Well, yeah ........................

 

     I never loved the taste of morels, but I would eat them for tradition's sake and because I liked the idea of physically absorbing both the essence of the woods and the associated mystery of mushrooms themselves.

     We would soak them in salt water, slice them in half, dredge them in flour, and fry them in butter.  We are Ohioans.  If we could pluck starlight from the sky, we would dredge it in flour and fry it in butter.

-Jarod K. Anderson, Something In The Woods Loves You

skills.............................

Sometimes, those focused on remaining calm and contained are not always learning the skills necessary to perform, to function in the world.  They may be stable and not raise their voice in the kitchen, but they don't know how to make salad dressing.  They may meditate steadfastly but not develop their communication skills.  While busy generating calm, beautiful states of mind, they are not developing the skills, capacities, and practices that could actually and realistically manifest delicious food or wholesome relationships.

-Edward Espe Brown, No Recipe: cooking as a spiritual practice 

shifting..........................

 

     Do we live in a profane world, or do we say, "Yes, indeed, sacred space is right here"? Where are we?  Awakening the mind that seeks the way to learn, to grow, to study, to investigate, already we are shifting into sacred space.  Something could come through us.

     Instead of aiming to go somewhere else, where everything is so much better, the Zen imperative is to recognize that the sacred is here by practicing, living, cooking in the way of sacred space.

-Edward Espe Brown, No Recipe:  Cooking as s Spiritual Practice

More homework.....................

 

What would make cooking a spiritual practice rather than mere work is cultivating a sense for what is sacred and doing you best to bring that alive in the world of the kitchen.

-Edward Espe Brown,  No Recipe: Cooking as a Spiritual Practice

On having skin in the game................

 Back in the 1950s, when the focal practice of baking was displaced by the advent of cake mixes, Betty Crocker learned quickly that it was good business to make the mix not quite complete.  The baker felt better about her cake if she was required to add an egg to the mix.

-Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soul Craft

Wisdom.............................

 ..................(the better the crust, the better the pie)

Old dog, new tricks.......................

Thanks Kurt

The Blue Ribbon........................

...........................................................................pie is right here. 

The eggplant at the farmers' market looked too good to pass up.  Slated for Sunday supper.  Any recipe suggestions?

Shoes make the man......................

    via

The art of the steak.....................

.......................................Full expose here.  Wee tidbit here:

 Season the steak aggressively with sea salt. Throw a handful over the tray of meat, and what sticks should be the correct amount. Avoid table salt, which contains anti-caking agents that are unsuited to steak.

Fixing dinner tonight................

...............................................................................it'll be terrific.

via

More proof...........................

.......as if we needed any, that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Good cooking and good writing...........................

.........(and its companion good reading) are each their own reward.


 "...but it is seldom done with the serenity I witnessed — that passed almost unnoticed, as effort is meant to pass unnoticed in all fine art."


-as excerpted from David Warren's blog, the source of some of the most interesting writing to be found in the Intertunnel.

Simmering..............................

on display at the newly re-opened Sparta.  Come on down!

Read this passage......................

......................................and immediately thought of Kurt:

       Robert glanced into his kitchen.  The dirty dishes were cleaned and stacked on the counter.  The sink was spotless, the tile floor shined, and the table was set for four.

      "When did you do all this?"  Robert asked the Professor.

      "Couldn't sleep,"  Brown Shoes said.

      "I usually can't sleep much either,"  Robert said realizing that this was the first night in years that he hadn't heard any voices.  "But that's way too...."

      "Since you are putting me up, it's the least I could do."

      As the men sat down at the table, Brown Shoes looked at Robert.  "Well, they called this morning from the garage.  They say it's going to take a week or so to get the parts, then probably take another two or three weeks to put her back together.  So I'm looking at almost a month."

      Robert tasted his orange juice.  Freshly squeezed, he thought.  He unfolded his omelet, the aroma of fresh green and red peppers, cheese and onions wafted to his face, and then the fragrance of lilacs hit him.  Brown Shoes had cleaned out a Dr. Hopps' beer bottle and used it as a vase for lilacs from his front yard.

      "This is a taste of heaven," James said, letting is omelet slowly dissolve in his mouth.

      "Well, thank you, "Brown Shoes responded.  "Lin Yutang used to say, 'Our lives are not in the laps of the gods, but in the laps of our cooks.'"

-David Mutti Clark,  Professor Brown Shoes Teaches the Blues

Beauty..........................................

a little harmless but definite untidiness.......

      
      Perhaps this is the place to warn you against an excessive zeal for cleanliness when it comes to ironware.  Property seasoned, iron is one of the greatest cooking materials in the world, but the average American housewife (this was published in 1967)  has been so brainwashed that she commonly scours off the cooking surface without thinking.  Woks and iron skillets should be rinsed and wiped, never washed.  If someone comes along and tells you cleanliness is next to godliness, the proper answer is, "Yes - next.  Right now I'm working on godliness."
     If, however, your family persists in a compulsive and unreasonable attitude, accustom them to a little harmless but definite untidiness in their food.  An occasional burned paper match dropped inot the gravy will help them relax a bit.  My wife has even managed, mysteriously, to include a cigar band in a casserole of Spanish rice.  Once you've seen something like that, it's hard to get upset about the fine points of kitchen cleanliness.
      A sense of proportion is a saving grace.

-Robert Farrar Capon,  The Supper of the Lamb

A veritable feast......................................

The sweetness of flexibility.................

In these later years I’ve become more flexible in spirit rather than bone. I add a bit more or a bit less, or leave it in the oven for a few more minutes than the prescribed time. Maybe I add a touch more sweetness or bite. Or even a fingersnip more of salt. Maybe something doesn’t work. And that’s ok – there’s always the opportunity to make it again. There can be a bit of forgiveness in cooking and baking – even the small failures can be overlooked when you share a meal that was made with your own hand.

And nothing tastes sweeter, lasts longer, or is enjoyed more.

-Jeff Kopito

Remember............................................

..............................................................Thaw that bird.