Food, cleanup and at the end of the day sad news

Friday Michael the Transformer came and took away the kitchen doors and drawer fronts to refinish them and let them outgass across the street at his house.

He cautioned me to pace myself with clearing out, now that I can see what was behind the doors.  Hm. Not sure how that's done.

And an hour after he left, I'd sorted the two left cabinets 

So much easier when you can see what you're doing.

One thing led to another and I remembered the ginger in the fridge still waiting to be diced. Instead, having also remembered the microplane, I thought I'd just grate the ginger, skin and all, and dice what was left.

Now it's in the freezer ready to use. I don't like peeling and dicing ginger despite the lovely smell, so I think the microplane will be the go-to from now on. 

I was given it and thought I'd never use it. But it's so much easier than the way I used to zest lemons and limes, and now process ginger. 

I don't like prepping food at all, but do it because I need to. I do like the results though.

Then I went out and pulled out a huge armload of daylily foliage and dayflowers. I set them down to settle before carrying them to the woods to dispose of them. The front area looks much less wild now  

Then later I noticed a feature about items better made at home than ordered in a restaurant. One was about poaching shrimp in a court bouillon, which I'd never done.

I don't have any white wine but I had the necessary peppercorns, lemon slices, salt and you can use bay leaf but I used curry leaves.

I simmered this ten minutes, strained it, then brought it to a boil again, put in the shrimp, frozen, turned off the heat and poached for about five minutes. It's a couple of minutes longer than you'd use for thawed shrimp.

 

Poached shrimp, whole wheat toast, dipping sauce, summer supper. Another time I might put the court bouillon flavorings into a bag to make them easy to remove without straining.

I'd prepared this blog then I got a call from a local friend,  to say our longtime mutual friend died Thursday. She'd been sick and we'd been anxiously following her for news recently but it's still a shock.  

I went to visit her husband right away and at his request notified other mutual friends and neighbors.  She'd requested no services, a quiet private ceremony only.  She was in her sixties.

Three of my friends used to plan to be my caregivers in old age. I have now outlived all of them.  Please do vibes or prayers or what you do, for her widower and son. Her son has now lost his partner and his mother over just a few weeks.

Not a happy day, more of a getting through it day.  

Gardening, Misfits and podcasts, Mutts

Thursday, another cool sunny day, was fine for a bit of garden cleanup. I pulled out the sorrel and dayflowers, which will come back next year, and since the morning glories are fading and setting seed, I removed the supports and pushed the plant down, hoping the seeds will be protected there and we'll get them next year.  

They were a definite success 

Not so successful were the potatoes which never flowered, though they had plenty of foliage. So there was no harvest when I pulled them from the container. That's a first.

In the other hand, a little potato which evidently planted itself among the dayflowers emerged 

That one hadn't flowered either. Strange year.  I'll try again next year.

Misfits arrived early, Kareem's morning shift.

Interesting couple of surprises. The gala apples weren't there, already credited for them, and that drink, not ordered, was. I tried it, pretty good, various juices and a milky base, probably oat.

Coconut milk for the food pantry, it's on the list of items there. When people qualify, income, residence,  etc, they fill out forms where they alert the pantry about food allergies, religious rules, and general preferences based on availability. I think that's where Erum, the manager, derives her list for the website. So this week I checked and found coconut milk is requested. Fine. Done. I do canned fruit and veggies too.

The large size surplus spinach is excellent, very glad I got it again. Maybe a spinach pie, not sure. And baby broccoli, also beautiful leeks.

This time I chopped the leeks keeping the green part and white separate in case I get fancy. I usually don't bother.

I made the hot spicy plant-based roll into patties which I froze on parchment paper, easy to separate out one as needed. And the whole dates, favorite Medjool, will be a snack replacing the apple I usually have.

By the time I've washed and prepped and frozen or fridged or bowled what's needed, swept the floor and broken down the box for recycle, I'm ready to sit down.  Another week's food on its way.

I did try mixing yogurt with fresh chives, cut short, and a sprinkle of dried basil and spices, on potato bread, with afternoon tea on the deck. That was worth doing again. Maybe I'll make crackers for this purpose, too, good savory snack.

About podcasts, I've started following Shedunnit, about crime fiction, very good discussions, ranging all over the last hundred years, very knowledgeable, and easy to listen to while you knit or go to sleep.

I've also found the podcast version of Lucy Worsley, her Lady Killers series about real life female murderers. She's just as interesting without the historic buildings and costumes, she does love to dress up. But her presentation doesn't need dressing up, really interesting and well researched.

I get my podcasts on the free version of Spotify, which comes with ads, but not in the middle of the podcast. 

Happy day everyone, and if you have recommendations of podcasts, not the political ones like Daily Beans, Daily Fail, Meidas Touch, etc, we know them. More literary or historic ones is what I'm looking for just now. Thank you kindly.

Kitchen done! More about keys

This morning's walk was beautiful, cool sunny weather, happy neighbors on their patios, including one who's just finished getting his redone with tiling. He was so pleased when I admired it, though I think hello and yes was the limit of his English, but we communicated anyway.

What happens when you neglect to move the kids' bikes before the landscapers come around.

 The Sleeping Beauty effect.

And this looks like a natural object at this point, so weathered 

This morning Michael the Contractor came, caulked the cabinet, chatted about his mother, the food pantry, his noisy neighbors, crunchy tofu, he loves it.  

Also I paid him, very fair price, though a stretch for me. I rationalize that it's a once only job. I may have converted him to contribute to the food pantry; he didn't know where it was till now. Also he's going to see if his mother can get the bone density injections I get.  Quite a productive convo.

About locks and keys, when I had the pet care service I had many keys I kept safely, coded for security. One time I got an anguished call from a client, so sorry to disturb me, could I rescue him? 

He happened to live close by, which I knew but he didn't, for my security -- I didn't broadcast my address. Anyway he lived in a third floor condo in my development,  only one possible entrance from the staircase. 

He was getting his excitable Golden retriever ready for a walk, dog jumped at him, he staggered out the door,  the door slammed shut, he heard the lock drop! 

This left the dog inside with the keys, owner locked outside, luckily with phone and my number saved. I brought my copy of his key, let him in, no charge,  and he begged me not to mention it to his wife, who would never let him live it down! I did get a nice Christmas gift that year. No connection I'm sure..

Happy day everyone, try not to let your dog lock you out! You feel pretty silly explaining it when you need help.

Up to now: the Gubbernor ordered the rainbow crosswalk near the Pulse, scene of a mass shooting tragedy, painted over. A crowd of LGBTQ+ people protested with joy, flags and chants and repainted the rainbow. Once more Gov. Boots had it painted black. Once again the rainbow returned. Up to now. 

Don't let anyone dim your rainbow! Screenshot this one to preserve it in case Boots paints it over again.

Tuesday, cabinets, locks, Textiles and Tea

Tuesday's plans got moved around a bit. Michael the Marvellous Maker, installed the cabinet and the door keys.

Ted and Big Ursy checking there, to make sure he does it right.

Then we had a ceremony of carefully keeping the new keys, tossing the old, and I tossed all the old then later had a thought. The top lock, for which I had several keys, was the original builder-installed one. As is the lock for the outdoor storage.

I vaguely remembered there was a key for the outdoor storage, too. I never lock it but, in case any kind neighbor turns the inside knob and carefully locks it, locking me out, I'd better find the key. 

So I retrieved the two old keys for the top lock and, clever me, they fit the outdoor storage. So now they're labeled and saved. 

I thought about the neighbor possibility because years ago in our first house a visiting friend followed us out to the garden, to drink tea,  locking the door after her. 

I was too late to stop her, and pointed out I didn't carry house keys out to drink tea in the garden! And the only other door was the front porch, which only locked and unlocked from inside. Windows were too high for any of us to force. Very expensive locksmith visit ensued. The friendship was a bit dented by this incident.

Back to the present, Gary buzzed in and out, admiring, making me accept potato bread, he's deglutenizing his kitchen, retrieving the plants I minded for him, and Billie barked along. 

After all this I thought I'd rest a minute, after lunch, before my Tuesday knitting group. I woke when it was half over. Oh. But I did make the planned delivery to the food pantry, ahead of their Thursday distribution.

Then it was a pot of tea on the deck, crowds of shouting birds, and my kindle open to

Late summer deck reading, very niche.

Textiles and Tea was a revelation about making, farming, dyeing and working with silk.

Karen has literally done all that and learned from silk farmers in India, working with wild and domestic silk production. That's what her book is about. She's a plant whisperer!

I made the crunchy tofu for supper, this time as dice, with more seasoning -- umami mix, cayenne -- in the batter. 

It used up the rest of the batter from the fish, and the panko. I thinned the batter a bit.

This worked fine, in the toaster oven, not much oil, and it still crisped up, about 40 minutes at 400°f, or what the toaster oven claims to be that.

Foyle in the evening. Nice day, despite detours.

Happy day, everyone, may your detours be fun ones.

Monday, warm, dry, puffy clouds, slider

Despite dragging fatigue, side effects of the allergies and the allergy remedies, I managed to change the bed and do the laundry, now all away.  

I wasn't up to anything much physically, other than falling asleep whenever I sat down, so I wrote the day off for walking and exercising.

The deck was lovely, all kinds of birds and insects and this accidental art which looks like an impressionist setup, the dappled shade and the multiple patterns 

Then while I was reading Trollope and resting my eyes, Michael the artist -contractor came over with the renovated base cabinet and the slider he built.

Tomorrow he'll install it, and I can stop working out of a crate of baking gear. It's beautifully finished, refurbished drawer now sliding in and out smoothly, I'm just very happy with it. What an improvement on the old cabinet. 

That geared me up to making a plum crumble using all the rest of the plums. The crumble is oatmeal, some of which I ground to flour, some I left as is.  Drizzle of molasses over the top. Usual nutmeg, cinnamon, butter, salt in the crumble. In the fruit there's cornstarch to thicken it, lemon zest, cinnamon, no sugar, I like it tart. 

And here's the cook's first taste. With Greek  yogurt and a sprinkle of sugar. 

He also brought a new set of locks, plain brass finish with keys. No codes and videos and Benny Hill music.  He'll install them Tuesday.

Foyle is now working for MI5 and still trying to retire to Hastings to go fishing. Some wartime colleagues show up in new secret jobs, and if they didn't shoot so many scenes in near darkness I'd manage to follow it better. 

Most of the secret men are in raincoats and hats, I have no hope of knowing who's who. But it's still good watching, including the terrible cardigans women were wearing, and austerity shoes. Women in their twenties looked about fifty in those big felt hats, designed to repel boarders.  

This was before the New Look came in, when skirts became long, bodices were fitted, and women looked pretty good if they could save the coupons to get a new outfit, big if at that time, clothes rationed for years.

The puzzle is still in the box. Maybe Tuesday.

Happy day everyone, don't worry if the puzzle's still in the box. To every puzzle there is a season or something.

Late summer reading, resting your eyes and art

Sunday feels like a day off because  one of my (many) pills is to be taken six mornings a week, and I chose Sunday as the day of rest. It means I don't have to time my breakfast, which seems like an amazing piece of freedom. I know, easily amused.

Then I started my day with this YouTube yes2next video.  It's great and you might consider it. 

Mom Aiko used 2lb  weights,  daughter April, aged 60(!) used 8 and 10lbs. I used 3 and 5 at different times.

My library, unlike one of my pills,  does not take a day off, so I went in to return Brideshead and take out the Foyle waiting for me. And I picked up a jigsaw puzzle because I haven't done one in months.

I found I'd skipped over one episode of Brideshead, so I watched the last one, by which time I was glad to be done with them, especially the popeyed Cordelia. On to Foyle!

Sunday lunch was more crisp breaded hake,  roasted potato dice seasoned with long red pepper (relative of black and white pepper but fruitier heat) and basil salt, which I'd ground from kosher salt and dried basil. 

Plus a side of portabella mushrooms sliced and cooked in butter and olive oil, with a peppermint leaf crushed and torn in. It looked like a quiet dish of food, but it was packed with flavor. 

Dessert was yogurt beaten with lime juice and sugar, blueberries added in.

My long awaited Anne Tyler came in Sunday morning and took me less than the afternoon to read, including watching butterflies and hummingbird moths 

and failing to capture them in pictures, listening to the cicadas beedling away, not the deafening ones this time, then resting my eyes, and dreaming, on the deck. Anyway, about the book -- it's very brief but vintage Tyler.

Definitely recommended. 

I returned unfinished the Lily King book Euphoria, set in some exotic part of the world among anthropologists, who, like the climate, are hot, humid and oppressive. 

I disliked it the same way I  dislike Kingsolver,  too green and intense. Which probably means that if you love Kingsolver you'll like this novel. This is a kind of negative recommendation. I'm not designed for the tropics,  even reading about them.

Gary has returned, singing to his dog, talking to his daughter and me  both at once, she on the phone, and looking well but thinner. He finds he's developed a gluten sensitivity. So I need to remember that,  when I bring baked food over. 

I do a nice fruit crumble with an oat flour topping, gluten free. That would work.  His health is less robust than mine these days, so I hope he does better. A nice dish of plum crumble would help.

Happy day everyone

It's worth fighting for. Resist! Read the preamble above aloud.