Two Weeks from Everywhere

I am without running water in the kitchen at the moment, due to a leaky faucet.  This is one of those faucets that doubles as a sprayer with a removable handle and telescoping hose.  The faucet itself is fine, but the hose developed a leak, resulting in a minor flood under the sink that was, thankfully, caught early.

The plumber was out last week to address the situation.  He said it'd be a matter of replacing a) the hose, at a cost of $$ plus a half hour's labor, or b) the entire faucet, at a cost of $$$ plus two hours' labor.  We chose a).

The problem, however, was finding the replacement hose.  A large plumbing supply store failed to have one available, so the plumber called the manufacturer, Delta, and was advised it could be ordered.

"It'll be here in about two weeks," he said.

Which made me laugh.  Not the reaction one might expect, faced with the reality of being without water in the kitchen for that long.  But I was thinking of the scene from one of my favorite movies, O'Brother Where Art Thou, where George Clooney's character goes into the general store in Middle of Nowhere to get a part for his truck...and some hair pomade (see clip here).

So we're toting water in buckets from the nearest working faucet (which happens to be in the basement) to cook, clean counter tops, and rinse dishes.  In other words, multitasking, getting some exercise in with the usual kitchen chores. Thankfully, the dishwasher still works.

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While we're in the kitchen, I thought I'd share a recipe I came up with recently, when the idea of reheating some leftover plain rice to have alongside supper one night seemed ho-hum.

It turned out tasting like something I'd want to remember how to make again, so I jotted down how it went together and titled it Carrot Rice Pilaf.  Maybe a better name for it would be Golden Rice, because of its lovely color due to the turmeric. 

It is baked it in a covered dish in the oven, but I've also made it from scratch with raw rice on the stove top (following the usual method of making rice, but tossing in the other ingredients with the raw rice).  Honestly, I prefer the baked version.

If you're sensitive to gluten and/or FODMAPs, this fits the bill.  It can be dairy-free as well if you use a nondairy butter substitute. 

Carrot Rice Pilaf (Golden Rice)

2 cups of cooked (leftover) rice
1/2 carrot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon Tajin seasoning (or regular salt)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh chives (or 1 teaspoon dry chives)
2 Tablespoons melted butter (I used ghee, or clarified butter)
2 Tablespoons slivered almonds
1/4 cup water

Combine everything in a baking dish.  Cover and bake 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Optional:  We splashed on some Bragg Liquid Aminos (or you could use soy sauce) and chopped cilantro, and it took it to another level.  Next time, I am going to try adding the Bragg's (about 1 Tablespoon, I'm guessing) right into to the mix before it goes into the oven.

Sunday Sundry 10-29-17

We didn't have many trick-or-treaters this evening, maybe only a couple dozen in total.  It was pretty cold, in the mid-40s, so that may have been a factor.

When I was a kid, I remember trick-or-treating in all sorts of weather.  The most extreme was during a sleet storm.  But no amount of stinging ice pellets was going to prevent me from crunching across the frozen lawns, half-suffocating behind a plastic princess mask, and opening the soggy maw of my pillowcase on the neighbors' porches.

Did you come home and sort your candy stash like we did?  Sweet-Tarts, Smarties and Pixie Stix in one pile, fake banana flavored chewies, Bit-O-Honey, Tootsie Rolls and Milk Duds in another.  Suckers, Tootsie Pops and Slo Pokes over here, gumballs and bubblegum cigars there.  Finally, closest to me—my precious—went the candy bars and M&Ms, to be hoarded and protected from my siblings at all costs.  Once in a while, a random apple made it home in the bag.  More often than not, though, they were employed as organic missiles along the route from house to house.

One year my mom had the idea of making popcorn balls for Halloween.  This sounded good, in theory, but you'd have to know my mom to appreciate the anxiety this triggered.  She was an inspired cook, yes, but also a master procrastinator with an internal clock seemingly set a couple time zones behind.  What could go wrong?

I remember the doorbell ringing with the first trick-or-treaters before her sugar syrup had even reached the soft-ball phase.  Then pandemonium ensued, and my dad was sharply commanded to assist as emergency sous-chef, all voices escalating to near-panic levels.

Meanwhile, knowing some of the kids on the porch were likely friends, I wanted nothing more than to melt straight into the floor.  Since that wasn't a viable option, the second best thing to do was don my mask and loot bag and skedaddle out the back door on my own personal candy quest.

Well after trick-or-treat hours, I returned home to a kitchen full of popcorn balls.  And I'm pretty sure that what I sensed in the air, aside from the lingering aroma of popped corn and sticky sugar, was the forswearing of any such artisanal creations ever again!

The Internet Thinks I'm Elderly...and a Badass

You know how when you're on a website, be it Facebook or any number of other places, and you get served ads?  And those ads are supposedly for items that somebody somewhere has decided may be relevant to you?

Well, apparently the internet thinks I'm elderly...but also kind of a badass.

The number of decades I have been lucky to walk this earth can still be counted on one hand (and, okay, up to the first joint of another finger on the other), so I hardly feel elderly. 

The ads are based on my browsing or shopping history, I'm sure, but orthopedic shoes?  

My feet may be the size of small kayaks, but I just want a supportive walking shoe, is all.  I walk a couple miles a day for health and enjoyment (and to re-listen to all the Outlander books along the way).  Can I help it that I have to wind my way through the narrow alleyways of a half dozen online vendors in search of a decent shoe in my size—available in white only, of course—to find what I need?

Now I'm also seeing a lot of floral polyester blouses being marketed to me.  Which might be okay if I were an extra on the set of Maude.

(I kind of dig her outfit, actually.)

But the kicker came last week when Facebook served up an ad for a 10-pound steel mace.  Because?

Beats me (pun!).  Because a gal needs an outlet for that pent up, middle-age rage, I guess. 

And a kettlebell looks too much like an old lady purse!

Sunday Sundry 10-22-17

Let's see if I remember how to do this blogging thing.  Were you wondering whether I'd R-U-N-N-O-F-T?  Nope, still hanging in there.  It's been a pretty nice couple of months, actually, what with hugging all the goodness out of summer and all.  I don't even know if that is a meaningful metaphor, but you get the idea.

(Beautiful bike trail.)

There have been birthdays to celebrate, a wedding, a retirement, a funeral, pretty much the full gamut of life's milestones.

(An early fall boat tour.)

Art galleries and museums to visit.  Bike trails, waterways, and nature to explore and enjoy.

(My sister, in red, and my niece at the Kirsty Mitchell "Wonderland" exhibit.)

(My sister and I on a lovely September day at The Paine Art Center and Gardens.)

Recipes to try and flavors to savor.

(New gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe was a winner!)

There's been some sewing, too.  Not a whole lot, but some.  I finished the string quilt top I'd started piecing in August.

(My String-X)

Friend and fellow quilter Marei and I did a two-person quilt along.  We love Bonnie Hunter's quilts, and you may recall we did a similar thing a couple years ago when we each made a Scrappy Mountain Majesties quilt.  That one is currently on my bed, in fact, at this in-between time of year.  We've had a mild fall so far, and sometimes the AC still comes on; other times it's a little chilly in the house.

Anyway, Marei let me pick the pattern we were going to make this time, and I chose String-X.  Above is my flimsy in the fall colors, and below is Marei's.  I really like her background fabrics!

(Marei's String-X)

It always feels good to use up some of those scraps and strings.  When it came time for the border on my String-X, Marei happened to have just bought some lovely fabrics and offered to share a piece.  And that gorgeous green and purple batik looked marvelous!

Now I'm working on a baby quilt for my niece, a herringbone pattern made with half-square triangles.  It went up on the design wall this week. 

(Baby quilt on design wall.)

I procrastinated on starting it a little too long, because, as it happened, the baby arrived a bit early.  All is well, though, and I'm hoping to finish it up soon.

Lastly, here's a funny sight from along a bike trail a couple weeks ago. (And no, they're not mine!)

I bet there's a good story there, don't you think? ;)