Meanderings in May {wrapup}

...heard, "You look tall." Coming in at just over five feet, I've never heard those words spoken in reference to me before. What fun!

...saw kids playing baseball sans mitts, like we used to do in middle school. You just throw the ball at the runner to tag them out, and yes, despite using a tennis ball, it can still really hurt.

...rode the Staten Island Ferry for the first time. 

...celebrated my birthday.

...continued to eat lots of ice cream. Over the course of the month, I staggered scoops of Nutella, oreo blast, chocolate peanut butter blitz and the town special (which is studded with chocolate-covered pretzel crumbles).

...sneezed in harmony with my office mates on high pollen days.

...ate at a Korean food court. The insider secret is that the third floor is much quieter and boasts several dessert options.

...visited the Brooklyn Flea Market. I really enjoyed watching all manner of people and perusing all manner of things.

Market

(Brooklyn Flea Market)

Years ago...

This year my birthday week played out in low-key fashion, but years ago, I was wiser and knew how to do my birthday up right. Back then, I celebrated birthdays with Ronald McDonald crowns, Hamburglar jungle gyms and pretty dresses. I plan on reviving the tradition next year.

Sloppy joes...romantic?

The first meal I ever served my husband, before we'd started dating, was sloppy joes. We were still in the pre-dating stage commonly known as talking. 

As in, "Are you guys dating?"

"No, no. We're just talking."

He came over. I was in the middle of fixing myself some Manwich. So, we sat on the back porch, dripping sweat in the terrible humidity, swatting at mosquitoes, eating Manwich off of plates resting in our laps and talking. Romantic, no?

The sloppy joes I make now are less sauce dumped out of a can and more love prepared from pantry items. 

The sauce is thick and rich with tangy, sweet, spicy flavors. Even though I now eat my sloppy joes with a fork, the meal still soothes my inner child in a comforting, finger-licking way.

Notes -  Prepare the sauce first, and refrigerate it while you work on the meat so as to give the flavors more time to meld. I double the crushed red pepper for extra kick, substitute ground turkey, swap in spicy brown mustard instead of yellow mustard and dress the dish up by topping it with sliced red onion and chopped dill pickle.

A four-year-old

Last week, I dressed, dreamed and ate like a four-year-old.

Most mornings, I woke up to the sound of rain rattling our windows, which forced me into rain boots. I also began using a new backpack to alleviate back pain induced by my old messenger bag. Fortunately, the backpack seems to be easing the pain. Unfortunately, it's difficult to maintain any semblance of dignity while stomping through puddles in silver rain boots and wearing a backpack that more than doubles my width.

All the downpours created mini whitewater rapids in the street. The force of the runoff was so fierce that I imagined shrinking down to fit into a leaf-turned-kayak. It was a bit hairy at times, navigating around treacherous storm drains and car tires, but I successfully steered myself into calmer waters.

Besides having a preschooler's imagination and clothing, I also craved iconic childhood foods such as hot dogs and sloppy joes. Granted, the hot dogs were actually chicken sausages and there wasn't any Manwich in our sloppy joes, but the foot tapping, humming pleasure remained the same.

Link landscape...food

Several recent food-related links have made me take a second look.

Food waste - This article challenged me to think about food waste in relation to my meal planning and grocery shopping habits. I'd be interested to talk to people who do little to no grocery shopping in supermarkets, because it's hard for me to even imagine what that would look like. Meanwhile, I'm impressed by this woman's public accounting of her weekly food waste.

Farmers' markets economics - My gut feeling is that I spend more money at farmers' markets than at grocery stores. However, I can usually buy more precisely the quantities that I want at the market, so perhaps I spend less money on food I don't need. I'll have to pay more attention to my spending once we find a new farmers' market in our new area.

Potatoes in schools - I was worried when I first started reading about the USDA proposed changes to subsidized school meals. However as I read more, much of the discussion seemed oddly focused on potatoes. The proposal itself seems very much in line with guidelines for people of all ages, which don't eliminate food groups but stress variation and moderation. As far as I can tell, the USDA changes demonstrate the same emphases, limiting starches in school meals, not removing them, while also increasing fruits and vegetables. Personally, I enjoy and can relate to the message of variation and moderation. I like learning about the good things I can do for my body and keeping informed so I know how to be moderate.

Most wanted recipe - People are googling banana bread recipes like crazy. I knew it!

Double ginger cookies...vegan

I'm such a sucker for candied ginger, so this recipe had me at "hello." 

While I'm new to vegan baking (I just learned that there is such a thing as vegan sugar), I'm not new to devouring vegan treats. I've had so many good experiences that I prefer them at the bakery, but don't ask me to explain why they have such a strong track record. I just don't know.

These double ginger cookies are soft and chewy, and better yet they stay soft and chewy. Any old cookie can have wonderful texture straight out of the oven, but these cookies retain it for days afterwards. Plus, each bite packs the spicy, sweet punch of candied ginger, which stands up well to the whole wheat flour. I fought the urge to reduce the whole wheat flour because I don't like it to be a dominant flavor, but I'm glad I trusted the recipe. The ginger kept the flour firmly in its place.

Notes - The dough can be alternatingly crumbly and sticky at inopportune moments. I recommend using 3/4 cup of applesauce (instead of 1/2 cup) to make it bind better and working quickly after chilling the dough so as not to give it a chance to warm. Also, since I'm not vegan, I didn't have or use vegan sugar, but feel free to make that substitution.

Daily life

I've discovered that leaving the people I'm used to seeing every day is one of the most difficult parts of moving. I miss their routines, habits and plans. I wonder what outfit they chose to wear to their son's wedding, which movie they saw over the weekend and what has recently turned their cheeks rosy from laughter. I'm sorry that I no longer get to come alongside of them as their life story unfolds, day by day. It's easy enough to stay informed about climactic experiences, however, I've found it near impossible to stay engaged in the richness of daily life from afar.

In an attempt to share some of my daily life, though often insignificant, I've added the "Currently" section to the right sidebar. Meanwhile I'll continue to overthink whether I should start tweeting. 

Splashes of color

Banana bread...a tasty and healthy way to start the day

My go-to banana bread recipe shines without any tinkering from me. The spices elevate this loaf in aroma and interest. The quantity of bananas adds plenty of flavor without compromising the springy texture. Perhaps best of all, the recipe is kind enough to only require one bowl for preparation.

While I love the taste, I don't love starting my day with a heavy tummy. If there is banana bread in the house, I will eat it for breakfast. However, I want to feel a little better about my compulsion.

So, I reduced the sugar and butter, added whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed and doubled the recipe. One loaf will not last for an entire week in our home.

This week, I've been enjoying thick slices smeared with peanut butter for breakfast.

Banana Bread

(inspired by Smitten Kitchen)

1 stick salted butter (½ cup, 8 tablespoons), melted

7 bananas, mashed

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda

a pinch of salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 pinches ground cloves

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 heaping tablespoon ground flaxseed meal

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. Mix together butter and bananas in a large bowl. Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla and spices, and mix until combined. Stir in baking soda and salt. Add flour and ground flaxseed. Mix to combine. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake 50 - 60 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Cool loaves on a rack.

Makes 2 loaves

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Note - I wish I seen this earlier. Oh well. I'll have to give it a try later.

Lovely bits

 I really struggled last week.

After two consecutively packed workweeks and weekends. I found myself:

1. falling asleep quickly but passing the night fitfully,
2. scrounging meals rather than planning them, and
3. wearing socks that didn't quite match my outfits due to our dwindling stock of clean clothes.

However, when I can be bothered to switch to a wide-angle lens, the contrast renders the week's lovely bits brighter.

Despite my haste and the rain, my first trip on the Staten Island Ferry forced me to take a breath and sit still. My urging wouldn't make the ferry move any faster, so instead I watched the fog swallow the shoreline, swayed with the ship's lulling, listened to the engine's whirring and remembered how mist can shroud an ordinary day (and the Statue of Liberty, sort of seen above) with mystery.

Then, my pretty thing from Meg arrived, which I was tickled to win as a giveaway at The Joy Cottage. I don't excel at accessorizing, so I agonized over my selection, but my sister assured me that I couldn't go wrong with jewel colors. She's right, because I feel mighty fancy and feminine in this necklace.

I also got to spend Mothers' Day weekend with two mommies, one who has seen over three decades of Mothers' Days and another who is celebrating her first. That was the loveliest bit of all.