paint your kitchen red

This weekend when my mom came to visit, I enlisted her help in making a simplified mole-type sauce for enchiladas that I plan on making soon for my birthday dinner party. The ensuing afternoon included three trips to the grocery store, two mexican beers, and several housemates roped in to test the sauce for spiciness. Our first batch was too hot to serve to guests. Too hot to serve to anyone, for that matter. That's what we get for buying a pepper without knowing what it is and using the whole thing without tasting it first. We made another batch without a fresh pepper, and the final product consisted of half of one batch mixed with half of the other. The recipe below, for the sake of time and sanity, doesn't require that you make two batches and mix them.

The consistency of the sauce depends on the quality of your blender.The messiness of your kitchen also depends on the quality of your blender. My mom and I were working with a very temperamental and poorly-designed piece of machinery, so we painted ourselves and my stove-top with spicy red sauce.

There are mushrooms growing out of my cutting board! Sorry, no photo of the mole sauce, but these mushrooms did go into the enchiladas that the sauce was made for.

Mole poblano

3 Tblsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
small piece ginger, about 1 square inch, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped or pressed*1/2 medium sized poblano pepper, seeded and diced
7 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
approximately 3/4 cup water
1 12-15 oz can diced tomatoes
Saute garlic, ginger, onion, and diced poblano in a large saucepan in the olive oil. When soft, add the can of chipotle peppers, almonds, raisins, pistachios, cocoa powder, vinegar, cocoa, and water. Simmer for half an hour. Let cool, then transfer to a blender and blend with the diced tomatoes (juice from the can of tomatoes included).

*The poblano pepper gives the sauce such a nice flavor, but it is moderately hot. Omit or reduce the amount if your guests are wimpy. Another option is to chop and include the whole pepper and use the resulting sauce less generously, as you would a hot-sauce rather than over enchiladas.

earthy, crunchy

Something about granola reminds me of leaves crunching underneath my feet in autumn, although I'm talking about the wrong season again. I went on a hike this morning to collect data for a project, and the ground was so saturated that it oozed water like a sponge under every footstep. I noticed the new growth on the trees and the mountain laurel getting ready to flower, and though how lucky I am that my work and play overlap in such a pleasing way.

Good granola is the foundation of a good day. This granola, mixed with a spoonful of yogurt and some blueberries or strawberries, makes me immeasurably happy.

Top ten songs to listen to when making granola:
Waters of march- Art Garfunkel
Wagon wheel- Old Crow Medicine Show
Can't let go- Anthony Hamilton
I got a name- Jim Croce
Pa Mayte- Buena Vista Social Club
Sitting at the dock of the bay- Otis Redding
Each day gets better- John Legend
Hazy Jane II- Nick Drake
Greensboro woman- Townes van Zandt
Farmhouse- Phish

Maple almond granola

3 cups oats (not instant or quick-cook)
2 egg whites
2 Tblsp. oil (vegetable oil or something else neutral)
2 Tblsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup rasins
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped

Mix the egg whites, oil, and vanilla. Add oats and stir to incorporate. Spread in a thin layer on a greased cookie sheet (preferably one with a raised edge) and bake for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Remove from oven and sprinkle almonds over, using a spatula to turn over and mix the granola in order for it to brown evenly.

Bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown, then add the raisins and ginger and let cool.

This granola adapts well to endless variations. Substitute honey for maple syrup, vanilla for almond extract, and dried cranberries for raisins. Pecans or walnuts are a good addition, or get crazy and add some shredded coconut a minute or two before you take it out of the oven.

A call to spring

My seedlings didn't seem to mind when it rained for three days and the sun didn't come up for as long. I gave them my desk lamp as a surrogate-sun, which meant that to avoid turning on the gigantically bright overhead light in my room, I've been getting dressed in the semi-dark, which consistently leads to mismatched socks.

Two rows each of lettuce greens, nasturtium, mint, parsley, and basil. In class I daydream about a salad of mixed greens and fresh herbs with radishes and lemony dressing.