Commitment

Slowly, the sun seems more committed to spring. She is a wonderful example, a reminder that our lives have seasons, too. I have decided to become more committed myself as life slowly moves into a new phase. At 48, I am redirecting as my whole family prepares to transition. My daughters are becoming more independent as they come into their own individually. They are truly lovely and finding their own paths. My husband is moving beyond tenure as a professor and seeking to focus his work more on his passions.

And, I am building a five year plan of my own. I hope to reach further, to stretch myself out into a dual career of sorts. I hope to move from being solely the homefront coordinator (a.k.a. mother and wife to a very full family life) to also adopting a lifelong pursuit that nurtures my creative side and uses all my skills and abilities honed over the years as a professional educator. I am working with a life coach to set a plan in place and uncover the essence of my plan. All of this is quite exciting and scary at the same time. I will let you know where I find a firm grasp on this journey.

I am also more committed to follow food where it takes me. As I have been struggling with baking bread, I realized that I have a knack for yeasted rolls. Rather than continue to push myself down a road of frustration and marginal results, I have decided to go down a more positive avenue that excites me and produces food my family and I enjoy. I hope to share a variety of yeasted roll recipes over the next few weeks that suit my skill set (and yours!), embody my values around food, and produce delicious results. Let's get started.

Pull Apart Rolls

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1½ cups whole milk warmed to 110˚F

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

1. In the large mixing bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve yeast in milk. Allow to proof for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in butter, sugar, and salt. Add all-purpose flour and 1 cup of wheat flour.
3. Begin to knead with the dough hook of the standing mixer, gradually working in remaining wheat flour (a bit more or less) until dough is springy but not sticky. You should see the dough just cohesively pull away from the side of the bowl. If you add more flour after this point, the dinner rolls will be tough. Knead for a total of about 10 minutes on the medium low setting of the standing mixer.
4. Place in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until double in size, about 40 minutes.
5. Punch down and let rise an additional 30 minutes as directed above.
6. Punch down a second time and shape into 16 small balls, using a cupped hand to roll each ball against the counter or the palm of your second hand. Place side-by-side into a lightly buttered 8-inch square baking pan.
7. Cover and let rise a third time as directed above for a final 40 minutes. Rolls will rise, pressing against one another to fill pan.
8. Bake at 400˚F for about 20 minutes until lightly browned. Butter tops, if desired, and remove from pan. Pull apart rolls and serve immediately while still hot or cool completely prior to eating.

Yield: 16 rolls

***

Lastly, I have to share this ingenious poem that should reignite our love for the English language and all its idiomatic expressions.

Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Language 
Sharon Bryan

Never better, mad as a hatter,
right as rain, might and main,
hanky-panky, hot toddy,

hoity-toity, cold shoulder,
bowled over, rolling in clover,
low blow, no soap, hope

against hope, pay the piper,
liar liar pants on fire,
high and dry, shoo-fly pie,

fiddle-faddle, fit as a fiddle,
sultan of swat, muskrat
ramble, fat and sassy,

fllimflam, happy as a clam,
cat’s pajamas, bee’s knees,
peas in a pod, pleased as punch,

pretty as a picture, nothing much,
lift the latch, double dutch,
helter-skelter, hurdy-gurdy,

early bird, feathered friend,
dumb cluck, buck up,
shilly-shally, willy-nilly,

roly-poly, holy moly,
loose lips sink ships,
spitting image, nip in the air,

hale and hearty, part and parcel,
upsy-daisy, lazy days,
maybe baby, up to snuff,

flibbertigibbet, honky-tonk,
spic and span, handyman
cool as a cucumber, blue moon,

high as a kite, night and noon,
love me or leave me, seventh heaven,
up and about, over and out.

Fooled

I realize that I am not the only one fooled by the week's enticingly warm spring days. Some of us emerged from winter's grip a bit hastily, either naively assuming the weather would hold or too overcome by the joyful prospect to care. On a college campus like ours, it only takes one day of springlike weather for shorts and flip flops to emerge. Don't get me wrong, I am more than glad to see the Ugg boots and flannel pants packed up, and I myself was eager to set aside my heaviest, wool sweaters and dig out a bit of color to brighten a winter wardrobe that relies heavily on black and grey.

Still, I couldn't help but scold the two flies that appeared inside the house, drowsily buzzing at the window enough to draw the attention of the cat and delight Freddy in the catch. The chipmunks appeared beneath the bird feeder, thinner and compelled to take their chances for a large hawk circled round the neighborhood. The deer grazed, unsatisfied I am sure, as the grass appeared in patches amongst the melting piles of snow. And, right there on the snow lined sidewalk as I walked, I spotted a woolly bear caterpillar sunning himself and inching along. Where had he come from? Where could he be going?

I know we have all been fooled as the weather is sure to jump about erratically for the coming months. Yet, I was glad to feel young and naively foolish once again. A taste of spring brings hope to the soul and foreshadows what is to come. Such optimism can be contagious and push us to stretch ourselves, to try new things, to change course.

The sentiment also spilled into the kitchen as I tried several new recipes during the week. One faired very well. The other was a complete disappointment. I thought it would top an old standby, but it failed to deliver. Instead, I have expanded an old recipe to highlight its flexibility and depth. Bread or muffins with carrots, cranberries, pumpkin or zucchini and chocolate chips, coconut, or nuts, this recipe allows you to use what you have on hand. With whole grains and olive oil, it is a treat that keeps your health in mind. Try this on a day when the nip returns to the air in the coming weeks to awaken your senses and satisfy completely.

Produce Quick Breads

3 eggs

¾ cup olive oil
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini or 
   2 cups grated carrot or 
   2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries or 
   1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup flaxseed meal or oat bran or wheat bran
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or homemade pumpkin spice mix (see below)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips or coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts or unsweetened coconut, optional

1. Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans or line muffins pans with baking cups for 24 regular size muffins or 48 mini muffins
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in oil, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
3. Mix in produce of choice. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flours, flaxseed meal or bran, cinnamon or pumpkin pie mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined. 
5. Fold in chocolate chips or nuts, if desired.
6. Divide batter into prepared pans.
7. For bread: bake at 350°F for 60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. For regular muffins: bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. For mini muffins: bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 2 loaves or 24 regular-size muffins or 48 mini muffins

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon mace
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Whisk together and store in an air-tight container like a small jelly or spice jar.

Shift

The slow shift into spring began yesterday, foreshadowed by a mild migraine earlier. We pushed the clocks forward one hour, and somehow the sun sprang out and temperatures climbed above freezing. In fact, the next ten days forecast temperature at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow is melting, the earth is thawing, and all living things are waking, breathing, multiplying.

Immediately, the outdoors tugged at me. A daily walk is sure to become a part of my routine. The woodpeckers are pecking, the skunks are spraying, and the birds are singing. As I rounded the corner today, a nuthatch and a chickadee fought over a prime piece of real estate, a large hole in a sturdy branch far above the electrical lines. I stopped to stare at the ruckus reminded that we will all be kicking it into high gear soon. Spring cleaning, spring planting, spring projects, spring plans for nests and beds and homes of all sorts.

How can it be that I always fail to remember the magic of spring? I doubt its coming and forget to take comfort in the bliss to follow a rough winter. Although the season's arrival is marked on the calendar and returns like a very old friend, the feeling it evokes is always brand new and intense like a first love which at my age doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

With the shift at hand, I did return to an old standby last week in the kitchen, too. I thought I would share my recipe for pot roast, which I had forgotten to make all winter duly noted in the way the entire family gobbled it down to great satisfaction for dinner. My recipe for pot roasts rests on three necessities which remain my old standbys:

• a large, seasoned Dutch oven that has seen plenty of use, 
• a bottle of good, aged red wine. and 
• four sprigs of rosemary from the rosemary plant now four years old in the massive stone pot that shuffles between the front porch in the summer and the guest bedroom window with southern exposure in the winter.

Good food can be so simple. I rely on a leaner top round roast. When roasted at low temperatures, it comes out of the oven very tender and the savory juices enhanced by the red wine retain less fat, making them delicious for pouring over the meat or mashing into the potatoes. Of course, a chuck roast is the more economical and traditional option here.

Red Wine Pot Roast

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small onions, trimmed and peeled
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 cloves garlic, trimmed and peeled
1 pound carrots (trimmed, peeled, and cut into large pieces)
1 whole (3 or 5 pound) top round roast
Sea salt and ground black pepper
1 or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup red wine
2 cups (3 pound roast) or 3 cups (5 pound roast) beef stock
4 sprigs rosemary

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add whole onions, browning them on both ends. Remove and set aside.
2. Add potatoes, garlic, and carrots and brown lightly for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside along with the onions.
3. Generously season roast with sea salt and ground black pepper. Add butter to the pan and sear roast in the pan, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until well browned all over. Remove and set aside.
4. Add red wine to the pan to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits remaining on the bottom with a whisk.
5. Return roast to the pan and surround with browned vegetables. Add beef stock and top with rosemary.
6. Cover and roast at 275°F for 3 hours with a 3-pound roast or 4 hours with a 5-pound roast.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings

Dispatch

"I am going to learn to make bread to-morrow. So you may imagine me with my sleeves rolled up, mixing flour, milk, salaratus, etc., with a great deal of grace. I advise you if you don’t know how to make the staff of life to learn with dispatch.”  - Emily Dickinson to Abiah Root, September 25, 1845

Without a doubt, weather is the hottest topic of conversation around here as our deep freeze continues. I heard the other day that 86% of the Great Lakes are frozen which seems to provide the justification for all the grumblings heard all around. I was also told that the black bears have begun to wake from hibernation. And, I can hear the songbirds beginning to find their voices to reinforce for us Emily Dickinson's poem: 'Hope' is the thing of feathers -- 

On March 1, I want to send a hopeful dispatch from the Finger Lakes. Perhaps, we can all follow Emily Dickinson's example and learn to bake some bread or learn anything new or just turn on the oven and bake something sweet or savory from an old, reliable recipe or one mouthwateringly new. I just know that the act of turning on the oven, feeling the heat radiate into the kitchen, and anticipating something delicious emerging from its bowels from my own hands tends to send my spirits soaring.

As such, let me share a simple meal  you can prepare with the same positive outcome for yourself and your appetite. It is almost foolproof and flexible enough to adapt to any palate as well as what you might find in your refrigerator in contrast to what I might stock in mine. Eggs, now redeemed as an excellent source of protein, remain a favorite in my house in almost any form. Here eggs are baked with greens -- so very healthy and satisfying. Quickly prepared and baked, they pop out of the oven to comfort, nourish, and eat atop crusty bread while sitting in front of a favorite movie, loved ones nearby and red wine in hand. Suddenly, life never seemed so sunny, the dispatch never so well received. Enjoy!

Baked Eggs on a Bed of Sauteed Greens

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large iron skillet. Add 1 cup chopped red onion and caramelize for 15 minutes until golden brown. Add two cups packed chopped greens and saute until wilted. (I am partial to Swiss chard, but you could use kale or spinach just as well.) Season to taste with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and your favorite herb or spice. Remove from heat. Break 4 or 5 eggs on top of sauteed greens. Bake at 350° F for 10 minutes until eggs begin to set. Remove from oven and preheat broiler. Sprinkle with goat's cheese or a favorite freshly grated cheese like Gruyère or aged Gouda. Place skillet under broiler until cheese is bubbling. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Yield: 2 servings

*Inspired by a recipe in Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl