100 Day Project 16/100

What's Cooking

I live with a man who eats copious amounts of carbs and sugar.

Being hypoglycemic I eat very limited amounts of the staples he craves on a daily basis.

Since I love to bake, his eating habits are a win for my culinary experiments in the kitchen.

There are so many recipes I would love to make right now,

but I'm dealing with limited ingredients.  

Flour, sugar, yeast, chocolate are not easy to find.

I search for recipes with ingredients I have on hand and decided to make

chocolate molasses cookies (which are good, but not great)

and an easy no knead bread (which is tasty).

What's Cooking

I'm a big hummus fan.

I typically buy the generic Trader Joe's brand and have it for lunch with carrots or an apple  

I ran out last week and not wanting to go to the grocery store I whipped up this batch.

It's very creamy but could use a little more lemon and salt.

100 Day Project 15/100

Ozark Season Three

Another brilliant season of story telling and exceptional acting.

100 Day Project 14/100

No Access

I have been able to endure quarantine with minimal stress or feelings of entrapment due 

to the access we have to hiking trails in Griffith Park and around Lake Hollywood.

Pre C19 I traversed these routes several times a week, but in the past two weeks

I have made daily excursions along the hilly streets in the canyon and the dirt trails in the park.

Yesterday a new ordinance went into effect closing parking lots to many beaches and parks

to curtail large groups of weekenders gathering in public places

It's unclear if it's legal to use local access to trails 

so Scott and I ventured out this morning for a long hike.

It was as if the zombie apocalypse had wiped out the population.

For miles we didn't see another soul.  

The sound of cars humming along the freeway in the distance was scrubbed from the normal background noise.

No planes overhead.  

It was eerie, peaceful, and most likely verboten to be where we were today.

In the near future, I'll stick to the neighborhood streets for my daily strolls.

100 Day Project - 13/100

100 Day Project 12/100

March Blooms

Hidden Gifts

Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand that this too,

was a gift.

Mary Oliver

100 Day Project 11/100

What's Cooking

Cauliflower Fried Rice courtesy of Goop.

Since finding this recipe on Gwynth's instagram several years ago,

it's been a mainstay.

Cauliflower, zucchini, kale, lots of fresh ginger, garlic and scallions topped with a mixture of 

tamari and coconut aminos.

It's a rare combination of hearty and light with a burst of flavors. 

100 Day Project 10/100

100 Day Project 9/100

What's Cooking

I do love having more time in the kitchen to cook.

Scott and I have very different eating preferences so it's nice to have the opportunity to 

prepare both of us meals every night.

I'm experimenting with recipes I've had earmarked for years, as well as making time honored favorites. 

Braised pork chop and tomatoes, roasted potatoes and lentil soup.

The latter is my favorite from Melissa Clark. 

The tomatoes make a perfect side dish.

One night I added zucchini to the leftovers tomatoes and made a vegetable stew.

What's Cooking

Several years ago a friend introduced me to David Lebovitz's granola recipe.

I started making it on a regular basis for Scott who loves cereal. 

I've doctored the recipe which is held together by applesauce, coconut oil and honey.

I don't use any sugar, decreased the honey and increased the appleasauce.

Each batch is slightly different depending on the combination of nuts and dried fruit on hand.

It's become a kitchen staple.

100 Day Project 8/100

100 Day Project 7/100

Trumps Perpetual Lies and Distortion of the Truth is Literally Killing Us

Cloistered

Honestly, life right now is surreal.  

The entire population is figuring how to contain and combat this infectious disease.

There's that, and then there's my incongruous reality.

There's a simple serenity to the rhythm of my days.

In addition to working remotely, I marvel at the expansive sky from my windows. 

Mother nature has been putting on a show in Los Angeles. 

Frequent showers, dramatic cloud formations and poetic sunsets.

I've begun The 100 Day Project — a photo a day with my DSLR.

My refrigerator is fully stocked and demands attention.

Morning menu planning leads to intermittent bouts of prep work through out the day.

Long walks in the lush hillside break up the indoor activities. 

I'm not bored or antsy for there's still so much more to tackle.

Then I'll sneeze or Scott will cough and a dark thought will creep across my brain.

Is the enemy already here?

Will the tranquility be replaced by something else?  Will loved ones suffer?

This is only day four.

What will five bring?

These photos were taken on a morning run to Trader Joe's.
I hadn't been there since last Thursday when shoppers were
friendly but their behavior screamed "panic mode".
Today was a different scene:
A line spiraled around the parking lot, mad longer by the distance between shoppers.
A few customers were let in at a time to ensure safety and calm.
Some items are still impossible to find,
but for the most part the shelves were well stocked.
My goal is to avoid stores for the next ten days.
Have we purchased wisely?
Time will tell.

Know My Name

One of most powerful and poetic books I've read read in years.

This rape case, or preciously the judge's ruling, rocked me.

Hearing the story in Chanel's own words was beyond moving and illuminating. 

The judge had given Brock something that would never be extended to me: empathy.

My pain was never more valuable than his potential.

I did not come into existence when he harmed me.

She found her voice!

I had a voice, he stopped it, left me groping around blind for a bit,

but I always had it.

I just used it like I never had to use it before.

I do not owe him my success, becoming, he did not create me.

The only credit Brock can take is for assaulting me, and he could never even admit to that.

Chanel Miller

Existence

As Covid-19 sweeps the globe, I'm reaching deep down inside to draw on strength and spirituality.

It's challenging to find the balance between staying informed and remaining calm.

The news is BLEAK and foreboding.  

Images of once bustling European city squares devoid of humans, 

empty NYC subway cars at rush hour, and bare grocery shelfs are stuff of sci-fi cinema. 

Reports from the front line in Italy rattle my well-being.

Every day it sinks in a little more — what was normal is on hold.  

For the foreseeable future we are living siloed in our individual pods,

securing our seat belts for a fucking wild ride.

What the other side of this pandemic looks like is anyone's guess.

But first we have to get there.

Photo by Kim Krans