the light was amazing this morning.
After being awed by its glow, I captured what I could. From bed.
Nikki♥
12
Jul 10
Mmmm Hmmm | That Jerk Chicken
it’s been a week since we met…
I WANT MOOOOOORRREEEEEE! Oh, and the watermelon soaked in soju. Ummm, yeah. Nice.
As you can see, I’m back on the bird. Kinda scary cause I was on the bone, too. I have never, evah, sucked on a chicken bone in my life. Lawd, the jerk seasoning was kinda worth the awkward moments after.
Nikki♥
06
Jul 10
Hello, It’s Me…
I know. I’ve been gone, again. Popping in to quickly CanJam, then poof. Only the randomness of my tweetstorm as evidence that I’m around, but only in 140 mode.
I have been writing. Writing lots of different things. Just not finishing. I haven’t been able to put my head around the sentences and paragraphs that confound me.
I’ve been getting stuck on purpose. Why am I writing what I’m writing? Is outcome more important than getting it out? I’m trying not to worry about what comes after. Ehhh, I’m not there yet.
I’ve been big on the 4 Agreements this year. I write them down everyday. I’m working on keeping my word. Being impeccable with it. I just can’t seem to do it with myself. I’m the easiest and the first person to let down in a pinch, or hell, on the regular.
But this, R&C, is the place I can do whatever my heart and head desires. They both need more attention paid.
So, I’m back. If only to remind myself that I get joy from so many things and that Mommy taught me to share.
Nikki♥
I’m going to burn some incense now… Here’s Todd Rundgren & The Isley Brothers doing “Hello, It’s Me”
25
Jun 10
Tigress’ Can Jam | Whole Churry Preserves (June)
ummm, that’s the way it’s supposed to be spelled.
Okay. So I’ve been missing the Mid-Atlantic States a bit lately. With Pressure Cooker out on dvd and the new season of Top Chef in DC, I was thinking about what makes the whole area from VA to PA feel like home.
In many ways, it’s just hearing people speak. It amazes me how happy I get when I hear people with the super regional accents or the ones where the smallest thing will give them away. I kind of even watch old episodes of Homicide and The Wire just to get a little taste of a place not far from where I grew up.
One of the mainstays of Go-Go, Little Benny, passed away recently. Along with hip-hop, it was the music I heard in the halls and lunch rooms during school. My eyes may have rolled a bit growing up, now it just makes me smile.
Watching old interviews and a Go-Go doc from the 80s made me cringe and wistful at the same time. All these really super specific DC things come to the fore. There is a way of saying words that end in -ry that is SOoooo home to me. Really, it’s r and vowels, but whatever. It’s like very becomes vuurry like in snow flurry, with a heavy emphasis on the urr.
So in honor of the DC Metro area (urrreeeuhhh), I made Whole Churry Preserves.
Whole Churry Preserves
Adapted from Georgeanne Brennan’s The Glass Pantry
2 lbs of ripe sweet cherries
3/12 c of sugar
2 c water
Clean cherries. Remove stems. Pit by gently squeezing each cherry until the pit pops out. {My fingers were stained such a lovely color last night. Ahhh, but the red tint was all gone by morning.} Add the sugar and water to a heavy bottomed non-reactive pot. Stir occasionally for 5 or so minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
Add cherries and bring to a boil. Then, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 1 ¾ hours. After 1 ½ hours, raise the temp to med-low.
Since cherries are low low low on the natural pectin totem pole, Georgeanne suggests a long slow cooking time to get them to the jell point. She suggests starting to test after 45minutes.
Wash and sterilize jars. When cherries are ready, remove from heat. Skim and discard any foamy bits from the surface. Ladle into jar. Process for 10 minutes.
The NikkiBits: The recipe yields 4 pints. I got ummm 2. But that probably has more to do with my nibbling tendencies. Mmmm, churries. If I had any of that Amarretto from last month left, I’d have used a little of that, too.
What’sNext: You know I’ve been avoiding the pectin purchase. That’s going to have to stop. Hello. What were my preserves like this morning? Can you say loosey-goosey still sloshy? Seriously, I’m heading to the store and we’ll tighten things up tonight.
It’s interesting to see my appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables develop even more as our canning challenge continues. It also makes me think more about growing up on the east coast and the obvious nature of eating seasonally. I’ve got a fridge full of berries that I want to enjoy fresh and that I want to enjoy in different ways come fall.
Nikki♥
21
May 10
Tigress’ Can Jam | Ashley’s Outstanding Rhubarb Chutney (May)
april & may tcj are fighting for my heart
What can I say, but thank you. Ashley, thank you. Loving this recipe. Loving my Rhubarb & Amaretto Chutney. I didn’t even do anything to it. (♥:Do I know you????)
I get all giddy when I learn a thing or five. This month in canning has been really cool. Hello, this is so not a late Friday night post. Again. Yay! I planned, experimented and didn’t rush. I might have to apply that to the rest of my…
Okay. So, I still haven’t found a locally grown source for the barb. I kinda stopped looking for it after I found it at the downtown Ralphs. *Bad Nikki Shrug* I’m keeping an eye out, though.
I wanted to try something different from last week’s tasty jam. Since most of the other canning titles on the shelf went sweet, I was excitedly hoping that Canning & Preserving with Ashley English would surprise me with something I couldn’t pass up. HELLOOOOOO, Rhubarb and Amaretto Chutney. I mean, really. HELLOOOO.
As I looked over the ingredients, I saw a long overdue trip in the making. Coriander and cumin were already on my list to get from the South Asian grocery in the neighborhood. I’d scouted out the place before, but hadn’t put the card on the counter to pay.
It’s like spice nirvana in there. Freakish price and quantity difference from conventional stores. I picked up a few other things that just might find their way into a new take on Market.Watch.
Can we talk about the big bottle of amaretto I’ve got in the cabinet now? See, that’s what I get for not reading the entire recipe. I was way too excited to grab the straw shopping basket Mom got me and go all euro with my multiple stops that I didn’t see that I could have just replaced the alcohol with orange juice.
It’s not that I don’t drink. A bottle of wine usually won’t make it ’til morning. I just don’t know what to do with the makings of a little bar. Cute, I guess. But it means I’ll need to get some friends to hang out with the soju and amaretto. Right?
Rhubarb and Amaretto Chutney
barely, yet adoringly adapted from Canning & Preserving with Ashley English
cheesecloth or a muslin tea bag
3 cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 1/2 c rhubarb, chopped
2 c brown sugar
1 1/4 c sweet onions, chopped
1/2 c seedless raisins
2 cloves garlic, mince
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, minced
1 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c amaretto
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
3/4 teaspoon pickling or kosher salt
Make a spice pouch from a small the cheesecloth or muslin square. Add the cardamom pods, whole cumin, coriander, cloves, mustard seeds, black peppercorns and cinnamon to the cheesecloth. Secure the bundle with kitchen twine.
Add the spices, brown sugar, rhubarb, onions, raisins, garlic, ginger, and vinegar to sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook over medium heat, uncovered for 30 min. Add amaretto, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, mustard seeds and salt. Simmer for 30 more minutes. Stir, stir, stir. Ashley suggests adding a bit more water to the chutney if it begins to stick to the pot. 1/8 cup to start.
Prep and sterilize jars and lids. Fill jars and water bath process for 10 minutes.
NikkiBits: While this is pretty much halved, where it isn’t I chose over in the over/under debate in my head. This yields 2 .25L or 1/2 pint jars with some extra for the fridge. I had a bit with some fish and cous cous I threw together with a bit of curry, broccoli, coconut milk and Matouk’s. OMFrigginG.
What’s Next: Awww, man. I can’t wait to get more/better priced rhubarb. This really kicks. I so want to make it to give to friends and my fave librarian. (♥:Save LAPL!)
I think I might be glad that I didn’t really like the rhubarb pie I had that summer in Canada forever ago. I wonder if I’d appreciate the journey to the savory and sweet.
Nikki♥
12
May 10
TCJ | Oh, My! It’s May
getting back into the swing of things. putting spoon to mouth.
I’ve been last minuting things a lot lately. I didn’t want to do it for May’s edition of Tigress’ Can Jam. I wanted to be able to take my time. Experiment a little. You know, breathe.
Glad I did. The Barb was all I could see when I read Sarah’s post announcing May’s special guest star(s). Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Asparagus and Rhubarb.
I thought this would be the best opportunity to rewrite a childhood memory. It was summer. Montréal. Someone offered/forced Rhubarb pie. I didn’t understand. It looked like red celery. Celery + Pie = Nah, not really. It never had the chance to be good, let alone great.
Off I went on my red stalk adventure. Why did it take a week and numerous attempts to get my hands on freaking Rhubarb?!!!!? See, I don’t even know how local it is. I got it from Ralphs. The Ralphs that kinda wants to be a Whole Foods.
Yes, it’s early. I’m still not sure which is going to star in the R&C: TCJ Show next week. I do know that I like the barb in my berry barb jam. Really, I like it lots.
This was just one of those throw it in the pot things. Based loosely on Anne V. Nelson, again. Strawberry Rhubarb Jam with a bit of my new obsession to Nikki-fy it. (♥:Nothing compares to you, Blackberries.)
Back to work. What should I do now, more barb or a bit of the gus? Have you decided which will get your full attention? Will you be ambitious and do both?
Nikki♥
12
May 10
Changes | Divining A Sumptuous Life
i’m dancing in my chair and trying to type. i just need a dance break, then, maybe sleep.
something’s a little different around here…
My cousin, Ricci, popped back up here a bit ago after a long absence. She got me thinking a lot about how I’ve been choosing to live my life. I am discovering and embracing all the things that make my every day great. It isn’t even something I think about in the moment. I’m just following my gut, my heart, my head, my nose…
So, from her comment came the new R&C tagline. Because I really am divining a sumptuous life all my own. (♥: Ummm, where are the Raf sneakers?)
I’m happy. Giddy, goofy, smiley, lovingly, excitedly, joyously happy.
You know your joy is in your hands, right?
Nikki♥
11
May 10
please, say that again…
something disturbed the groove. again.
The most amazing thing kinda happened.
I’ve been struggling with the idea of purpose. Stuck between what once was and what should be. Still a little off balance since the death of McQ. Way too in touch with my emotions. Kinda spinning.
I’ve noticed that these bits and pieces have been falling into place. When Esthero wrote about the Martha Graham quote below, it was a bit overwhelming. I knew I needed it, but was afraid it was the final call to action for a life to be lived. To let go of all the excuses. So, I stayed away from it for weeks. Until tonight, as I share it with you.
“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost.
The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression.
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly to urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.
No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”
- from Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham
(via esthero in progress)
So, what does it answer for me? How does it kinda change everything? A guy called me vague and evasive, once. Yeah, ummm, not ready to talk about it yet.
Nikki♥
{Even as I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, I was still afraid of what it meant. What it all means and how to move forward. I was so hesitant that I couldn’t even hit publish. Hesitant to embrace what I knew, but couldn’t quite believe.
In some ways it feels like permission, you know. Permission to really be who I’ve always been, yet afraid to allow others to see. Who I’ve talked myself out of being by drowning out my own voice with everyone else’s thoughts.
So, what’s next? Umm, if I do it right, you won’t really know. ♥}