Little Bee

I can't tell you too much because you NEED to read it yourself, but I can tell you that I LOVED this book and literally could not put it down.  It took me under a week to read (and those of you that know me know that I can't read in cars, trains or buses so it takes me a while to get through books). I'm going to give it a 9 out of 10.

The characters are developed so beautifully.  The issues are current, timely and emotional. 

I know you don't have time.  I know you have lots to do.  I know you need to read this book - it's worth it and I promise it won't take you very long.

Morel Season

Spring is sprung/The grass is riz/I wonder where the mushrooms is.

This morning, I read the very short Hillbilly Haute Cusine article in Newsweek and got a kick out of it.  I thought it was so fitting since we're driving down to Barnardsville tonight so I forwarded the link to Michael.  His response: "Wow..... yes that's my childhood."

An excerpt written only by Steve Tuttle:

I remember specific mushrooms from my youth, like one I found at the base of a stump after my brother knocked me down in a fight. My head landed right next to it. And at every family reunion we all whisper about the legendary great white morel my mom found on Black Oak Hill in the 1960s. It was so big she saw it from the car, and it covered a whole slice of white bread. Perhaps the most memorable, though, was the one my brother found growing out of the side of a dead opossum. He was standing over it when my dad wisely said, "Let's leave that one alone." That's how good morels are: you have to pause for a beat before you decide not to pick one growing out of a dead animal.

Super Simple Apple Tart

Ok, I must admit that I've never made my own pie crust because the Pilsbury Doughboy has always allowed me to borrow his from the freezer.  I know, I know... it's really a crime... but I was scared!  Doughs scare me... but not anymore.  You can make this apple tart recipe from scratch.  If I can get over my dough phobia, anyone can.

If you don't have a rolling pin, flour a wine bottle and use that.  If you don't have a tart pan, go free form (aka galette-style) on a cookie sheet.  No excuses!

So I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but it's actually an Alice Waters recipe.  Yup, the Alice Waters.  I know, if there was any doubt before, there sure isn't any now.  You're going to do this... and you will thank me. ;)

INGREDIENTS
Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water (I only used 2 1/2 tablespoons)

Filling:
2 pounds apples (Golden Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled, cored (save peels and cores), and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas.

Dribble in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together.  Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until it’s ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it’s malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush.

Place dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400#176;F. (If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the rack.)

Overlap apples on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.

Brush melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and the other 3 tablespoons over apples. (Deb note: I found it nearly impossible to coat it with this much sugar, so I used a little less–more like 3 tablespoons. It made a lightly sweet tart, which we found perfect.)

Bake in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes.

Make glaze: Put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan (I used a frying pan), along with sugar. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth (or just do your best taking out all the apple pieces).

Remove tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

Brush glaze over tart, slice, and serve (with ice cream!)

Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

First off, I'd like to give a positive review of the Washington's Green Grocer fruit and vegetable delivery sevice we've been trying for a couple months.  We get the small organic box and it really suits our needs and saves us time.  If you're in the DC area and you generally try to shop local, you may consider reading about how it works.  It's not for everyone, but it's great for us so far.

So since we had organic asparagus and organic grape tomatoes to use, I did a google search and found this Giada De Laurentiis recipe.  It was so simple and easy!  We also served a roast chicken from the store and voila!  Dinner was delicious!

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces penne pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes (I used one package of grape tomatoes)
1 cup shelled fresh peas (I used frozen and it was fine)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

Packing Tips

'Tis the season for travel and with all the nickel and diming the airlines are doing these days, it is essential to fit as much as you can in your carry-on.

I saw this post on Apartment Therapy and they linked to this NY Times article on how to pack by rolling up your clothes!  Here's the slide show that shows you how to pack for 10 days in a carry-on and the related article Packing Tips From Travel Pros!  I will be rolling my clothes for sure when I go back to Cali next month... but it's a shame shoes don't roll up nicely.

This Year's Garden... so far

Spring has sprung on our balcony!  This year, I am trying to grow my cherry and yellow pear tomatoes in 100% recycled homemade self-irrigating planters (aka, DIY earthboxes).  I'll go into depth in another post but essentially I started reading this blog Inside Urban Green and have been wanting to try one for a while. Let's hope the experiment works!!

Our raspberry bush that Mom and Dad Merschat bought for us from the old cathedral greenhouse has bloomed and has some green berries popping out.  Can't wait until they ripen!

We're also trying cucumbers and yellow squash this year too!

Then we have the stuff that comes back every year: chives, thyme, oregano, mint, and rosemary (not pictured).

And the rest of our bounty includes strawberries, lavender, bay leaves, eucalyptus greens, dill, winter savory, sage, tarragon, cayenne pepper, yellow bell peppers, and parsley.

Oh, and we also have basil inside... it hasn't gone outside yet.

Happy Friday!!!  Enjoy the weekend!

Pakistani Perspective of Times Square Bombing

My friend Kalsoom writes a popular blog CHUP! featuring Pakistani issues and I just thought her most recent post about the Times Square Bombing would be worth highlighting (make sure to read the comments too!).  Since living with my former roommate Sania and getting to know a lot of her Pakistani and Pakistani-American friends, I really feel it's important (and interesting) to see things from their personal perspective in addition to the mass media perspective.

In short, I think Pakistanis, Pakistani-Americans, and ALL American minorities are frustrated by the perpetuation of racial stereotypes when one person does something stupid that negatively affects the perception of that ethnicity in our great country built on diversity and equal opportunity.  I feel that America is a unique nation built strong by immigrants, tolerance, and freedom.  It just worries me a little with the immigration law in Arizona and support for racial profiling on the rise.  What happened to being proud of our melting pot nation? 

Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
' With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
~ Lady Liberty

God Bless America.  And that is my rant for today.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!  And remember to drink responsibly.

Fast Baked "Fried" Chicken

Here's a quick and easy fried chicken recipe that's baked in the oven.  We tried this recipe from good ol' Food & Wine because we usually have frozen chicken breasts in the freezer.  It only takes about 30-40 minutes from start to finish so this is a great recipe to whip up when you have nothing else in the fridge.  This time, we served it with salad and leftover quinoa but next time, I'll have a proper fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and sweet and sour green beans.

Note: You will need a meat mallet to pound the chicken, but we didn't have one so I improvised and used the pestle from our mortar and pestle.

INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs, lightly pounded
1/2 cup canola oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Place a rimmed nonstick baking sheet on the lower rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°. Put the beaten eggs, panko and flour in 3 shallow bowls. Season the flour with the celery salt, garlic salt and cayenne. Dust the chicken with the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally in the panko, pressing to help the bread crumbs adhere.

Pour the canola oil onto the baking sheet. Carefully dip the chicken thighs in the oil, being sure to coat both sides evenly, and set them on the baking sheet. Bake the chicken thighs for about 25 minutes, until they're golden and crispy, turning halfway through. Drain on paper towels and serve with lemon wedges.

Window Seat Photos

Michael and I have so much in common and this is a real asset to our relationship... most of the time.  Unfortunately, we both love the window seat and staring out into the majestic upper atmosphere.  It was tough but we've made a compromise and now we usually switch between window and middle seats mid-flight.  Marriage is plagued with such difficult compromises!

Anyway, the NY Times compiled a bunch of window seat photos and it's a great Friday afternoon slideshow to click through.

The photo above was taken during our flight back from Hong Kong last summer, but it really doesn't capture the scope of that wicked thunderhead.  I have always been embarrassed to pull out my camera and take a photo out the window (just thought it was a little silly), but now I know I'm not alone and that makes me feel better! 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

City of Thieves

I think the Publishers Weekly review on Amazon sums it up with this sentence:

Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser.

Crowd-pleaser indeed!  It doesn't even matter that you don't care about WWII or Russian history because this book was quick, interesting, and just plain entertaining... just like watching a good movie! Coincidentally, Bennioff is the screenwriter who adapted The Kite Runner and wrote the screenplay for Wolverine. 

So if you don't feel like reading the book, I think there's a good chance you'll be able to catch it in the theater someday.  And since it reads like a movie, I don't expect I will say my usual book-to-movie adaptation line "the book was SO much better," but instead I'll say "yup, that was exactly how I pictured it."

Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10 and would highly recommend it.  Solid entertaining book, but it was a tad one-dimensional with a somewhat predictable ending.

DIY Cleaning Products (Cheap & Green!)

Catching up on my Earth Day reading and found this Green Cleaning Recipes article on my weekly Splendora newsletter. 

Now, I don't know about you, but I feel a little tinge of guilt when pouring the Drano down the clogged drain or using up a roll of paper towels when washing the windows.  I'm definitely trying some of these cleaning "recipes" and tips when doing my spring cleaning!  And for more recipes, my friend writes a Greener Living column with some great suggestions for eco-friendly toilet bowl and dishwasher cleaning.

The best part about green cleaning is that I already have most of the ingredients in my cupboards anyway. Can't hurt to try, right?

Delicious Twist to Chicken Salad

We're not huge mayo fans, but chicken salad is a great sandwich stuffer!  Plus, it's a fabulous way to use up leftover beer can chicken or one of those roasted chickens from the store.

This recipe has been modified from the one on Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, pulled apart from whole chicken
1 cup chopped drained spicy giardiniera from jar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon giardiniera juices
1 teaspoon dried salad herbs
1 package whole wheat dinner rolls
1 container of sprouts

DIRECTIONS
Combine chicken and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl and stir to blend well. Season salad with salt and pepper if you wish. Put it in the bread with sprouts. Enjoy!

Good Old Fashioned Place Settings

I just read The Kitchn post on place settings for dinner parties and found it fascinating!  I've always been a fan of "assigned seats" and really try to put down name cards on each place setting when we host dinner parties (especially if not everyone knows each other).  I think it just takes away that awkward moment of "you sitting here? no, you want to sit here? oh, how about you sit over here and I'll scoot over...." you get the point. 

Taking away that one awkward moment seems to help people settle comfortably into the meal - at least, that's what I have convinced myself.  Sometimes, I even make up nicknames on the name cards and our guests need to figure out where their seat is.  It automatically starts a conversation and evokes laughter every time!

Some wise, timeless advice from Emily Post:

It is usually a mistake to invite great talkers together. Brilliant men and women who love to talk want hearers, not rivals. Very silent people should be sandwiched between good talkers, or at least voluble talkers. Silly people should never be put anywhere near learned ones, nor the dull near the clever, unless the dull one is a young and pretty woman with a talent for listening, and the clever, a man with an admiration for beauty, and a love for talking. (my favorite line!)

Most people think two brilliant people should be put together. Often they should, but with discretion. If both are voluble or nervous or “temperamental,” you may create a situation like putting two operatic sopranos in the same part and expecting them to sing together.

Read the entire short post at The Kitchn.

Picnic Season

It's my favorite season... picnic season!

Yesterday, our friends kicked off picnic season at Peirce Mill and, although a little windy, it was so much fun!  So, in anticipation of a busy picnic schedule in 2010, here are our favorite spots in DC:

Peirce Mill is over by Cleveland Park and is part of Rock Creak Park.
Theodore Roosavelt Island is where Michael took me for a picnic on one of our first dates (aaaaaw...)
The National Arboretum (of course) with 412 acres to cover, I see many more picnics at the Arboretum in our future!
Montrose Park is just down Wisconsin Ave from our apartment and has swings!  You gotta love that!

Sweet and Sour Green Beans

When I first heard sweet and sour with green beans, my first reaction was PASS.  But thank goodness for Michael because he did not pass on this Food and Wine recipe and they are a simple and yummy variation to all the fresh green beans we'll eat in the spring and summer.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, it goes great with trout!

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound green beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Place the green beans in a steamer basket set over a large saucepan of boiling water. Steam until bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Add the shallot and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add the beans. Season with salt and pepper, toss well and serve.

Beer Can Chicken

This has been one of our favorite recipes since Michael has found a way to do this in our oven because you can have open flames on balconies in DC.  A couple Christmases ago, Mom and Dad Merschat gave Michael a beer can chicken stand (who knew?) and that's really helped the stability factor.  You don't NEED a grill and you don't NEED a beer can chicken stand, but that's how it's "traditionally" made.  Here's the non-grill version:

INGREDIENTS:
1 fresh whole chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds)
1 can of beer (Boddingtons works well because it has a tall can)

Spice Rub:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Italian herb seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Alternate spice rub on Epicurious.com for those who like it spicier.

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove giblets from chicken and discard.  Then rinse the chicken inside and out; pat dry.

In small bowl, mix spice rub.  With your fingers, gently loosen skin over breast, being careful not to tear the skin.  Gently rub mixture over breast meat under the skin.

Now take a can opener and cut off the top of the beer can.  TAKE OUT the plastic widget if you're using Boddingtons or Guinness.  Then you need to get rid of 1/3 of the liquid (somehow!) so it doesn't boil over.

Put the 2/3 full can in the beer can chicken stand (or just by itself) on top of a baking sheet (we like to line it with foil for ease of clean up) and then set the spicy rubbed chicken on the throne.  It's easier to lift from the bottom with the legs towards you and then slowly and gently sit the chicken over the can.  Don't force it too much... you should be able to just wiggle it down.

Now put it oven for an hour.  After an hour, check the temperature at the deepest part of the breast and thigh.  It should be 160 degrees.

MMMM... juicy, tender chicken meat with crispy, savory skin...

Simple Sesame Noodles

Thanks to my co-worker Liana, I've found a new favorite blog!  The Pioneer Woman has so many simple and yummy recipes and she makes them really easy to follow.

Last night, I made these simple sesame noodles, pork in a sesame soy ginger marinade, and garlic broccoli.  It was delicious and definitely made the quick and easy go-to recipes list. 

I'm not even going to attempt to cut-and-paste Pioneer Woman's step-by-step recipe because she does such a fabulous job on her website so click here to try this great recipe!

For the pork, I just sliced up some pork chops, poured some Trader Joe's sesame soy ginger vinaigrette on top and let that sit while I was chopping up garlic and broccoli.  Then while the broccoli was steaming, I threw it into a skillet and cooked them so they weren't pink anymore.  Quick, flavorful and delicious.

For the broccoli, I just cut off the florettes and sliced up about 5 or 6 cloves of garlic.  Then I heated up a skillet (make sure it has a matching lid) and added a dab of canola oil.  Once that's hot, stir the garlic in for 20 seconds and then throw in the broccoli.  Toss that around for a few minutes until it's bright green and then splash some water into the pot and put the lid almost all the way on (leave a little sliver on the side so some of the steam can escape).  If you like your veggies crunchy, a few minutes should do the trick.  If you like your veggies a little soft, leave it in a little longer.

Cherry Blossom Pictures

Mom and Dad Merschat visited DC for Easter and they were just in time to see the cherry blossoms!  Our photos are posted on the website if you want to look at our touristy day downtown.

Wild Rice and Brown Rice Salad With Walnuts and Asparagus

Spring is finally here... and so is asparagus!  We made this for Mom and Dad Merschat and it was an overwhelming hit.  So easy, delicious, and healthy!  This is the perfect side dish in any season.

From the NYTimes:


I love the contrast of textures and colors in this salad. The wild rice is earthy, and the brown rice nutty; both are chewy in different ways. Walnuts and walnut oil not only add perfect complementary flavor and crunch, but also contribute healthy omega-3 fats to the mix.

INGREDIENTS:
For the walnut vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely minced or pureed
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
5 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
1/2 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in 1-inch pieces and steamed 4 minutes
1 cup wild rice
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as chives, dill, tarragon or marjoram
1/3 cup shelled walnuts
Freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups of the stock or water to boil. Add salt to taste and the wild rice. When the water returns to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and has begun to splay. Drain and transfer the rice to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine the brown rice, the remaining water and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat. If any liquid remains in the pan, drain. Add to the wild rice.

While the rices are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the oils, taste and adjust seasonings. Toss at once with the warm rice. Add the asparagus and the remaining ingredients, and toss together. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve.

Yield: Serves six (if served as meal. Serves more if served as side dish)

Advance preparation: You can make this up to a day ahead of time, but don’t add the asparagus and herbs until shortly before serving.

Our Lives in Perspective

I've always been interested in popular science, but especially in cosmology because it really put everyday things into perspective.  And so lucky for me, one of my co-workers also has the same interest and forwards me interesting articles and videos when he sees them (and I do the same for him).

Today, he sent me to the Astronomy Picture of the Day webpage with this detailed and really interesting note.  I thought it was so interesting and well-written, I decided to share:

This link is to an Astronomy Picture of the Day webpage whose primary attraction is a video that attempts to show what it would be like to travel across the known visible physical universe (as of the scientific knowledge available around 2009).


This video is a bit misleading, though, because it treats the "universe" as a static sphere that has remained unchanged for 13.7 billion years. One has to realize that, in fact, when one views the light from an astronomical object 5 billion of light years away, that means that one is seeing how that object appeared 5 billion years ago. That object does not appear today as it did 5 billion years ago, and is not in the same "place" it was 5 billion years ago, and even the space it was in 5 billion years ago has changed (by expanding, as science currently theorizes.) So, enjoy the video, but understand that, as complicated as it portrays the physical universe, the strictly scientific picture is even more complex and even beyond our ability to accurately portray, since we aren't able to know what's going on NOW anyplace far from Earth. By "far", I mean anyplace from which it takes light a considerable amount of time to reach us (because it's only through light (electromagnetic waves such as visible light, microwaves, X-rays, radio waves, etc.) that we know what we do about astronomical objects.


The other link (in the descriptive text of the webpage itself) is to the "Powers of Ten video" that was made in the 1970's, I think, and that is also worth a look (it only goes out to 100,000,000 light years, but also travels down to the sub-atomic region to simulate a visit to a proton in a man's DNA.)


As you are aware, currently, the known PHYSICALLY VISIBLE universe comprises only about 4% of everything scientists now think was created at the beginning of our physical universe. In other words, everything we think of as being "real" (rocks, trees, water, molecules, atoms, stars, galaxies, electricity, visible light, radio waves, X-rays, etc.) makes up only 4% of everything scientists now think came into physical being at the beginning of the universe (commonly-though-inaccurately called the Big Bang). The other 96% is (currently) two types of "stuff" [Dark Matter (25%) and Dark Energy (71%)] about which they have almost NO idea as to its nature. Scientists have EVERY right to be HUMBLE and NO right to be PROUD about what they THINK they know AND don't know.


I read recently that in the 1700's, the French Academy of Sciences (probably the most prestigious scientific organization at the time of the "Enlightenment" and the establishment of rationalism as the dominant philosophy in the Western world), declared that meteorites were a humbug - not real, without any basis in fact. These scientists dismissed the poor country folk who testified that they found rocks - sometimes peculiarly warm - on the ground that they had seen fall from the sky as liars or, at best, drunks or deluded persons, because THE SCIENTISTS KNEW (believed!) on the basis of their then-current theories about how the world worked that rocks COULDN'T fall out of the sky onto the Earth!