Posted on

Reiki…

Royalty-free image.

I decided to start writing about one of my spiritual gifts of healing; reiki. It’s now mainstream, and many people believe in its healing powers.  

Reiki (霊気, /ˈreɪki/) is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called palm healing or hands-on healing through which a “universal energy” is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing. Wikipedia 

Mikao Usui was the father of a form of spiritual practice known as Reiki, used as an alternative therapy for the treatment of physical, emotional, and mental diseases. Here is a link if you would like to read more about Mikao Usui. 

Unlike other healing arts, reiki is passed from master to student through a reiki attunement that allows the student to connect to the universal reiki source. The attunement allows you to become a vessel of reiki and move reiki energy for yourself and others. While you can read about reiki in a book and learn hand positions, until you have been attuned to channel reiki, you cannot truly practice reiki.

There are three levels of reiki training. The reiki student must wait in between their attunements; the time in between is up to their reiki master and how dedicated they are to mastering their healing skills. 

Reiki is now practiced in many hospitals and hospice care. My reiki master Everley worked tirelessly to get reiki into our local hospital. She volunteered with a team of other volunteers attuning nurses and administering reiki to hospital patients and employees. 

As for me, I use reiki on a daily basis, several times a day. While I am a reiki master, I don’t use it the way most practitioners do. I don’t do attunements since the few I did do weren’t taken seriously. 

I use reiki on myself before bed and during meditation. I use it when I am balancing my chakras and cleansing my aura. I can perform energy work to the chakras and auras remotely on anyone who is in need.

I have done reiki on other people but have never charged money since it’s usually friends or people I know. I find the more I use reiki, the stronger it gets, so it’s a win/win.

I don’t use reiki practice as an income but will always offer or accept a request from anyone in need. The healing energy I have been attuned with is coming from above; through me, I am put in these situations to heal. 

Royalty-free image.

One of my good friends, who is 20 years older than me, was curious about reiki and what it’s like, so I offered to do reiki on him right in his kitchen with other friends in the room. 

He said, “Oh no! I am afraid!” I asked him what he was afraid of. “I’m afraid my pee-pee will go up.” Everyone cried, laughing, including him.

I started cracking up and told him, “Shut up, you dirty old man and relax, for Christ’s sake!” 

I grounded myself and thanked Dr. Usui and Everley, my reiki master. I asked for the energy to flow to wherever it was needed, then focused on the reiki master symbol. 

Immediately I felt my hands get hot and tingle. I am guided on where to go and to stay there for as long as needed. 

He relaxed and was amazed at how hot my hands got and how he could feel the warmth as I moved from his head, neck, and shoulders. 

When the reiki treatment was over, I smoothed out his energy field and stepped away from him. I always feel hot and get super sweaty whenever I administer reiki to someone. 

Sometimes I get dizzy or nauseous, depending on what is ailing the person I am working on. I have to keep grounding myself and staying focused on what I am doing. 

“That’s it, Bert, you survived!” I told him. He liked it, and his tense neck and shoulders felt better; his pee-pee stayed put, thank goodness. We laughed about that one for years. Lol.

One of the biggest things I do with reiki is removing negative energy from homes and objects or sending it to a location for a specific situation. For example, sending it to an OR and the surgeon who will perform surgery or for a person going on a job interview. 

I removed all the negative energy and charged the location with reiki, where we had our belly dance gig last month. The space felt light and had good vibes. We had a great time, and everyone was relaxed and danced well.

What else can you do with reiki? Charge a glass of water before drinking it or charging the water in the bathtub. I always charge a piece of jewelry or gift to someone.

I use reiki whenever I am doing house clearings on ghosts or beings stuck in spaces or objects. I will talk more about my specialty when I write about working in the middle world. 

I’ve moved many beings, also called lost souls, to the other side in the last 15 years. I never charge a homeowner when I clear their home; I am not doing it for them but for the souls stuck in the middle world. I would gladly accept a bottle of wine as a thank you, if I am being honest. 

Reiki can be sent not only to places and situations but can be sent long distances to someone sick or injured, which is very effective for me. 

I use a photo of the person if I don’t know them and visualize the reiki treatment as though I were there. People receiving long distances can feel something happen. It’s really quite amazing. 

Plants, animals, and trees love reiki; there are studies on how they respond to reiki energy by blossoming, growing, and getting better if sick.

I know I am forgetting many other uses, but these are the ones I use all the time. It’s part of my life, and I feel blessed every time I use it. 

If you would like to learn more about reiki, there is a ton of information either online or in books. It may be something to seek out if you are interested in having a treatment or fulfilling a calling by becoming a reiki practitioner or master yourself. 

Reiki healing has been around for many years and is passed down through lineages. I call myself lucky to be part of Dr. Usui’s lineage through my reiki master Everley. Thanks, Ev! 💜

I wrote at the end of my Charging Station post I may scare the shit out of some people when I write about my “gifts.” I lost 15 readers by the next morning. 

I know I am not everyone’s cup of tea; frankly, I don’t want to be. I’d rather people unsubscribe and leave my blog than be uncomfortable about my posts. 

For those of you who stuck around…🎼 I’ve only just begun.🎵😉

Posted on

It’s smiling at me…

Marty and I have a running joke about one of the final scenes in the movie A Christmas Story. 

We love this movie and know it by heart, but our favorite line is when Ralphie and his family end up at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day after the neighbor’s dogs ate their turkey dinner. 

The family is introduced to Chinese turkey or Peking duck. The waiter serves the duck still with the head on. Ralphie’s mom shrieks and the confused waiter looks at Ralphie’s dad. 

He points to the head and says, “It’s smiling at us.” The waiter understands and whips out a cleaver and whacks off the head. 

Ralphie’s mom shrieks even louder, followed by hysterical laughter. They didn’t tell her this was going to happen in the scene, and this is her honest reaction. Priceless! 

We also have another reference to “It’s smiling…at me.” This is said whenever we see someone with a plumber’s crack. Sorry plumbers, you brought it on yourselves; wear a damn belt, for pity’s sake.

The other night we watched a new Chef’s Table series on Netflix, focusing on pizza. The show’s point is to find the best chefs in the world under specific categories and highlight them and their food, dedicating an episode to each of them. 

When I think of pizza, I think of what my father called pizza joints or pizzerias. The kind of place where you order and pay at the counter, then wait for them to scream out your name. 

The pizza is big, thin, and a gorgeous shade of orange. The toppings were kept simple such as pepperoni, sausage, peppers and onions, anchovies, meatballs, and a veggie or white pie was thrown in for good measure. 

The pizza chefs are people who have thrown caution to the wind and aren’t just making traditional, buffalo chicken, or penne vodka pies. They are making some dope ass pizzas.

These chefs have the belief in using the best, and I mean the best ingredient available to them, found locally and seasonally whenever possible. They use their creativity and skills to create new and exciting pizzas.

Chris Bianco

One of the chefs was a man named Chris Bianco, who relocated to Phoenix, AZ, from the Bronx, NY. Long story short, the chef took everything he learned in the Bronx and elevated it.

He uses only San Marzano tomatoes squeezed by hand. He also uses purified water and mozzarella cheese he makes by hand, a skill he learned when he worked in a deli back in the Bronx.

Herbs and veggies for the pizzas are grown outside the pizzeria. He sources the wheat locally and supports farmers whenever he can.

No reservations, take-out, or delivery. People line up for hours before the pizzeria opens.

I totally get this guy. Then, when he was referring to knowing when his dough was done, he said he could tell when “it’s smiling.”

When I was a beginner cook, I watched TV cooking shows or read articles on dough or pasta made by an old Italian Nonna or grandmother. The interviewer would ask them how they knew when the dough was ready, and they always replied, “When I feel it.” 

My new cook’s brain couldn’t wrap itself around it. What do they mean they can feel it? Through the years, I finally learned what they meant and could feel if my pie crusts and doughs were ready. I was cooking and baking like a Nonna! Yay! 

When we started our spätzle business, the most important thing was consistency. Each batch had to be the same. This is crucial for food manufacturers’ products. People want what they remember from the last time they purchased your product.

When I worked at school as the school lunch director and lunch lady, kids always expected my food to taste the same because they loved it and knew what it tasted like. This is where I learned about consistency.

It was stressful initially to spätzle production, but as I went through the four seasons and all types of temperatures and humidity, I realized, like a baker, that the weather made a huge difference in the feel. 

Some days my spätzle batter is a snap; other days, it gives me a run for my money. I work it until I get the right feel. 

It’s smiling at me! The little brown specs are grated nutmeg.

My “feel” uses a rubber spatula and how the tip drags through the batter. I can tell immediately if it’s too stiff or just right. 

Now, since watching Chef Bianco and his pizza dough, when my batter has the perfect feel, I say, “It’s smiling at me,” and laugh every time. 

If you enjoy cooking or eating out, I recommend The Chef’s Table on Netflix; besides the pizza series, there are others to choose from which are all interesting.

Happy Friday! Again. Shit, time is going by so fast; it’s crazy! Cheers.

Posted on

I’m back…

Guess what? i feel back to my old self again! It was a long 5 weeks on a medication that wasn’t for me.

Tuesday I started a different medicine and bingo…I feel great! I have my energy back and I am not exhausted!

I’ve got a lot if blog post floating around in my head, I just need time to type them out.

Have a great day!

Posted on

Charging station…

There are so many reasons why people read my blog. Some read it because they have known me since childhood and want to stay in the loop and see what’s new with me.

Others like my cooking and recipes. Some have found me through a couple of my friend’s blogs; Jon Katz’s Bedlam Farm Journal and Maria Wulf’s Fullmoon Fiber Art.

Through work, belly dancing, meditation, friends, and family, I have met some of my blog readers over the years.

It’s hard to believe my blog is almost two years old, which went very fast. I’ve only had writer’s block a few times and have become a better writer. It took me a while, in the beginning, to discover what type of writer I wanted to be or already was, for that matter.

Writing came naturally to me as if I had been doing it my whole life. I wanted to do it my entire life but didn’t. Why? Maybe out of fear, not having enough time raising my family, not feeling worthy enough to take that time for myself. Whatever the reason, I am just glad I started writing.

Thank you, Heather Z., for being the person who lit the fire under my ass when she wrote something on my Facebook page like, “Just start a blog already,” or similar. I listened to Heather and was so happy I did. I don’t always listen to people telling me what to do.

In the 21 months of writing, I’ve only touched on my spiritual gifts a handful of times. It’s not that I was afraid of scaring people away, but I wasn’t ready to share them with you yet.

The Harvest Full Moon we experienced was a powerful full moon for me. I’ve been “off” because of the new anxiety medication I was taking, but now it makes sense the moon had me going too.

It wasn’t until I looked at the full moon yesterday morning on our way to the Troy Market I realized how magnificent and incredibly beautiful it was. I took these photos on Route 279 at the exact time of the full moon. I didn’t find out about the time until I looked on my phone when it was going to occur. It was happening at that very moment! How cool!

For years I thought I only “got” my spiritual gifts in the last 23 years, but in all reality, I had them all along; I didn’t know it.

In 2003, I met my friend Everley when she came to belly dance class. I was drawn to Everley immediately. I noticed this very different and beautiful necklace that she made and was wearing. We both felt the connection right away. We were destined to meet; we both knew this early on.

This is the piece of jewelry Everley was wearing when we met. She gave it to me, and it’s been in my medicine bag ever since. It’s a powerful piece and full of love.

Ev and I have met before in past lives; I figured out later, that beautiful necklace she was wearing was a clue or trigger for my soul to remember her by. Sound crazy? The only time Marty got a perm was when we met; the curly hair was my soul trigger for him. This is wacky; I know, but it’s 100 % true.

Ev and me at Body Blend Tattoo Palor, where she renewed Marty and my vows for our 25th wedding anniversary. We got new wedding rings tattooed on our ring fingers by our artist Larry.

Everley became my healing and spiritual teacher and mentor. She trained me to be a Reiki Master, a Shaman, work with Angels, Spirit Guides, and Power Animals, do past life regressions and work with gemstones.

Finally, she made it clear to use my psychic abilities for only the good in all situations. While she was teaching and training me, throughout the process, we both found it amazing; I knew how to do it already.

Everley made me my Shaman’s pouch or medicine bag.
She also gifted me with the items in the pouch.

When Everley was training in Shamanism and healing, while she was in class, I was downloading the information in my brain simultaneously, not knowing it.

My medicine bag has black bear hair, bone, and tiger’s eye gemstones, including a turtle, my spirit animal, a crystal pendulum with a gemstone bear, a crystal and a garnet mediation piece.

We met with a few other women every Sunday night to meditate and learn how to “journey” through Native American practices and become Reiki practitioners.

It blew everyone away when Everley and another friend Bethany started to share what they learned in their Shamanism class called “Seeing with the heart,” I would tell them first what I learned the day before while at home. Very weird, but again, 100% true.

I found through this training I had known many of these things since childhood. Many of my fears, hunches, and knowledge were all legit.

The moment I had in the third grade, in Sister Cornelia’s religion class, when I suddenly felt a rush of overwhelming love and understood everything in the universe was enlightenment. I forgot it all when that moment was over. I have no idea how long it lasted, but I will never forget the feeling.

Enlightenment is something that just came to me when I was only nine years old; something people try to obtain their whole lives by trying too hard. I don’t believe you can “make” it happen like losing weight.

When I was working with several different Archangels, I experienced it one other time through a dream with Archangel Metatron, who I still work with all the time. He guided me in working with the children in school and helped me whenever I asked him for help.

One night, Archangel Metatron took me “flying” through the universe and explained the lights and shapes we were going in and out of. I kept consciously thinking about how amazing this was and how I wanted to remember all this information to share with my psychic friends; I didn’t remember any of it when I woke up. Again.

I researched Archangel Metatron and was beyond shocked when I read he watches over sacred geometric shapes that store all the information of God in the universe.

Why was I chosen and blessed twice to experience enlightenment without trying? Sometimes I feel like the character Sybil Dorsett in the 1976 movie Sybil played by Sally Field, with several different personalities.

After all, I am no saint or try to be one. I am a sinner who swears like a sailor. I am crazy, loud, drink, and outrageous sometimes, with a bad temper. I don’t lose my shit nearly as fast as I did when I was younger; I guess I’ve matured. Lol!

I am also fun, loving, caring, kind, and generous. I can be extremely patient when I want to be and can be a good teacher and mentor. I’ve always been very spiritual, even though I am no longer religious.

I keep my relationship with God and Jesus between us; I don’t have anything to prove to anyone else. Period.

Last night, I took my collection of the gemstones I work with and my Shaman medicine bag and placed them outside on the picnic table to be recharged by the full moon.

I said a prayer to the full moon, which I’d used for years. It’s funny; yesterday, I saw it on my Facebook newsfeed, posted by one of my longtime friends, Sandi. Great minds think alike, Sandi.

I do this every full moon, but usually, I only put the gemstones and bag on the window sills. I knew this full moon was something powerful and meaningful.

I was drawn magnetically to the picnic table and my gemstones when I woke up this morning. I put my medicine bag around my neck and felt its power.

My sacred meditation space or sometimes called an altar.

I want to write a series of blog posts dedicated to each one of my spiritual gifts, how and why I use them, and how I honed my craft. This may fascinate some people or scare the shit out of some of my readers, and I may lose them.

Each of the three shelves of my sacred space represents my spiritual gifts, power animals and guides, the Angelic realm, Jesus, and God.

I lose readers whenever I write uncomfortable, honest, and authentic blog posts. Sorry, not sorry. In other words, in Jersey, we say, “don’t let the door hit you in the ass.” Again sorry, not sorry.

Today is the day for you to learn the other side of me, of Julz. Stay tuned…

Posted on

Getting there…

We went from vegan to carnivore overload in 24 hours. Lol!

Last week I wrote about our taxes and how we procrastined until we couldn’t procrastinate any longer. As scheduled, we started to enter our accounts receivable and payable for the spatzle business. We made a massive dent in the project and were pleased.

The next day we finished the data entry; Marty electronically sent our accountant everything she needed. There are still a few things pending, and other items will come up in the process, but for the most part, we are caught up. It’s not a done deal yet, but it will be when we sign everything, and I mail out the taxes on or before October 15.

A big chunk of stress has been lifted, and we can now focus on the business and fall projects that need to be done inside and outside the house.

Despite being busy, I made some pretty delicious food, even a pot of pasta fagioli for lunch on one of the damp, rainy days. It hit the spot.

Marty and I had dinner alone on Wednesday and Thursday; we know from my previous post I made butter cauliflower on Wednesday; I made grilled wagyu burgers topped with caramelized onions, homemade balsamic fig and pear compote, and bleu cheese. It was ridiculously delicious. Marty grilled the burgers because he is known as “burger boy.”

Why top a burger with balsamic fig, pear compote, and bleu cheese? Well, I had some fresh black mission figs in the fridge that needed to be eaten and a few pears that fell off the tree in the yard and were ripe.

This compote would be perfect with pork!

Some people hate hot fruity things, but I love to make perfectly balanced foods. As in Thai cooking, I try to balance the sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or acidity and texture. The combination of sweet and salty is a big favorite of ours, so I design a lot of dishes with their flavor components.

It’s been a long week with a lot of running around and stress, but after tomorrow’s farmers market, it will be our day of rest on Sunday. Yay!

Happy Friday, tequila was my drink of choice tonight since the weather was hot again. Last Saturday, I traded a distillery vendor spätzle for their whiskey, which was beautiful tasting and perfect on one of those chilly evenings we had here in Vermont.

Have a great weekend, guys! Wow, two blog posts in one day from me, that’s rare. 😂

Posted on

My butter chicken recipe reimagined…

Sam came down the stairs and immediately asked what I was making. The smells drift up the stairs and into his room whenever I am cooking or baking. I guess it’s good that I can cook well because if I were a terrible cook or burned everything, that would suck for Sam.

I told him I was making my butter chicken but reimagined. “Oh no! What are you ruining it with? Please don’t tell me cauliflower!” So I didn’t tell him. Lol. “Why?” he asked. I said, “Because dad and I love cauliflower instead of chicken in different flavored “wings,” I thought I’d try it for butter chicken.”

Next, he spewed out a bunch of reasons why cauliflower shouldn’t be used to replace chicken, how terrible it is, and finished his rant with, “I’ll argue with you to the death on this one.” 😂

Now, remember, Sam is my good eater and isn’t picky; however, he can’t forget the night about five years ago when I “tricked” him with General Tso’s “chicken.” He was so upset and disappointed that it wasn’t chicken he didn’t eat dinner that night, not even the perfectly steamed jasmine rice. I still laugh when I think of him marching upstairs to his room.

Nevertheless, I continued making and writing my recipe, and I told him I already had something else for him and to fucking relax already.

I am a carnivore through and through. Marty and I followed a strict vegetarian diet for two years in our twenties. I was creative, and all the food was delicious, but after a while, I started craving meat. I didn’t know at the time, but he was too. Then, I confessed how much I missed eating different meats to him. “Halle-freaking-lujah!!” he cried.

We went to the Sirloin Saloon that night, and both ordered steak. As the server placed the steak in front of me, I drooled! I shit you not!

My hands started shaking when I picked up my steak knife and fork. I had to steady my hand as I brought the piece of steak to my mouth. It was one of the biggest realizations of my life; I was a meat eater.

To say we were both running in and out of the bathroom a lot while we reintroduced different meats and seafood back into our diets would be an understatement of serious magnitude. I know that is TMI (too much information), but since I am writing in my honest and authentic self, it’s purely factual.

Ok, enough reminiscing, time to talk about the delicious Indian Butter Cauliflower dish. It was as good, if not better, than my original recipe with chicken. I added a few more spices and replaced dairy with coconut oil and milk. So it’s vegan, not just vegetarian. I have a few vegan and vegetarian friends that will be very happy with this recipe. Arthur, I am talking about you and Kami. 😉

I started by cutting a whole cauliflower head into bite-size florets. I made a marinade for the cauliflower with canola oil, yogurt, Indian spices, and kosher salt. I used nonfat vanilla yogurt because it’s what I had on hand to mix in Klausie’s food, but any version of plain or, I guess, vanilla yogurt works.

In retrospect, mixing the yogurt and spices first is what I learned when making this recipe.

I coated all the pieces well with the marinade and let them sit in the refrigerator for an hour, covered with plastic wrap. That gave me time to get out the other ingredients and throw basmati rice in my trusty rice cooker, it was belly dance night, so the rice cooked while I was shimmying away.

Sauté until you have a nice fond on the bottom of the pan.

I started the recipe by browning the marinaded cauliflower in a saucepan with coconut oil. I let it cook until I got an excellent fond on the bottom of the pan. This is a crucial step in adding flavor to the dish.

The fond on the pan is even better now. Just don’t let it burn!

I added diced onions and let them cook for a bit, then added minced garlic and ginger. Once the onions were golden brown, I added Indian spices and kosher salt, then let them cook for less than a minute.

I didn’t take a photo of adding the spices before I added the tomato sauce. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I added tomato sauce and water and then scraped the fond from the bottom of the saucepan. Next, I added a little tomato paste and coconut milk on low heat and stirred it into the sauce. I threw in the browned cauliflower and covered the saucepan letting the sauce simmer for 20 minutes.

After cooking for 20 minutes. What a gorgeous color!

I checked for seasoning and if the cauliflower was tender. I added chopped fresh cilantro, also known as coriander. I know many people don’t like cilantro because it tastes like soap to them, but if that’s not the case, I strongly urge you to follow the recipe and use it.

I let the sauce cook for another 5 minutes uncovered on a very low simmer, not letting it boil. I took it off the heat and let it cool. I popped it into the refrigerator for several hours to “chill out.” Dumb pun, I know.

Ready to chill out.

Marty reheated the sauce covered on low heat until hot. I served the Indian Butter Cauliflower over basmati rice, which was fantastic. The chicken wasn’t missed for a single second. It was perfect since it packed a ton of flavor but wasn’t a heavy dish to eat at 8:30 pm.

Surprisingly enough, I wrote down what I used to share the recipe if I was happy with the result. You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy this dish.

Would I make it with frozen cauliflower? Never. The texture would be mushy, and the marinade and browning would be a wet mess producing zero fond, an essential part of the recipe on the bottom of the saucepan.

Without further adieu, here is my new recipe. I hope you try it and love it as much as we did. If you are like Sam, you can replace the cauliflower with bite-size chicken pieces. 😂

Indian Butter Cauliflower

Ingredients

Cauliflower marinade:

1 large head of cauliflower cut into bite-size florets
1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 Tbsp yogurt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Curry sauce:

1 onion diced
3-4 cloves of garlic minced depending on their size
1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, more or less depending on your spice level
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 15 oz can of water
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 15 oz can coconut milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 – 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
Steamed basmati or jasmine rice

Directions

Cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Mix the spices and yogurt. Coat the cauliflower florets thoroughly. Place in the refrigerator to marinade for at least an hour.

While the cauliflower is marinating, chop the onions, and mince the garlic and ginger. Mix the spices and kosher salt and place in a small bowl.

In a saucepan with a lid, on medium heat, melt the 1 Tbsp coconut oil and brown the marinated cauliflower florets. When you have a nice fond on the bottom of the pan, remove the cauliflower and set it aside. The cauliflower will become tender by cooking in the sauce.

To the saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp coconut oil on medium-low heat and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger. Cook until the onions become golden brown, taking care not to burn the garlic and ginger in the process.

Add the spice mixture and kosher salt to the pan and sauté for 45 seconds, not letting the spices burn. Add the tomato sauce and water. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up the brown bits or fond from the bottom of the pan. Stir to combine.

Stir in 1 Tbsp tomato paste and coconut milk. Combine. Add the browned cauliflower florets to the sauce. Stir well to coat the cauliflower in the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and bring it to a simmer. Cover, and let cook for 20 minutes. Check for cauliflower doneness and seasoning. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Add chopped cilantro and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Serve over rice.

When cooking ahead, let cool and place in refrigerator until ready to use up to 2-3 days. Reheat. Serve over rice.

Serves 4.



Posted on

That time of year…

Step one will be getting organized. The other side of the office is even more of a wreck. Ugh!

This time of the year reminded when I was a student in school, a procrastinator. Except for cheerleading and socializing, I was voted the most talkative in my senior class; I hated school. I tolerated English, Home Economics, and American History, but the rest of it was torture.

I didn’t like writing papers, studying, doing homework, doing projects, and, most of all, test-taking. I was terrible and still am a horrible test taker. I waited until the last minute for everything, most mornings scribbling my homework out before school.

Yeah, I was terrible about it and maintained a C average. At every parent-teacher meeting, my teachers said I was too talkative. I was a real motor mouth, they said. If the shoe fits, wear it.

I am talking about procrastination because we received an email from our accountant yesterday asking us when we plan to start entering all of our information on QuickBooks for our 2021 taxes.

We always file an extension for submission by October 15; the accounting work on our part should have been done by now. Yikes!

We have all our accounts payable and receivable documentation, plus almost all the copies of everything we need; now, we have to enter it all. 

Marty and I both hate this part of the business with passion. Thank goodness we have such a great accountant that works hard for us and pushes us over the finish line. 

Once we get started, it all goes quickly; it’s the starting part we struggle with. Tomorrow we have to start with no excuses. Ugh!

This afternoon I’ll get out all the files and organize everything. Marty printed out the bank statements today but still has a few other things to print. Technically, we’ve started, right?

It feels like we run out of time to get everything done daily and weekly as it is, so this throws my head into a total tizzy, which is not a good thing. 

Speaking of not a good thing, I go back to the doctor on Friday afternoon to follow up on the new anxiety medication I started at the beginning of August. After a month, I can say it’s a no bueno for me. 

I have and still am experiencing at least four adverse side effects affecting my life more than the anxiety attacks; plus, I’ve still had at least five panic attacks in the last week. I didn’t have any in the first three weeks. Sigh.

My somewhat cheerful, go-get-’em attitude feels stalled and schlumpy today. I know as next week goes on, each day will get us closer to where we need to be with our taxes, taking some overwhelming pressure off of us little by little.

I hope I have some time to write and cook over the next week. Fingers crossed, the appointment with my doctor has some new game plan since this one failed. 

I’ll catch up with you guys whenever I can or if something noteworthy comes up. I’ll still be here, just crawling out from under a big pile of procrastination and paperwork. 

Ugh!

Posted on

The 1st of September…

Ja! Wunderbar! Lederhosens and Dirndls.

Just as I turned the page on the calendar this morning, I took out my first flannel shirt to throw over my delivery t-shirt this afternoon. 

On Tuesday, I had to redo our chalkboard signs for the Troy Farmers Market because they had been rained on, and one had bird poop down the front. It was time to get rid of my “cool” summer kids and get ready for fall.

The four chalkboards took me about 3 hours to redo. It took so long because I am a perfectionist asshole and kept redoing things and had to correct the two words I always spell wrong; caramelized and parmesan. I never type them wrong, but I do when I print them on a sign. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Marty and Sam are always happy, almost giddy about pointing out my misspelled words. I tell them I hate them both, and they laugh. How can I do it every single time? Ugh! I know how to spell them!

I always save the best for last, the chalkboard with “artwork.” I love drawing, so working on the seasonal chalkboard is fun. I already know what my winter one will look like!

I drew the same kind of kids that I used on my summer design but dressed them in traditional German Oktoberfest clothing. I am pleased with how they came out. No, I love how they came out! God help the kid that tries to erase it or even touch it. Lol.

The chalkboards held up well all summer since I used chalkboard markers. They were tricky to figure out at first, but they were excellent once I used them. 

Is it Oktoberfest already? Believe me; I am married to a very punctual and stubborn German; that being said, leave it to the Germans to celebrate Oktoberfest in September and not October, as you would think.

I haven’t had much extra writing time this week since we foolishly took off Monday and then became inundated with orders. We are caught up for the most part but still have to make more for Saturday’s farmers market. 

Last night, instead of teaching dance classes, we had our belly dance annual dinner, which was held at Emily’s house. I was the queen of selfies and took photos everywhere but forgot to take one last night. I was exhausted and enjoyed relaxing while we chatted.

It’s nice to get together socially and enjoy some fantastic food. We make a potluck dinner; the food is always delicious because almost everyone in our group likes to cook or bake. Maria doesn’t like to cook but likes to cut things up, so she brings a beautiful, seasonal fruit salad. 

We never get to talk or socialize much during class since I am a drill sergeant and try to keep things moving along to get in the most technique drilling and dance time for everyone. 

After today’s production, we are on the road again doing our NY delivery runs to Saratoga and Albany. The carrot at the end of the stick today was getting some delicious empanadas I wrote about a few weeks ago for tomorrow night’s dinner. I told you, it’s always about food with me! 😂

It’s already 8 pm, and I just finished cleaning the dinner dishes. Even though I am super tired, it’s too early to go to bed because I would most likely lay awake for hours. After a ton of spätzle making and schlepping cases of spätzle into many store’s receiving areas, Marty and I are totally done; so done you could put a fork in us.

Good night guys. 🥱

Posted on

Lobster feast…

Photo credit Noah Irion.

Yesterday, we celebrated my youngest son Sam’s 22nd birthday with a seafood boil, and it was a decadent feast! The cake? Forgetaboutit it was off the chain!

We tried a new family-owned and operated fish market in Halfmoon, NY called Harvest Moon Fish Market. They are open every day but Mondays and bring fresh fish from Boston daily. 

If you walked into this fish market blindfolded, you would never guess in a million years you were in a seafood shop plus, they have everything you need including sides and produce, for one-stop shopping.

My court-bouillon was made with water, old bay, kosher salt, onions, garlic, lemons, and tarragon.

We steamed our 4 2 1/2 lb lobsters, fresh corn, and baby potatoes in a flavorful court-bouillon. The four dozen little neck clams were steamed in white wine, garlic, and butter sauce. I made a batch of cheddar bay biscuits as requested by the birthday boy.

The clams were steamed in garlic, white wine, green onions, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, pepper, and butter.

We finally had our lobster fix that our mouths had been watering for all summer. It was worth the wait, time, and effort than going out to eat. 

Photo credits Noah Irion.
Photo credit Noah Irion.

The chocolate peanut butter torte with ganache icing and peanuts was the best cake I have ever made and possibly had. Holy shit, it was so fudgy, thick, rich, and the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The peanuts completed the bite with a nice crunch and texture.

Photo credit Noah Irion.

The guy who wrote the recipe may have left an instruction or two out of his recipe, but the dude’s recipe is easy and fucking delicious!!! Make it! Here is the link again. 

We had quite a bit of leftovers that were planned that way. I made Sam lazy man’s lobster for his actual birthday dinner tonight, which he will eat around 2 am in the ER during his overnight shift.

Lazy man’s lobster which is chopped lobster meat and butter topped with crackers. Yum!

I also made a clam and corn chowder with the remaining leftovers. I’m good at making chowders and soups, so it was a snap to throw together. 

Clam and corn chowder. Yum!

The clam and corn chowder is flavorful, sweet, and creamy, which will be Marty and my dinner tonight. I can’t wait! Lol! It’s really all about food with us! I am always thinking about food, what I am making, or looking for ideas to make. I think about food way ahead and plan my holiday menus the end of September. 😛

We took today off to catch up on projects and rest since it will be another busy week, and the holiday weekend is coming up. I just hope the day off doesn’t come back and bite us on the ass and set us back at the end of the week. 

Update ***It did bite us back; we were swamped with wholesale orders today and have a lot of spätzle to make. We are grateful for the orders and the beautiful day; we will get them all done!

Happy Monday to teachers and students who headed back for their first day of school; I am sure this morning was the most Monday-est of all Mondays for you. Good luck! As always, the next few days will be hotter than hell, just like they are at the beginning of every school year.

Marty and I, who were former school lunch directors, used to dread this time of year all summer. We are so relieved and happy we no longer have all that stress. Neither of us misses that part of the job whatsoever! I do miss the cooking and the kids, though.

Have a great night, guys! I’ll catch up with you again soon!

Posted on

Stuff they don’t tell you…

Sam’s birthday cake.

Whenever I read a new recipe before I try it, I read it twice; the first time, the way I would make it, and the second time, how a less experienced cook would. So many food bloggers create recipes and don’t think past their own abilities.

What I learned about cooking and baking with students who worked in my kitchen at school and our spätzle customers who don’t like to or know how to cook is you can’t assume anything.

Tomorrow is our youngest son Sam’s 22nd birthday which we are celebrating today since he is working in the ER tomorrow night. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and he couldn’t decide and left it up to me. He did request a low-country seafood boil like we did last year for dinner.

I looked through dozens of birthday cake ideas that aren’t dry af gluten-free cake recipes. Sam loves chocolate and peanut butter, so I decided on a flourless chocolate & peanut butter torte with chocolate ganache. Yum! The recipe was listed as “Super Simple and Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake.”

The cake recipe was easy and required no mixers or fussy kitchen equipment. I followed the recipe exactly and was pleased with how well it came out.

It came out of the springform pan without any problems, and removing the parchment paper from the now top of the cake went smoothly, keeping the cake intact perfectly. Sometimes the paper sticks and ruins the edges of the cake.

Making the chocolate ganache.

After letting the cake cool completely and the ganache was made, the recipe says to frost the cake with the ganache on a wire rack. Here is what the recipe writer fails to mention, what side of the cake is the top and the bottom? How do you get the frosted cake from the wire rack onto a serving plate or stand without ruining it?

Before removing the parchment from the “bottom ” of the cake.

I know the answers to both of those questions, but thinking like a beginner cook/baker, I would be confused and honestly unsure what to do. It would help if you didn’t have to look at other recipes or a Youtube video to answer questions about the one you are using. Right?

I did go to other flourless chocolate cake recipes and found half of them told you exactly how to frost the cake with the ganache frosting and the other half assumed you knew how to.

Remember what I said never to ASSUME anything; it always makes an “ASS out of U and ME.” See what I did there? 🤓

Ignoring the recipe’s instructions about frosting on a wire rack, I inverted the cake onto a cake stand and then frosted the cake with the ganache frosting. I wasn’t thrilled with the piping of the warm peanut butter because when I was piping it onto the cake in lines, it globbed out and made me curse up a storm.

I remedied the problem when I dragged a skewer through the frosting but hated how the edges of the cake looked unfinished. I piped peanut butter around the edges and carefully sprinkled it with chopped peanuts. I was satisfied with how it looked and stuck it in the fridge until cake time.

The other recipe I used today for clarified butter failed to mention a method that makes clarifying butter so much easier. I was watching a cooking Youtube video, and they happened to be clarifying butter for chicken. In the video, the Korean food stall cook used a ladle and a sieve to remove the butterfat foam from the top of the butter.

Every time I attempted to clarify butter, I ended up frustrated because when I scooped off the butterfat scum from the top of the butter, I lost half of my clarified butter with the scum. I stopped trying and just served melted butter whenever I made shellfish.

In my discard cup, I had only butter fat and not any of my liquid gold.

I looked at recipes for clarified butter, and none of them tell you about the sieve trick making it so much easier. Is this another case of professional chefs keeping secrets from home cooks, so food looks better when you go out to eat? I think so.

Liquid gold!

My clarified butter was so easy to make! I always thought it was much more complicated since restaurants have one prep cook in charge of clarifying butter and nothing else. If they are lucky, they are also trusted with other small tasks like picking herbs off stems or just zesting lemons.

Most new chefs spend months doing just one task. It’s all part of life in a professional kitchen and paying your dues, especially if you become a chef by attending and receiving a degree saying so from a culinary school and not moving up the honest or hard way, as they would call it.

Yes, an executive chef would scream at me since there were still a few tiny bits of fat debris in my clarified butter, but for our seafood boil this evening, I think it will be fine, and we all will live.

I’m glad I tried clarifying butter using the Korean cook’s hack again. Now, I am sharing it with you. Clarified butter, also called ghee, is used in Indian cooking. Now I can finally prepare my Indian dishes the proper way! Thanks, Korean food stall guy!

Here is the link to the Super Simple and Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake I made today in case anyone wants to try making it.

Look for Sam’s birthday dinner post soon! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, guys!