I recently went on a vacation to Seattle. I hadn't been back to the Emerald City in about five years, but just minutes into the drive to the hotel I remembered why it was one of my favorite cities to visit. The lush greenery, overcast skies, and the petrichor--it's like a familiar blanket that envelopes me. Not to mention the coffee...Seattle is a town that knows how to do coffee right. I think Mr. S. and I had at least 5 cups a day. Seriously. Nothing beats a great cup of joe. I'm a big Stumptown fan, but we also ventured out and hit up several other coffee houses this visit. FYI- In the midst of our caffeine quest, Mr. S. and I discovered that Fonte also makes an amazing Americano. Give it a go.

Dear Blog,

• 2 cups red lentils, uncooked
• 1 white onion,chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped, including seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ⅓ cup tomato paste
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish (optional)
• lime wedges for serving (optional)

Recent conversation with Kidlet #1 over a breakfast of matzo brei:

Kidlet #1: This is good, what's it made of?

Me: Crushed matzo crackers and egg.

Kidlet #1: What's that?

Me: An unleavened bread. They're like giant crackers. My dad used to buy them for me when I was a kid.  I'd put a ton of margarine on them and eat them for a snack.

Kidlet #1: Cool. Are you going to write about it on your blog?

Me: Maybe.

Kidlet #1: Do you still call us kidlets?

Me: Yeah...but I guess I should change it now that you guys are teenagers. What should I call you? 

Kidlet #2 calls out from the living room: Starlord56! Starlord56!

Ummm, ok.....so I'm NOT going to call them Starlord56 (although I do kind of wonder where the heck he got that idea from?) but I do think they're due for an update. They're hardly "kidlets" anymore at 12 and 15 years old.  Kidlet #1 is taller than me and just started shaving for goodness' sake! So maybe I'll just start referring to them as Teen Z (Kidlet #1) and Teen B (Kidlet #2)?  That should suffice, right? ☺


Anyhow, this weekend try making some matzo brei for breakfast (or a snack), you'll love it.  My favorite recipe is Ruth Reichl's, although I use a little less butter than she recommends (her recipe uses 6 tablespoons).  Reichl once described matzo brei as, "one of life's perfect foods."  I think she's absolutely right, the dish is quite delicious in its simplicity.

Matzo Brei

Ingredients

4 matzos
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

5.      Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serves 4.

Last night, Mr.S and I had dinner at a small restaurant in the SOMA district of San Francisco, called Fringale.  I had dined there about 5-6 years ago with my friend Grace and had really enjoyed my meal there, so I talked Mr.S. into going back there to dine.  I had had a shitstorm of a week, seriously of epic proportions- my mom passed away, some horrid delinquent went through my neighborhood slashing tires and keying cars (my car was one of the ones that got hit) and to top it off- in the middle of the night, some jerk did a major hit and run on my rental car.  Like I said, shitstorm of epic proportions.  I was beginning to feel a lot like Job.  Anyhow in an effort to clear my mind and calm my nerves, I thought Fringale would be a nice place to grab a pleasant meal of French comfort food. WRONG.

The gentleman behind the bar, that greeted us when we arrived, seemed very friendly and sat us at a nice 2-top by the window.  We had a foie with quince jam appetizer that was okay (Mulvaney's does it better) and a calamari la plancha dish, which was nice but not as memorable as when I had it during my last visit.  It really needed seasoning.  Anyhow, things were fine until we got our entrees.  Both of us ordered the sea bass, which was supposed to be served over a potato puree with artichokes. What we ended up with was potato puree sloppily plopped in a bowl with bits of artichoke and some kind of red broth (hard to tell if it was a tomato or red pepper based broth). On top was a piece of sea bass about  1.5 inches wide and 5 inches long.  This is THE most overcooked piece of fish I have ever eaten. It was dry as the Sahara and tough. Mr.S. gacked on his too but he hates to send things back. So he cut his up and tried to have it absorb some of the red liquid it was swimming in. I had had such a craptastic week that I couldn't deal with it. I very politely signaled the waiter over and explained what the situation was.  His response was to ask Mr.S if his fish too was overly dry.  Mr.S. advised him it was. So he took (only) my plate back to the kitchen.  What? Anyhow, a few minutes later he returned, handed me a menu and brusquely advised me that, "the chef always prepares the fish that way and no one has ever complained." He then informed me that I should choose something else.  At this point I'm a bit perturbed. After the horrible week I'd had, the LAST thing I needed was this snooty French waiter being a dick to me.  I really wanted to tell him that if that's how his chef ALWAYS cooks his fish, overdone to the point that it was not consumable, then that was a sad testament to his skills.  However, at the risk of ruining Mr.S's night too, I ordered the mussels.  I mean really...who can f*ck up mussels, right? The mussels arrived and they were fine. We opted to have dessert elsewhere and I mentally crossed Fringale off my list of restaurants to return to or recommend,

Anyhow, I thought I'd share a fish recipe that we make at our house often.  I ran across it by happenstance-- one of those emailed recipes from Tasting Table.  It's quite good, tasty with or without the ginger yogurt sauce and very hard to screw up (take note, Mr. Fringale chef).

Chile-Garlic Broiled Salmon with Ginger Yogurt Salmon (from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen)

Has it really been 2.5 months since I've last blogged?  JHC, life these days has been...complicated, to say the least.  I transferred jobs, my mom's cancer came back and she's now in hospice and I've had some other personal issues that I've been contending with.  Some things like the job, involved making the big, scary decision to switch to another state agency and although the work is unfamiliar and it's a constant learning process, my new coworkers are wonderful and the fast pace of the work makes the day go by faster.  Other things, like my mom's health, that are out of my control...I've had to make my peace with.  I went out to Kansas City a few weeks ago, spent some time with her and said my goodbyes.  I strongly believe that it doesn't matter what age you are, you're never prepared to lose a parent.  It's one of those wounds in life that cuts really deep...luckily, I have a great father, boyfriend and friends to lean on during those times.  Especially on weeks that I have IVIg treatment...I guess I should explain what I mean....

About 6.5 years ago, I became very ill.  It's not something I talk much about on the blog (or possibly ever have?) but it's something I deal with every day.  I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called CIDP, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.  I was lucky to be diagnosed relatively quickly by a terrific doctor at Kaiser.  It was a terrifying few months of CTs, MRIs and endless rounds of blood work.  Finally after a spinal tap came back with elevated proteins they were able to properly diagnose me and start me on the correct course of treatment.  They're pretty sure that the flu shot I got a few months prior triggered it.  Now CIDP is usually treated in one of three ways: IVIg (immunoglobulin infusions), plasmapharesis, or corticosteroids.  I was fortunate that the IVIg worked for me, for some people none of these treatments work.  By the time I started treatment, I was using a walker, couldn't drive and if I fell I couldn't get up.  It was a sad, frustrating and confusing time for me and there were days that I was angry. There was no definitive prognosis. My dad came out and stayed with me for 6 months.  To this day, I'm so grateful that he was able to help me in my time of need. 

When I first started the treatments, I was going to the Infusion Center at Kaiser every two weeks, four days in a row but as time passed, gradually my treatments were reduced to two full days back-to-back.  Then they were slowly moved out to every four weeks, then six weeks and currently I'm at every eight weeks (2 days back-to-back, 7 hours each day).  The treatment slowly brought back my mobility.  It didn't come back fast or easily however.  The IVIg infusion give me these horrific migraines and often cause nausea and vomiting, this doesn't occur with everyone just with people who are sensitive to these sorts of things...like those who are migraine prone.  In the beginning, I was visiting the ER after every treatment and pumped full of Duiladid and Phenergan. They barely made a dent.  Aseptic meningitis "migraines" are 10x worse than the worst migraine of your life...and this comes from someone who has a pretty high tolerance for pain.  Over the years my body acclimated to the treatment and I no longer have to go to the ER.  Usually I can medicate at home with Dilaudid, Butorphanol, and T4's.  Phenergan and Zofran are also my best friends on those days.  Not to mention strong black coffee, it helps ease the extreme pulsating pain in my noggin.  I still get "flu-like" symptoms from the treatment- achy body, fever, and all I want to do is sleep.  My treatments are usually scheduled for Thursdays and Fridays so that I can sleep and take it easy over the weekend. Mr.S. is great about cooking on those days, rubbing my shoulders and feet and tiptoeing around- usually I'm pretty cranky. :)

How does it all work? Well, CIDP involves the white blood cells attacking the myelin sheath on the peripheral nerves, if it gets past the myelin sheath and attacks the actual nerves you can end up with nerve damage.  The IVIg treatment basically floods the body with antibodies which act like a Trojan horse.  The white blood cells start attacking the antibodies and leave the myelin sheath alone.  This gives the myelin sheath and nerves time to heal.

The IVIg treatments are pretty painless.  They jam a needle into my hand or arm and run the infusion for about 7 hours.  I have to have it run at a slow rate or the migraines come on quickly.  It gets pretty boring sitting in the chair but the staff there is very kind and they give you a warm blanket and soda/juice/coffee.  I usually bring my lunch, some reading material and my iPad. A few years ago they moved me to the infusion center at Kaiser Roseville where they have free Wi-Fi.  The Wi-Fi is pretty spotty but it usually runs well enough that I can catch up on some Hulu or Netflix streaming. The second day is always the worst, I'm usually feeling pretty cruddy and antsy. (Have you ever tried sitting in a chair for 7 hours?) One of the suckiest things is that every time you need to go to the restroom you have to take the whole IV rack with you, what a PIA, and when they're pumping that much fluid in you, you have to go a lot!  Oh and I forgot, the IVIg treatments are crazy expensive! 10-20k each treatment. I have to call in before each appointment to confirm that I'm coming in, otherwise, they won't mix it up.



The stuff is working it's magic though. Looking at me today you'd have no idea that I ever had mobility issues.  I know, of course, because I still have issues with walking long distances, walking on uneven ground and trying to go down steps that don't have railings.  Down escalators still freak me out a little but it's all getting better slowly.  I've learned not to push things...especially when it's really hot out.  The heat really seems to trigger nerve issues in my feet and legs, so I have to be careful not to overdo it.  Also, I've learned to speak up to friends and family and tell them when I need to take it easy.  It's taken me awhile but these days I "listen" to what my body tells me.

Anyhow, I had IVIg treatment last week and was feeling pretty craptacular all weekend; however, on Monday I ventured out of the bedroom for a bit.  I had a few Meyer lemons leftover from a giant batch that a friend gave me so I decided to bake some Meyer lemon blueberry bread for a friend (and one loaf for us as well).  It came out great, was easy to double and the cheery citrus taste of the bread was like a little bright ray of light on a cloudy day.  You know one of those moments when you set down the baggage you're carrying and just soak in the moment and smile.  So not to be cheesy or anything but I guess when life gives you lemons, make some Meyer lemon blueberry bread. ;)



Meyer Lemon-Blueberry Bread (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? I'm definitely not.  Growing up as an only child in a family that wasn't super gung-ho over celebrating holidays; I've felt a bit overwhelmed during the holiday season ever since I started dating Mr.S.  He has a big family that's really nice, but the holidays always feel a bit chaotic to me when I'm there. There's a lot of people in his house during Thanksgiving and Xmas, a lot of noise and kids running amuck.  Up until this year, I could skip events and just duck home to the cottage if I needed a breather but now that I live with Mr.S I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle it all.  I think the panic of the holidays must have already started to show a little on my face because Mr. S suggested we get out of town for a night. So the day after Thanksgiving we're going to duck out and decompress. I'm looking forward to it. ☺

Hey there! Yep, I'm still alive. I've just been submerged in life. Living with Mr.S and the kidlets has been keeping me crazy busy. Kidlets? Should I even be calling them that anymore? One's a tween and the other a teen...and with age has come the teen angst, the normal stinky teen boy smells (Sweet Baby Jesus, why do their rooms consistently smell like a combo of dirty socks, sweat and ass?) and hormones, hormones, hormones. Rampant hormones and mood swings around every corner. Please someone, tell me it gets better at some point?! Plus, Pepper has decided to go around peeing upstairs (maybe because it already smells like socks, sweat and ass?) so we've had to put a doggie belly band on him. It seems to be working but I'm constantly velcroing and unvelcroing the sucker for him so he can go out. I'm like a doggie valet. I'll have to take a pic of him wearing the belly band, it's really cute (we bought him one that has bowties on it) but man, does Peppy hate it! Talk about a really disgruntled poodle.

Anyhow, I did come up for air and do some cooking this weekend. About a month or two ago, my friend Julie posted on Facebook that she was eating a funeral sandwich. My interest was piqued, I had to ask, "What's a funeral sandwich?" Turns out it's a type of slider made with Kings Hawaiian rolls, filled with thinly sliced lunchmeat and cheese, and then glazed with a sauce.  You shove them in the fridge to marinate and then pop them in the oven. I'm not 100% sure but I think they're some kind of spin-off of the Southern funeral biscuit.

I decided to make some this week and Mr. S and Kidlet #1 LOVED them, in fact Kidlet #1 has been begging me to make them again. He even offered to wash my car if I made them for him. I could get used to this. ☺

So if you need a dish for football Sunday, to take to bunco or just something to nosh on- give these a whirl. They're super easy to make (and you can even make them the night before). Traditionally they're made with ham and Swiss but I prefer turkey and provolone, so use whatever combo you like. They all taste good with the glaze.

Funeral Sandwiches

Ingredients

12 Kings Hawaiian rolls
12 slices of turkey lunchmeat (thinly sliced)
12 slices of provolone cheese
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

1. In a Pyrex measuring cup, melt your butter. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar and onion powder. Whisk together.

2. Coat your 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.  Split the whole package of rolls in half and place the bottoms in the pan.

3. Use a pastry brush and baste each roll bottom with the sauce.

4. Fold a piece of lunch meat and cheese onto each roll bottom.

5. Place the roll top on.

6. Brush each roll top with sauce. Then drizzle the remaining portion of the sauce over the top of the rolls.

7. Cover tightly with Saran Wrap. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 3-4 hours but overnight is even better.

8. Preheat over for 350 degrees F.

9. If you want to get fancy you can sprinkle the rolls with poppy seeds or toasted sesame seeds.

9. Bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes.

10. Remove from oven. Eat right away.  (FYI: These do not reheat well so eat 'em up!)