR station, I can't handle more than 30 minutes of news a day these days.) Gardens are a sign of hope, proof that life continues, and plants can nourish our bodies and souls.

Since I technically can't invite any of you to join me in the garden in person, let me offer you some virtual good news for your soul by way of the garden video I made for my students a few weeks ago. It is my first official stint on YouTube, but luckily I am behind the camera for most of it:

Yes, I love being in the garden. But when it comes down to it, nothing is as fun or rewarding as gardening with kiddos. I hope we can get back to this soon:

I dream of chocolate

I might have just made the best chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten. I might have to go vegan after today. Nothing will ever be as good as the ice cream I licked off my fingers as I scraped the last of the milk chocolate custard from the edges of my churn.

Sure, I'll get to the recipe -- that's why most of you are here, I imagine, especially during these days of social isolation that naturally result in more of us spending more time in the kitchen than usual -- but first, I feel you need a bit of context. You see, it's my boyfriend's birthday and he LOVES ice cream cake. And I don't mean fancy, high end ice cream cake. I mean grocery store ice cream cake. (Don't shake your head at me. He's awfully cute and charming, and in my defense I didn't know about his occasional habit of eating a half of an chocolate ice cream pie in a single sitting until after I was properly smitten. Luckily he bikes a lot to burn it off.)

So anyway, I was talking with my cousin a little while ago and mentioned that I wanted to try making an ice cream cake for Matt's birthday. Sonia is one of the best baker/confectioners on the planet, so when she suggested I check out some of the recipes on the Smitten Kitchen blog, I did. I believe I managed to find the most elaborate ice cream cake out there. It involves baking cookies and then crumbling them to make the base. And that was just the crust! Two different flavors of homemade frozen custard, from-scratch fudge sauce, freshly whipped cream... that woman is my kind of crazy.

I will spare you the gory details of me trying to secure things like 6 cups of heavy whipping cream in the midst of what seems like a run on all things baking at my local supermarket. Suffice to say, I got most of what i needed for the hot fudge sundae cake. It turned out pretty well, no?

Those are mini peanut butter cups on top. It is the only ingredient I didn't make from scratch. (I know, it seems like a cop out at the end, but did I tell you about the decimated baking aisle at Whole Foods? There was no chocolate to be found. As it was, I had to dip into my emergency chocolate stash at home to have enough for the fudge sauce.) Anyway, while I did have cherries at home to top the ice cream sundae cake, peanut butter cups seemed more Matt-like, and it's his birthday after all.

Thanks for sitting through that backstory. Or at least discreetly skimming through it to get to the recipe. Here it is. I suggest you take up a robust workout regimen before embarking on making this -- let's just say it's a bit rich. I've adapted it here so that it's just the chocolate ice cream part of the Smitten Kitchen recipe. 

Milk Chocolate Frozen Custard

(Makes 1 quart + an extra cup or two*)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 6-ish ounces milk chocolate pieces
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Put 1 cup of cream and the cocoa powder in a medium pot, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups cream. Try to resist the urge to just start eating this chocolate cream base. The final product is worth the wait, I promise.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in another medium pot, then transfer to a spouted liquid measuring cup. Whisk together egg yolks in the cooled pot. Slowly pour in warm milk/sugar/salt mixture, whisking constantly. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Pour the custard through the strainer and whisk it into chocolate cream until smooth, then stir in the vanilla.

Chill in the fridge for a full day or overnight. You want it fully chilled before churning in your ice cream maker.

Churn your chilled chocolate custard according to the ice cream machine manufacturer's directions. In most cases, ice cream is churned for 30 minutes then transferred to a container to finish in freezer, but if you like soft serve grab your spoon and get in there after the ice cream thickens a bit.

Enjoy your homemade scoop of chocolate heaven!

(*If you are comparing my recipe to the original, you may notice I used more that half of the original custard base for the ice cream cake in the chocolate ice cream. What can I say, Matt and I prefer chocolate to vanilla ice cream. And I may have set aside about a cup and a half of chocolate ice cream for another surprise later.)

Instant Love

I'm not going to lie, readers: I normally prefer slow food to fast food. Take beans, for instance. Dry beans soaked overnight and then simmered are SO much better than their canned brethren in terms of nutrition, texture, cost, weight (hey, I'm biking these things from the store), and flavor. Sure, sometimes I do grab a can of garbanzos for convenience, but my preference is to invest in the long game. Anything claiming to be "instant" or "quick and easy" is likely to elicit an eye roll from me at best, and sometimes outright scorn.

Well. This December, my favorite cousin, Sonia, gave me an InstantPot for my birthday. (Sorry to all of you other cousins out there reading this, I love you, too.) I'd been hearing about these contraptions of convenience for many months, not only from Sonia but also from interns and parents at my school. Rave reviews all around. I was, of course, very suspicious. Also, I harbor a lifelong fear of kitchen gadgets that might explode and destroy part of my person or house. Pressure cookers fall into this category. (If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you may recall me cowering behind my friend Mike the first time we used his pressure canner back in 2010.)

Well, yesterday morning I woke up hours before my alarm (again). Annoyed to be up before sunrise, I did what any normal foodie would do. I made granola. Also, I was looking for a way to use up 4 cups of oats and not make many dozens of oatmeal cookies since I don't eat a lot of cookies and I am not getting nearly as much exercise as I am used to. Plus, I still have half of a pineapple cake my landlady made me taking up the valuable fridge real estate, so it couldn't be anything requiring refrigeration. But I digress.

Last night, I got to thinking: what goes well with granola? Yogurt! And I am pretty much stuck in my house all day and night, so why not make the yogurt, too? [Cue the sidelong glance across the room at the InstantPot.]

The booklet it came with had a yogurt recipe, but it was a little vague. I don't want to screw up and waste a half gallon of milk nor do I want to blow myself up by accident. (See above,) I looked online for reassurance and wouldn't you know that everyone makes their yogurt differently, and has very emphatic instructions about how to make it the best way. Also, everyone had different opinions on how and when to remove the lid, in some cases while the InstantPot was on(!), so I ended up using my best judgement after all and just going for it. Here is how I made my batch, that came out to almost 4 full pint jars:

Instant Pot Yogurt

• 2 quarts whole milk
• 1 large spoonful of plain yogurt of your choice
• Sprinkle of sugar

Pour milk into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the stove off immediately and let milk cool to 110-120F.

Whisk in your scoop of yogurt and sugar. This is your yogurt "starter." (Honestly, some recipes called for 1/2 cup yogurt to 1 quart of milk; other recipes called for 2 Tablespoons of yogurt to 1/2 gallon of milk. People!!) I added just a bit of sugar because I am a homebrewer and when you have a yeast starter for making beer you always sprinkle in a little sugar. Not a cupful, you sugar fiends, just a sprinkle to keep the healthy bacteria in your yogurt happy. It;s still meant to be a tart yogurt.

Divide your milk/yogurt mixture among 4 pint jars, but do not put on the lids. Put filled jars into Instant Pot's inner, metal bowl, then add a cup or two of water to create your water bath for the jars. Just so we are clear here, though the jars are uncovered, the water does not go into the jars, it goes into the metal inner pot of the Instant Pot. Try not to spill water into the jars.

Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, then choose the Yogurt function. It should flash 8:00 (meaning 8 hours). Press Start. The timer will start counting up. Your yogurt will be done in 8+ hours. I made mine overnight, removed my freshly made jars of yogurt, put a lid on each, and popped them in the fridge. After tasting it, of course.

I ate a couple of mounded spoonfuls right out of the first jar, and then stirred a bit of it into my breakfast borscht -- what, I've been cooking a lot. Delish!!

I think I will stir it into some of that cinnamonny, cardamommy granola from yesterday for my snack later. Yeah, I know, it'll take up some of that precious fridge real estate, but you know what: it's worth it. And it basically takes up the same amount of space as the milk bottle did.

(Don't have an InstaPot? Don't fret. You can also make yogurt with a space heater, blanket, and cutting board like this.)

Herbal Medicine

Well, here we are, readers. Home. All of us. With no more excuses for being behind on our blog writing. "I was just... um... sitting on my couch?... not near my computer?... searching for my power cord...?"

While many of us are working hard to distance ourselves physically from others, it is also important to maintain some semblance of social and emotional closeness with those we care about. And just as important to keep our bodies healthy and our minds active. That's a lot to manage. Lately, while I've had plenty of work to do helping to develop distance learning materials for my job, I've been feeling pretty stressed out: worrying about people, not sleeping well, feeling isolated, and all of this amid a dwindling selection of opportunities to get outside of my house and out into nature, where things are still fairly normal (or what passes for normal in this era of CLIMATE CHANGE). Thank goodness gardening is still one of the out-of-the-house exercise activities allowed by our mayor, though I wish I was able to garden with kids. Lord, I miss my students.

[Break to make a calming cup of chamomile tea.]

Today, I attended my first Slow Food Live session, led by herbalist Christine Buckley. Over the course of an hour of the remote (and yet hands-on) "DIY Spa Day" session, we learned about the benefits and uses for two common plants: thyme and chamomile.

Thyme, which grows really well, even in not-so-great garden soil, around these parts is pretty easy to get your hands on. I had some that I'd dried from my garden, which I used to do a calming "facial steam" as part of today's session.

Apparently thyme is the wonder plant, with benefits ranging from antimicrobial (germ-killing) properties to digestion improvement. For me, the two best things about the steam treatment were 1) its calming properties and 2) its respiratory system clearing capabilities. (Though I don't get outside nearly as much as I'd like these past few weeks, I still seem to be suffering from seasonal allergies. Figures.)

To make your own thyme facial steam, just boil some hot water, pour a couple of cups of it into a big bowl, throw in a handful (1/4 cup or more) of fresh or dried leafy thyme branches, and lean over it. Christine recommended putting a towel over your head to keep the relaxing steam a bit more concentrated so it can do its magic -- opening up your pores and your respiratory system -- but for kids or those more sensitive to heat, you can forget the towel part. It was recommended for anyone with a sore throat, seasonal allergies, or a wet cough. Just be careful not to scald yourself or your sinuses! It won't prevent or cure COVID-19, but it will help clear out gunk in your respiratory system and stimulate your nervous system, all while calming you down. Pretty sweet. I might have to do this daily.

Chamomile is the other plant that our herbalism guru focused on today. We made a medicinal-strength cup of tea (i.e., two teabags steeped in just boiled water for 7+ minutes). Then we sipped on the tea while we learned more about the fantastic things that this common, aromatic flower brings to the table. It helps with fever, rashes, and mild sunburns. It's anti-inflammatory, calming, and anti-spasmodic (helps with digestion issues).

Once the teabags cooled in my nearby saucer, it was time to try the chamomile compresses. Which is just to say: I stretched out on the couch and plopped a somewhat squishy chamomile teabag over each eye. Five minutes later, I was a new woman. Or at least a more relaxed one.

I'm very much looking forward to reading through Christine's book, Plant Magic, which I ordered online about 5 minutes later. More to come on herbal remedies and other related tidbits when it arrives in the mail. (Probably a healthier choice than my other recent plant-related fun reading, Amy Stewart's The Drunken Botanist, but the recipes in that one have helped to keep my landlady and I from going completely stir crazy in recent weeks. And it was actually a pretty good read for someone who loves botany, cocktails, and origin stories.)

A recycling challenge: bike helmets

So I went to my local REI the other day to pick up the new rain pants and bike helmet I'd ordered -- a fancy new MIPS helmet (Matt had convinced me that it was time to get a new one that better protected my witty cranium). On the bike ride over, I got to thinking about how I buy myself a new bike helmet about every year or so, and how I've been learning along with my students how challenging it is to dispose of some materials. I have a pretty good idea of what can be recycled curbside in DC; clothing I don't wear any more ends up at a clothing swap or Goodwill; I bring my compost to the farmers market now; and I've even gotten Matt to start saving plastic bags beyond reuse to take to the plastic bag recycling bin at the grocery store. But what the heck can I do with old bike helmets? I have gone through a lot of them over the past ten years, and I hope to be biking for many more years to come.

You probably know, readers, that if you are in a crash in which your bike helmet makes contact with anything substantial, you need to replace it asap. Some of you might not know that bike helmets become less effective over time -- even without daily/regular usage, the helmet materials become less effective in just a few years, and should be replaced. So most people should be replacing bicycle helmets every 1-3 years. But for all I could find on the all-knowing Internet, there does not seem to be a place to send old helmets for recycling. Even REI -- one of the most environmentally conscious companies I know -- doesn't recycle them or offer a solution to the problem. I know this because I asked at customer service when I was picking up my new helmet. (They did recycle the cardboard box the new one came in, at least.)

The next day, at a World Food Day event I was at in Anacostia -- I wore my new helmet on the ride there and was still noodling on this problem on the ride over -- I got to talking with some folks about this conundrum and one of them told me they'd read an article recently about meal worms that eat Styrofoam. What?! I came home and looked that up later, of course. Maybe a stepping stone would be for REI and other sellers of bicycle helmets to have bins of these meal worms, Yeah, that'll happen.... but it still doesn't account for the outer hard plastic part or the straps.

Here is my challenge for you, readers: FIND a friend or relative who is an engineer. Encourage them to invent a SAFE-BUT-RECYCLABLE bicycle helmet.
The person who comes up with a solution will make millions. They should remember us little people when they do. All I ask for is a lifetime supply of these helmets. And maybe a few weeks a year at their apartment in Paris... because if I became a millionaire I would of course have an apartment in Paris to visit from time to time and would let friends stay there.

Girl Scouts, Improved

It's been a bit lonely around the apartment, with Matt in Nepal for work. But I've been making the best of it, mostly by deep cleaning the refrigerator and cooking up a storm. Today, my kitchen has been filled with delicious -- if incongruous -- smells of chickpea curry, roasted broccoli, various kinds of homemade pickles, and my test batch of spent grain thin mint cookies.

What? Thin mints?? Made with spent grain?! Yes. With my Oktoberfest party coming up in a couple of weeks, I figured it was time to start testing some festive new recipes.

Now, don't get your lederhosen in a bunch trying to explain to me how girl scout cookies aren't authentically German. I know that. Neither is spicy pickled okra, but both are on the menu for Oktoberfest. And if you're coming to the party you will be glad I am departing from the traditional kraut-pickle-sausage-pretzel regimen (though all of these will be represented as well). The cookies turned out so well it is only because I really like my landlady that I have decided to share some tonight while we catch up on the latest John Oliver....

For your baking pleasure, I offer this easy recipe, courtesy of The Brooklyn Brewery's delicious Mash recipe blog:

Spent Grain Thin Mints

Ingredients
Cookies

• 1 stick of butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 cups Spent Grain Flour

Frosting

• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (a half block of Trader Joe's Belgian dark baking chocolate, in this case)
• 1 teaspoon mint extract (or use 1/4 teaspoon mint essential oil) 
• 2 tablespoons butter 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add in cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Fold in the flour 1/4 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Using your hands, form dough into a disk. (If super sticky, put in the freezer for 5 minutes to chill. This will give you time to lick the eggbeater and wash some dishes.)



Roll out dough on a floured work surface (and with a floured rolling pin) pretty thin, @ 1/8" thickness. Using a circle-shaped cookie cutter cut out dough and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.



Depending on the size of your cookies, bake for 8-10 minutes. (They are thin mints, so they bake quickly. Be careful not to burn them!) Carefully transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely.

In a double boiler (or a heat proof bowl over a pot), melt your frosting ingredients: chocolate, mint extract, and butter. Carefully dip cookie in melted chocolate, flip to fully coat and remove with a fork. Return to lined baking sheet and repeat for all cookies. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set chocolate coating.



Just try not to eat them all in one sitting. They are FABULOUS.

Oh? The stuffed dragon? That's Werner. I needed a little help with some key parts of the process. I'm hopeful Matt will be around for the actual baking for the party itself. I'm going to need to buy more chocolate. And more milk for dunking.