Monthly Archives: September 2012
Sunday Afternoons
I used to dread Sundays. As a teacher, the pace of my weekend is so different from my weekdays. However, last autumn my friend started coming over for Sunday night dinners. It was the season for soups, and they seemed like a perfect Sunday night food, so I started making a new soup each Sunday. […]
Marigolds
There is a house in my neighborhood that has an entire front yard full of marigolds. When I think of marigolds, I think of growing seeds in styrofoam cups for elementary school experiments. I think of Monsoon Wedding, and Dubey, the character who is always eating them. I think of the play, The Effect of […]
How to Cook a Plant-Based Meal (Without using a recipe)
For me, one of the greatest challenges in transitioning to a whole foods, plant-based diet was an over-reliance on recipes. When I ate dairy and eggs, I had an arsenal of meals for busy days (quesadillas, pastas with cheese, and scrambled eggs are just a few examples). I didn’t follow recipes for these – they were just […]
On the Sides
Fall is almost here, and even though it’s still hot and dry in Portland, the nights are cooler, and the chill in the air brings me hope. I love autumn. For me, it is the season of possibilities. In the garden, it’s the time for planting bulbs that you won’t see for the next six […]
The post not titled “Pain is like compost”
I had another flare up over the weekend. A “flare up” is what people say (at least, on internet chat boards) when their ankylosing spondylitis starts hurting again. Ankylosing spondylitis is basically like rheumatoid arthritis, except for it’s all in your spine (this scientific information is based on five minute conversations with doctors and again, […]
Tomatillo Guacamole
A little earlier tonight, I wrote about how I can be tired, and how cooking sometimes isn’t always fun. That is true. It is also true that I am very lucky, and I am sometimes overwhelmed with joy. Both can be true at once, I think. Our tomatillos are ripening quickly these days. Here is […]
Cooking isn’t fun…
I am a teacher, and began working with middle school students again this week. It is always interesting to go back to work during election season. In political speeches, I am an example of the middle class work ethic. In real life, I am often tired. I like inspiration, but at the same time, I […]
Pasta Sauce
We’re experiencing an abundance of tomatoes – my favorite food. When I was a little girl, I would pick tomatoes from our garden, and I always thought that this experience could get me a segment on Sesame Street where they featured the lives of real kids. I guess it was the smell of the tomatoes in the […]
Grow. Cook. Write. 