Comfort Food

I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicious one pot meals, and I think I just found a new favorite!

Arroz con Pollo

Image Courtesy of Martha Stewart Online

My meal did not turn out as picturesque as the above image, but it tasted delicious. I am glad I splurged and bought some saffron. Yellow rice is so comforting. This entire meal is wonderfully comforting. Comfort. I can't think of a better word right now. Comforting nursery food. Perfect for a week when everything turns topsy-turvy on you.

If you pray, would you take a moment to say a quick prayer for me and my family? We would appreciate it very much. We are all working very hard to make ends meet, and we are all very weary. (As are many people in this world.)

May we all find some rest and a bit of "home" every day.

We here at Little Brown House have had our share of troubling news during the first weeks of January. Little Bear tore his trousers, and my sister and I lost a dear friend. How devastatingly unnatural it is for a person to end his own life. To quote Sheldon Vanauken, we all feel very"sad". Sad and slightly confused. (Though I have promised to mend L.B.'s trousers.)

These are times when the often unbearably mundane tasks become comforting. Housework and homework give me something to do, and they remind me that I am alive. Perhaps I am finally beginning to understand what Aquinas and Augustine mean when they say that existence is good. It is good to be alive.

But since I have a tendency to get stuck in an overly-homeworkish-houseworkish rut, I gave myself the task of doing something new each day. It is too easy to limit myself to comfortable and familiar tasks like washing dishes. I am sure there are people in the world who ought to wash more dishes, but there are also people like me who must stop washing all the dishes. At least for a day. And they should try driving to Church on a different road.

...
Whoa!

Out of control.

Or not really. (Well, maybe just for me.) 
...

This morning I remembered how a fellow violinist, Phil, would pray before each rehearsal. He always began by thanking God for life and breath. It is a very simple statement, but I find myself repeating it throughout the day. Even on evenings when my washer floods the kitchen floor. (Like this evening.) I am alive and breathing, and I am jolly well alive enough to go clean it up.

It's not so bad, is it?

Comfortable and Quiet Day...And Trousers.

My house is terribly messy right now. Little Bear suggested that the mess was brought by last night's windstorm. I think that is his way of politely agreeing that yes, the house is terribly messy right now. 

I took the hint.

To remedy the terribly messy situation, Little Bear and I made Grand Plans for Afternoon House Cleaning. 

(Little Bear just wanted to ride the vacuum.) 

As happens with most Grand Plans for Afternoon House Cleaning, our plan...did not take place. 

My reasons involved pain killers and general loopiness. Little Bear's reasons involved Trousers. (Why? I do not know.)

We did manage to spend a very comfortable and quiet afternoon doing all manner of comfortable and quiet activities. 

He and I compiled a list of every jolly and comfortable thing we did today.

It was a good day.

Here is our list:

-Eating Noodles and Soup

-Blanket Nest on Green Couch

-Exploring Green Couch (L.B.)

-Sleeping on Green Couch (Me)

-Eating Hot Fudge Sundaes Before Supper

-Cooking Sweet Potato Hash and Scrambled Eggs

-More Sleeping (Me)

-Smiling and Generally Looking Happy (L.B.)

-Bath with Bubbles (Me)

-Somersaults (L.B.)

-Using More Spoons and Forks Than Normal (Me and L.B.)

-Not Washing Spoons and Forks After Use (Me...and L.B.)

Little Bear wrote a short composition about today and asked to share it with the general public. 

My edits/notes are italicized.

"Every Trouser Wearing Day is a Good Day. [Does he mean every day that wears trousers? I would like to see this.] Although I was bitterly disappointed to not ride The Great Machine, I was comforted by the knowledge that my Trousers would remain intact and safe. [Reference to a past occasion when his trousers were caught in the vacuum? Definitely before he took up residence in my house.] Almost crushed by sleeping beast on Green Couch. [Thanks, L.B.] Enjoyed pudding before supper, and was amused that supper consisted of orange and yellow foods. Splendid choice of colours. Reminiscent of a sunset and appropriate for evening. All in all a satisfactory day."

A Happy Moment On An Otherwise Hot and Sticky Afternoon

Yesterday my friend R. gave me a little piece of chocolate for "on the road to the Library". Being the silly goose that I am, I put the chocolate in my bag (for safe keeping) and forget about it during my walk.

Oh well.

I was very happy to later find a somewhat squashed and melty piece of chocolate in my bag! Luckily the piece was still wrapped in foil and free of Roaming Bag Fuzz, leaving me with a clean bag and an edible bit of chocolate. Hooray!

...

I think chocolate rejuvenates those who are weary from reading pages and pages about fallen and blessed angels.

...

R.'s little gift of chocolate reminded me of the communal aspect of food. As I shared the melty candy with the fellow-book-reader-to-my-right, I realized that even a little square of chocolate can bring people together. Remember when Hagrid brings Harry a pack of squishy sausages and that birthday cake (with green icing letters)? What a very merry and beautiful act of kindness, pocket fuzz and all. Harry receives cake and a friend!

Rather like in Betsy-Tacy, or Heidi, or The Odyssey.

Mmm. Much to ponder. I'm looking forward to Soup Saturday with chumlet S. 

Thanks for the chocolate, R.!

"One Little Daisy"

Yesterday I found a poem I wrote when I was nine or ten. It is scribbled on a piece of white printing paper (the kind without lines), so I know it must have been a "serious piece of work". (White paper was reserved for "serious work" when I was little.)

Here it is, typed out exactly as it is written on the page:


~*~*~*~*~

One Little Daisy

One little daisy goes out to play,
Outside, the daisy plays all day.
When suddenly a noise comes through,
That sounds quite harsh and mean!
But daisy just stays in the grass,
For there's nothing to be seen.
Daisy just stays out in the sun
listing[sic] to the awful noise, when
a big red thing comes towards
her toys and takes her off
her poise. The noise stops.
The red thing stops, and
daisy is relieved, until she
is plucked out of the dirt,
and put between a book. after [sic]
A while, daisy's dry and taped
onto a paper. So daisy's days
are filled with hours stuck on a
big caper.


~*~*~*~*~

You don't have to classify this as a poem if it's too painful for you to do so. ;)

I remember imagining a big red lawn mower charging towards a little daisy. I think my original plan was for the daisy to get eaten by the lawn mower, but my sister must have vetoed that idea. Perhaps I confused daisies and dandelions? I really didn't like dandelions when I was a little girl.

If I could talk with my nine year old self, I would ask her the following:

1) What do daisies play with? What are her "toys"? Did I mean June Bugs? Other flowers? A rubber ball?
2) What do I mean by "Caper"? I don't think I was referring to the pickled bud. I knew what those were, and they were gross. (My sister ate them.) Did I mean some sort of shenanigan? What can you do while taped to a piece of paper?



....

I was a fairly odd child... My poor Ma and Pa.
:P

Apparently I wrote them another daisy poem for Christmas. Let's hope this one was a bit less...strange.

Good Eats

Well, I kept my promise. Ellie and I had fun, and we ate very well, too. Rather than spending my vacation money on traveling, I indulged in a most amazing grocery splurge at Trader Joe's. It was important that my fridge be filled with delicious yet allergen-free foods since Ellie and I both have sensitive stomachs. Grocery shopping is always such a pleasure! Especially when your options are limitless and your pocketbook is feeling a bit less tight.

Ellie and I filled our cart with everything delicious: hummus, salad greens, a red and orange pepper, grapes, apples, sausages, bacon, different kinds of meat, ice cream, chocolate, and two kinds of cheese (herbed goat cheese and English Cheddar with caramelized onions). It was a very good day.
...

It was a very good week!

...

Despite the fact that I am not a very good cook, Ellie and I still managed to eat delicious suppers every evening. We agreed that they got better each time. I think I'm finally learning how to properly season and bake chicken tenders. Finally.

...

Sometimes remembering our meals helps me feel a bit less sad now that Ellie is home in N.M. Here you go:

Proof That You Can Eat Delicious Meals sans Gluten/Corn/Soy/Nut/Nitrites/Guargum/Tropical Fruits:

Monday's Supper

Rice Noodles alla Puttanesca with Herbed Goat Cheese and Salad Greens.

Tuesday's Supper

Burgers topped with Caramelized Onion Cheddar and Bacon.

Served with Salad Greens and Steamed Sweet Potatoes.

Dessert: Flourless Chocolate Cake drizzled with Rum and served with Coffee Ice Cream.

Wednesday's Supper

Pasta with Sautéed Squash and Herb Seasoned Chicken

Thursday's Supper

Wednesday's Supper was so very delicious that we cooked the same meal again.

:)  

Friday's Supper

Pan Fried Chicken Sausages served with Green Beans, Squash, and Potatoes sautéed in Garlic Butter.  

Saturday's Supper

Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Tomato and Green Bean Hash.  

Sunday's Supper

Pork Chops with Apple-Onion Chutney

served alongside Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Summer Squash.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Mousse

...

My little food adventures with Ellie taught me a few things about cooking:

-Garlic Salt. Use it. Enough said. 

-Chili Pepper Flakes. Use them. Also enough said. 

-Squash tastes delicious when cooked in butter. Everything tastes delicious cooked in butter. (Almost.) 

-Garlic Salt. Salt. Don't under salt. 

-Taste your food throughout the cooking process! Avoid over salting! 

-Be patient with yourself. Cooking is hard! There is no definite right or wrong method, but you know when something tastes good, and you definitely know when it tastes bad. Delicious or disgusting. You know what I mean. Think of term paper writing: Practice, practice, practice. Have a plan. Ditch the plan. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Try again. Practice, practice, practice again. 

-Perhaps the activity of eating becomes "meal-taking" or "partaking of a meal" when you are joined by all the people you love. Maybe this is why people get married and buy dishes together. They want to cook meals! What a happy little thought.

:)

Happy meal-making to you all!

Wheeeeeee!

Have you ever experienced the immense relief and bliss that accompanies a decision well made? (Or in my case, finding a solution that works tremendously better than the current option.)

It's the kind of feeling that makes you want to jump about and run around and sing sing sing.

Hurrrrrrrrahhhh!!!

YES YES YES!

YIPEEEEEEEEE!!!

Whew!

Laaaadeeeedaaaaa!

Try this!

"I fixed the faucet!!!"

"I found my lost sock!!!!" (I wish!)

I HAVE TIME TO FINISH SCHOOL! 

I don't have to finish now,

at the school where I began,

with the same programs and majors.

I HAVE TIME TO BAKE COOKIES!!

I HAVE TIME TO BUILD A GARDEN BOX!!

Hooorahhoorahhorraaaaahhhhhooplahhoooorah!!!

Yes...

I'm a silly goose. 

But Sousa Marches are the best, so hopefully the piece is adequate payment for the abundance of exclamation marks and caps.

!!!!!

In Honor of The "American Sound"

~*~*~*~*~

What forms the American musical ethos?

Hint: It has nothing to do with Rebecca Black's "Friday". May good American music have nothing to do with this...song.

Amen.

Wikipedia, I ask you this: Must "Americana Music" be synonymous with "Country Music"? 

What makes the music of Aaron Copland sound so distinctively "American"?

Again, what is the "American" sound?

Brass? Why so much brass?

Sometimes Wikipedia is helpful: ...Don't kill me.

"The open, slowly changing harmonies of many of his [Copland's] works are archetypical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. ~*cough*courtesy of wikipedia*cough* 

Do you want to witness the vast American landscape? Try road-tripping across America. 

In fact, why not do it twice? 

You might appreciate Copland more if you do. ;-) 

You'll also appreciate fresh vegetables more than you ever thought you would. 

(But don't try to drive through Texas and New Mexico in one day. Bad, bad, bad idea. Never again.)

~*~*~*~*~*~

 In honor of today:

(please excuse the Space images.  I picked this recording because the of the sound quality. However, watch this video if you have time. James Levine! His epic conducting face.) 

Fanfare for the Common Man

(Composed by Aaron Copland)

Apparently this piece was inspired by a speech about "The Century of the Common Man" given by former vice president Henry A. Wallace. You can read the excerpt here if you are interested. I especially suggest it to all you Johnson House Sophomores. Yet whether or not you agree with his arguments, please, please spend some time listening to Aaron Copland's music. :D

In fact, go out and buy a CD that includes his Appalachian Spring*. Wake up early in the morning, pour yourself a cup of tea (toaster waffles are suggested, too), and listen to the entirety of this piece.

(*It's funny that Copland did not write this ballet/piece with the title in mind. In fact, the title came after the piece was composed. However it's hard not to think of Spring (the season) or springs (water) when listening to the piece. Why? Maybe the power of suggestion is too strong. Hmm.)

Also,
when you need a pick me up in your day, skip the drink and instead listen to Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide.

 
Oh, why not watch it now?

Conducted by the Bernstein himself!

(Fine, fine. Have the drink, too.)

Who Put The Bomp...?

Being the recovering perfectionist/type A/achievement driven Asian that I am, (ha), I sometimes feel the need to "CLEAN ALL THE THINGS" (courtesy of Hyperbole and a Half!). However, the "recovering" part of me finds daily dance parties in the kitchen a necessity. So what happens when you combine dancing + cleaning + bad biomechanics + one unfortunate-"the-dishrack's-too-high"-reach via tippy toes?

You'll wind up with some mean ol' Metatarsalgia.

So much for Ballet this summer. :-P

Ah well.

Now I have time to...
...READ ALL THE BOOKS.

Oh wait.
There I go again!
 ...

While my sister drove me to In-N-Out for luncheon (isn't my sister the best?), we listened to the radio and discovered this Doo-wop jem:

Alright, you probably think it's a weird nonsensical song. Hang in there, though. My sister and I thought it was strange the first time we heard it, too. Especially this part:

When my baby heard
"Bomp bah bah bomp "
"Bah bomp bah bomp bah bomp bomp"
Every word went right into her heart...

 Seems unbelievable that any girl/baby/pretty mama would fall for a guy when she heard "rama lama ding dong"...But maybe that's the point?

My sister guessed that the song pokes fun at the way Doo-wop music inserts nonsensical wording after heartfelt declarations. Whoever wrote the Wiki article seems to agree.
Either way, I was glad to learn that the song wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. ;-)

Silly old me! 

Ah well.

Even though I can't dance or clean all the things right now, I did try to figure out "Who put the ram
/ In the rama lama ding dong?".

Hmm.

The Edsels?

Enjoy!