Everyday ordinary...the commute

A new season

I'm a little late, but I've finally started celebrating the season.

Kissing strangers' foreheads

Do you ever get the urge to kiss strangers' foreheads? Since I brought it up, you can safely assume that I occasionally get that urge.

I get that feeling when someone honors me with an unguarded glimpse into their life story. I remember wanting to kiss the forehead of:

An elderly gentleman who explained how he and his wife negotiate over what movies to put in their Netflix queue;

A colleague who shared how she still misses her husband years after his passing;

A middle school girl who confided that she received a Nook for Christmas because she finished books so quickly that her parents couldn't keep up with her.

These people were so beautiful in their authenticity that words seemed an inadequate response. I suppose a forehead kiss fits where words fail.

Lemon energy bars...a great workday snack

These lemon energy bars are...

1.  ...fresh-tasting. I wouldn't have imagined that snack bars could taste fresh, but these do.
2.  ...healthy. You only need six ingredients and half of those are full of protein and fiber.
3.  ...easy. Measure, chop, mix, press and refrigerate. That's it.
4.  ...filling. One bar kept me full for two hours.
5.  ...chewy. I don't like hard, crumbly food, but I'm a big fan of soft, chewy foods. 

Wrap them in wax paper and stick them in your lunch. Treat yourself to a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. That's what I've been doing.

Notes - The changes I made were out of necessity instead of creativity. I used 12 ounces of dates instead of 1 pound, because the container I bought only had 12 ounces. I also omitted the lemon zest, because I lack a zester. It seems that my lack of zester is becoming a theme.

Used bookstore charm

Chocolate-mint bars...Happy St. Patty's Day

As a child, I looked forward to St. Patrick's Day, especially the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner hosted by my school and church.

On St. Patrick's Day, the school closed for the big event. Some kids took the opportunity to stay home. Not me. After checking any still-sleeping siblings' pajamas for green and punishing them with pinches or tickles if they were remiss, I joined my mom in volunteering at the dinner. In my younger years, the grown-ups would direct me to refill butter dishes and water pitchers. As I grew, my responsibilities did too. By eighth grade, I could take care of seating, serving and clearing up after diners.  

Within one day, almost everyone I knew would troop through the gym-turned-dining-hall. I made small talk with adults, giggled in corners with my friends, slathered corned beef with tear-inducing layers of horseradish, reveled in my school's transformation and ate entirely too many slices of pie.

This year, I'm celebrating St. Patrick's Day with chocolate-mint bars and reminiscences of those greatly anticipated dinners.

Another good name for these bars would be Andes Mint Brownies. They have the flavor of Andes Mints (cool and rich) and texture of brownies (chewy and tender).

Chocolate-Mint Bars
(inspired by Cooking Light, March 2008)

Bottom layer:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
a pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
splash of vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
Cooking spray

Mint layer:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring

Glaze:

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350° and coat a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

For bottom layer, add flour and salt to a medium bowl and stir with a whisk. In a separate large bowl, combine granulated sugar, eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla and chocolate syrup, stirring until smooth. Stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes (start keeping an eye on it at 20 minutes). Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

For mint layer, combine powdered sugar, butter, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

For the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, until melted, then stir to comine. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

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Note - I feel terrible about this, but I managed to take a Cooking Light recipe and void the lightened aspects. It's really just laziness and thriftiness on my part. I don't want to bother with ingredients I don't have (like egg substitute and fat-free milk) and would have to figure out some use for if I bought.

Everyday ordinary

Turkey cannelloni with homemade marinara sauce...fancy

Last Sunday turned into a fancy day, despite the combination of rain, laundry and tax preparation. It wasn't fancy in the pearls-and-lace sense (though my understanding of the word may be antiquated). Instead, it took what started out as a simple, Sunday dinner and surprised us by morphing into a special occasion.

First, I had planned to make cannelloni
Then, I decided to add roasted red peppers to the cannelloni.
Since I was already roasting red peppers, I opted to prepare an extra.
The extra pepper inspired me to make homemade marinara sauce for the cannelloni.

Hours later, my husband and I stood, looking at the dish in amazement, asking, "What's the special occasion?"

The cannelloni is rich with flavor and texture but also has lots of veggies and lean protein.

This is not a weeknight meal, but it can take a humdrum Sunday and turn it fancy.

Turkey Cannelloni
(inspired by Cookin' Canuck)

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 cups packed, baby spinach leaves, stems removed
1 roasted red pepper, deseeded, peeled and sliced
12 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan, divided,
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper
3 cups marinara sauce

Boil a large pot of water. Add the noodles, and cook for 6 minutes. While cooking, gently stir and separate noodles. Then, gently remove the noodles and put them in a bowl of cold water. Dry the noodles by laying them out on a towel and dabbing the tops with another towel.

For the filling, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute one minute. Add ground turkey, breaking it up with your hands or a spoon. Season with three pinches of a salt and pepper mixture. Brown turkey until cooked through. Drain.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Put turkey mixture in a large bowl. Add spinach and roasted pepper. Stir to combine. Allow to cool.

Add ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes, nutmeg and basil. Mix.

Prepare a rectangular (13x9) and square baking pan (8x8 or 9x9) by spreading a total of 2 cups of marinara sauce on the bottoms. Prepare the cannelloni by placing 1/3 cup of turkey mixture on the narrow end of each noodle. Roll to form tubes. Place seam-side down in the prepared dishes. Top with the remaining sauce and parmesan.

Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for five minutes.

Serves 6 

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Marinara Sauce
(inspired by Kayotic Kitchen)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1 roasted red pepper, deseeded, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
splash of wine (whatever you have on hand)

Coarsely chop carrot, celery, onion and red pepper. Transfer to food processor along with garlic. Pulse until finely chopped.

Heat olive oil in large pan over low heat. Add chopped vegetables. Saute for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Then, mix in the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Makes 3 cups

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Notes - Start making the marinara before the pasta, so it can simmer while you're assembling the cannelloni. Treat the noodles gently throughout the process to prevent them from tearing. The original recipe has all the pasta in one baking pan, but I couldn't get them to fit. Also, the dish has a little kick, so reduce or eliminate the crushed red pepper if you'd prefer it to be milder.

Jasper Fforde Day

Today, I've been wishing people a cheery, "Happy Jasper Fforde Day!"

Though it's not a federally, or otherwise recognized holiday, a Jasper Fforde Day is "any day on which a Jasper Fforde book is published."

I celebrated by basking in sunshine, admiring blue skies, spotting emerging seedlings, appreciating new colleagues and picking up my book.

Busy Sunday

Commuting lessons learned

1. Wear your sunglasses, even if you don't want them. They will keep the grit out of your eyes.
2. Stay away from flocks of pigeons. They will unexpectedly take flight and create mass confusion.
3. Tuck your scarf into your coat. Otherwise said pigeons or wind will mark you as an easy target.
4. Treasure your commute on the train. It's good, uninterrupted time for reading and writing.
5. Greet the people you see every morning on the way to work. Smiles are a good way to start the day.
6. The train schedule is an unforgiving tyrant. Do not cross him.
7. Use other pedestrians' slipstreams. This may just be a short woman's trick.
8. Step off the curb, while you're waiting for the stoplight to turn. Everyone else does...
9. Except when it rains, when you should stay a foot away from the curb. This is self-explanatory. 

S'mores bars...and looking forward to lunch

Forgive me if you've heard this story before. It made quite an impression on me, so I tell it often.

Once, I went to a work training where the speaker was talking about job satisfaction. She asked everyone to write down something they could remind themselves of when they were having a rough day.

I wrote down:

This doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

But I liked another woman's answer much better:

I'm bringing a better lunch tomorrow.

She explained it this way - even if everything is going terribly, you'll still have something to look forward to, a bright spot in your day. She revealed one of life's great truths to me. That's why I always, always pack a dessert with my lunch.

These s'mores bars would certainly brighten any day. 

The bars are pretty sweet. I don't really have a sweetness threshold, but I'm told that some people do. So, if that description fits you, consider yourself warned. However, it's not just the taste I like. What elevates these to a favorite is the blend of textures. They are simultaneously gooey, melty and crumbly.

S'mores Bars
(inspired by The Sweets Life)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs + a couple of extra handfuls
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 bag (6 ounces) chocolate chips (I used half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate)
2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a square baking pan with cooking spray.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add an egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Mix into the butter mixture until combined.

Press half of the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and spread chocolate chips over the crust. Top with marshmallows. Press the remaining dough over the marshmallows. Scatter a couple of handfuls of graham cracker crumbs on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

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Notes - I used a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips, but I'd like to try dark chocolate next time. To give it a little texture, I sprinkled extra graham cracker crumbs on top of the bars before baking. I also reduced the number of marshmallows, because I didn't want the bars to be too gooey.