A Poem - Tipping Point: Art

There is a moment, 

Especially on weekend mornings

When I've watched a video-demo or two, 

Scrolled through posts and pins on  
watercolor, sketching and plein air painting,

When (like having a running start) I
Just gotta get up and do it myself.

I go to the bathroom, pee, brush my teeth, maybe shower and line my eyes,

When, I have another idea.

I make espresso, grab a yogurt, add some walnuts, 

then see out the window a squirrel (yes, cliche’ all the way), hungrier than me. 

So, I take and toss the remaining nut shards

into a concrete valentine water dish beneath his tree. And,

With the last plop,

I notice the tiniest of scenes.

Two crooks in the tree

with a bark that reminds me of the worst of acne,

and snow that looks more like the kind that comes from spray cans

and all in a hint of winter shadow.

I grab my small Moleskine sketchbook

(because this is only to commemorate a very small scene),

my favorite Deluxe Micro Uni-ball pen

And put lines and more lines down.

Though in the time I’ve taken to finish the sketch,

write about the moment I was moved to sketch

but ate breakfast instead,

and saw a squirrel, fed it, and drew where I placed its food,

I never see the squirrel again. Yet,

I still feel pretty good about the morning.

Tipping Point: Art
Mary Longe
1/30/16

Have you gotten way-laid and eventually ended up exactly where you wanted to be?

Orange Soup - To Please a Paleo Palette (or should I use Palate?)

Orange Soup Paleo

No orange fruit is used to make this soup. You will use orange colored vegetables and seasonings. I threw in white onion, garlic, apple and red-brown bacon to give it some depth of flavor and hue. The color is significant only in that I had them on hand and the combo of ingredients sounded bright against the grey and snowy day… sweet, savory, salty and spicy. 

Ingredients

• ·      1 T Olive oil (or cook the bacon first and use the bacon grease - it would  work)
• ·      ¼ cup Onion (small) minced
• ·      2 Garlic cloves minced
• ·      1 Sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
• ·      5 Carrots, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
• ·      1 lb. Butternut Squash, chopped, 1” pieces (I bought it chopped)
• ·      1 Apple, chopped, 1” pieces
• ·      6 Bacon pieces, cooked crispy and chopped
• ·      2 t Black pepper
• ·      2-3 t Cayenne Pepper
• ·      1/2  t Ginger 
• ·      ¼ t Turmeric
• ·      32oz Chicken broth (I bought a carton of organic, but one could make it, or use water enough to cover the vegetables.

Equipment:

• ·      Stove
• ·      3 Qt. Pan/pot
• ·      Small frying pan
• ·      Soup wand (little weed wacker)
• ·      Vegetable peeler
• ·      Sharp knife
• ·      Cutting board
• ·      Measuring spoons
• ·      Paper towel
• ·      Bowls and spoons

Directions:

Heat the oil on medium and sauté the onion till translucent, add garlic making sure it doesn’t brown. Once it is translucent, add potato, carrots, squash and apple then add pepper, ginger and turmeric. Toss all in the onion and garlic and let the flavors begin to combine. In the meantime, separately cook bacon to crispy and degrease on the paper towel. Chop four pieces and add them to vegetable mix. Chop the other two and put aside. Pour in the chicken broth (or barely cover the vegetables with water.) Bring it to bubbly, turn the heat down a notch and all but cover it, leaving room for steam to escape. Stir the pot every few minutes to make sure nothing is sticking and burning on the bottom. Set the table, uncork the wine and light the candle. After 20 minutes, test the pieces of vegetable with a fork for softness.  Once you can easily push a fork through, use the soup wand, potato masher or fork to make the ingredients smooth and creamy. Pour into bowls and gussy it up with the rest of the bacon. Or, apple shreds, a teaspoon or so of orange zest or parsley would look nice and taste good too rather than more bacon (in case in the meantime it disappeared… speaking from experience.) Put salt on the table, it may or may not be needed depending on those eating and the flavor freshness of the ingredients.

From first chop to first spoon lifted -  50 minutes. Faster if you buy all the veggies chopped. 

Chicago Commutes and the Kitty Cat Ninja Mask

Riding toward work yesterday morning, I was chilled watching the crews using leaf blowers on the tracks presumably to move the freshly fallen snow. Train engines are equipped with snowplows here in Chicago, but that must not be enough. Along with the manual labor, the Metra keeps fires burning along their tracks too.  On a late train one night, I was alarmed the first time I saw them. I thought for sure homeless had taken over the train yards to burn the wood ties to keep warm. A conductor explained that buried along the rails are giant gas burners to keep tracks from accumulating ice particularly at the switches.

Last night on the way home, our train came to a stop where the conductor announced that the train ahead of us had hit a car. We had to wait till the track was cleared. Twenty minutes later they announced, “We were on the move so quickly because there were no fatalities.” I imagine that a driver thought they could get around the gates in time but the ice prevented the car wheels from gaining traction. No matter the mode, winter commuting is a bit of a trick.

Everybody has their own technique for dealing with winter comfort. Layering is the key to outdoor conditions and to deal with uneven temperatures indoors. Desk chairs are draped with fleece jackets or scarves that work like wrapping blankets.  It's not unusual for Monday mornings to see people still in their coats an hour after getting to work as the building heating system struggles to reach designated temps. And, where there are thermostats there are battles. I really see few judicious attempts at raising or lowering by a degree or two. It seems that people use the dial like an on or off switch and swing it to the hottest or the coldest, so comfort is fleeting.

I've lived here long enough to be ready to walk in the cold. My coat resembles a sleeping bag with feet sticking out. I wrap myself in a scarf and pull on a hat and gloves too. My route to and from the train station zigzags through streets. I felt pretty toasty yesterday, until I rounded one corner where my breath dissolved... maybe froze before it could be inhaled. Like moving from oven to freezer, I turned north, walking for a block into a wind corridor that rivaled an astronaut's space training exercise. Patches of ice made for treacherous footing. I hugged the wall of one building to get protection from the wind. Passing a door, a man in a Nanook-hood, his face safe within at least four inches of fur and fabric, blindly barreled into me. The temperature isn't the only danger.

Another man passed me wearing a white ninja ski mask with graphics that covered his everything I could see under a baseball hat. His unique vibe made me forget the cold for a few steps... till I had to turn north again.

I found an image of the mask. It’ll keep my mind off the cold again today. At least today, I am working from home.

Paleo Cinnamon Raisin Rolls

These cinnamon rolls make a Paleo Sunday breakfast special or with a bowl of fruit make a hearty meal.  They are tasty and filling. My experience shows most people are good for two at a sitting.

The first time I made them, it took about thirty five minutes to get the assembly right. The second time, only twenty.

My eating is 90-95% Paleo. I just can't bring myself to going back after nearly three years without a head ache or feeling arthritic. In that time, I've stopped craving sweets, but, I still need to watch my calorie intake. I sometimes substitute apple sauce for some oils or minimize honey or syrup for sweetness. This recipe reflects those preferences.

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350⁰
• Cover the raisins with water to plump them while completing other steps.
• Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Helpful Equipment:

• Food processor
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cookie sheet
• Knife
• Spatula
• Glass or cup for water
• Parchment paper
• Bowl or basket and cloth napkin or clean dish towel (thin)

Ingredients Rolls:

• ¼ - 1/2 C Raisins
• 1/2 C water
• 1 Ripe banana
• 1T Apple sauce
• 1T Coconut oil
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 t Baking Soda
• ½ Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 C Almond Flour
• ¾ C Coconut Flour
• 3T Honey
• Cinnamon

Ingredients Topping

• 2 T Honey

Mash the banana with the apple sauce, coconut oil and vanilla, I use a food processor. Add the eggs, flours and cinnamon. Mix but don't over beat.

The dough should be a bit sticky, but it can and should be picked up and made into two balls. The dough is easier to work with when its chilled. Place the balls in the freezer for ten minutes. Leave one  while you work with the other.

On parchment paper roll the first ball into a rectangle.

Drizzle half of the honey across and up and down the rectangle of dough and sprinkle dough with cinnamon, score the rectangle in 1-inch strips.

Drain the raisins which should now be plumped and place them every inch or so on each strip of dough. (You could add walnut chips at this point too.)  The dough may be dry, so it helps to use a knife as a guide to roll each strip. If a roll breaks apart, use your fingers to press and paste it together.  I like consistent sized rolls and some stretched in the making, which i cut in half or patted down before baking.

Repeat these steps with the second ball placing all rolls on the one tray.

 

Bake 24 minutes, till golden brown. Don’t expect them to rise or expand like yeast rolls.

Drizzle with honey when they come out of the oven. Some people like more of an icing, but my need for sweetness has changed since with eating Paleo for two years. You can find Paleo icing recipes on other sites.

Drape a cloth napkin over a bowl and place the rolls inside and wrap up to keep rolls warm.

Impress and enjoy!