Simply Recipes

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There is a blog, called Simply Recipes, that is reliable in every way. It is appropriately named, it is well maintained, and every recipe I have tried has met my every expectation. The clever woman behind the effort is Elise Bauer, and I like to think that if we lived near each other, we would be friends. It seems she was one of the first people who blogged about recipes, which must be how she got such a straightforward name for her website. She takes all the pictures, tries all the recipes before sharing them (or creates them herself), provides clear direction and suggestions, and posts regularly. Her recipes are organized by season and by ingredient and by category, and easily searched.

I have made a lot of her recipes, and with great success. I also find that if I’m stumped about what to make, browsing around on her website is a quick way to get inspired or to chase down a good idea for a particular ingredient. Here are some of my favorites, directly linked in the hope that you will explore her whole website yourself. Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata – an easy way to make chicken seem fancy.

Cajun Chicken Salad – one of my favorite things to have on hand for lunch!

Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey Sausage – a huge hit last summer, and a great way to manage more than one monster zucchini!

Yes, this enormous vegetable did grow in our garden.

Grilled Skirt Steak Skewers – hands down the best grilled meat that I have assisted in preparing.

Hamburger and Macaroni – basic, cozy, delicious.

Franks and Sauerkraut Paprikash – hotdogs and sauerkraut and sour cream! Hurrah!

Poached Salmon – just as promised.

Easy Coconut Shrimp Curry – versatile and quick!

Spring Minestrone Soup – each spring, I look forward to making this flavorful soup.

Pickled Beets – a nice side dish, or addition to salads.

Zucchini Bread – reason enough to grow zucchini again this summer.

Traveling

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I’ve been on the road a lot lately, for work and non-work reasons. Last month, I went to Carmel, Indiana and to San Antonio, Texas. This month, I’ve been to Maine (with stops in Portland, Weld, Augusta, Bath, and Freeport) and to San Diego, California. I’ve seen family members, coworkers, and lots of airports.

It can be difficult to keep up with email and news headlines (and blog posts) while traveling, but there’s one resource that I manage to check regularly, even when my routines are disrupted: The Skimm. The clever and intelligent women behind this concept figured out that if you keep to the facts and insert some humor, a daily email that contains news headlines and a bit of editorial might really be appreciated. I initially heard about this fantastic concept in Fast Company, in a section where innovative people are asked to share a tip about something that’s intrigued them lately. That was two years ago, and I have been an informed and amused follower of their efforts ever since. More than a million people now receive the email, which opens with a quote of the day. Here was today’s:

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As a nation we are not getting enough sleep” – A new study, drawing the groundbreaking conclusion that at least a third of Americans are tired. Thanks for that.

The topics are broken out into conversational headlines, summarized neatly, and loaded with references. Their recent write up of the New Hampshire primaries linked directly to 13 sources, including the NBC News, the Washington Post, CNN, CBS-Boston, Reuters, and the New Hampshire Union Leader. They offer further information on particular topics in “Skimm Guides” on their website, ranging from Super Bowl 50 to The UN General Assembly. They also provide thorough and balanced election information, including their own interviews with many of the candidates, introduced with: “Heads up, you have to hire a new president.”

If you visit their website, a pop-up asks if you’d like to sign up for the email. Your other option is: “No thanks, I prefer to be miserable in the morning,” which gives you a sense of how they’re taking on the world. Both founders have journalism backgrounds, and they have been thorough and capable and hilarious from their earliest efforts, with an eye towards building a community of followers. That has worked so effectively that even though Oprah has recommended them, I still feel like I’m getting an email from some very above-average friends every morning (scheduled for my time zone, incidentally, with an option to specify my preferred arrival time).

Photo credit: mine!

Reading.

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As promised, I’ll write regular installments about the books I’m reading. I introduced the idea here, and will continue the effort over time.

The Tin Horse, by Janet Steinberg

I’ve read a lot of books (textbooks, even) from the European Jewish perspective during WWII, but this may be the first story I’ve read from an American Jewish perspective from that time. This was a tale of teenage life and love, complicated by immigrant parents and cultural expectations. It isn’t the most well written book in the world – there were too many adjectives, I think – but the characters were strong and the plot was engaging.

The Case of Lisandra P., by Helene Gremillon

A French teenager once told me that he can always tell when a movie in France was dubbed and when it was actually French, because American movies always end happily, even in the most unlikely of circumstances. This book is translated from the French, and squarely proves his point. Even relative to other plots that seek to determine how or why the main character was killed, this does not end happily. It is well written, presumably well translated, and reading it feels like an artistic experience of sorts, but boy is it depressing.

A Window Opens, by Elisabeth Egan

I was bothered by this author’s frequent references to hipsters and e-readers and brand names of all sorts (and her unforgivable decision to employ the word “momversation”). I’m also resistant to incorporating text message and email language into the story, but all of that aside, this was a quick read. A family in New Jersey is facing career shifts, marital challenges, and aging parents. The “working in Manhattan and bemoaning recent changes to the city” commentary and specificity of the whole tale will feel wildly outdated in about 18 months, but the heartbreakingly insightful passages related to family dynamics and career exploration held my attention.

Houseplants

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I never knew my grandfather, but he was an artist and a gardener, with a great love for plants of all kinds and a particular appreciation for the amaryllis. He knew to let the bulbs go dormant each summer so that blooms could be forced in the winter, and he passed this knowledge down to his daughter-in-law, my mother. Growing up, we always had amaryllis, and I thought of them as an inheritance of sorts from Grandpa Seaverns. We also had leafy and colorful begonias, cyclamen, geranium, and African violets. Our Christmas cactus lived on a bathroom window sill designed for that very purpose and bloomed almost constantly.

When I lived in a dorm room 15 years ago, my mother mailed me a shoebox of bromeliad wrapped in wet paper towels and a clipping of a philodendron, with a note that they’d both be easy to keep alive. She was right – I provide them with a bit of daylight and I water them when they droop, and both are still in my care, along with their various progeny. The bromeliads can’t be stopped, actually – their rich green leaves grow and curl, while baby bromeliads emerge from the shade below. They’ve never flowered in my care but I learned recently that with a bit of hocus pocus, each of those tiny new plants could be persuaded to bloom – just once. The philodendron is leggy and leafy, which I’ve always liked just fine, but apparently if I clipped those trailing vines once in a while, they would grow into a nice cluster of leaves in the pot. Over the years, additional plants have come into my life, but I’m not terribly attentive, and most of them aren’t very happy.

The original bromeliads and their flock.

In October, we visited my aunt in Montreal. Her houseplants are so successful that they compete for space with the furniture. Her flowering azalea is nearly three feet across and was brilliant with blooms on the kitchen table, though it was already snowing outside. Vases and jars of philodendron provide bursts of green in the bathroom and on window sills. I came home determined to assess (and revive) my own houseplant situation.

Most problems can be solved with a spreadsheet, so I started there. I listed all the plants in my care, looked up their preferences, and got everything documented. I didn’t realize that so many houseplants prefer to be root-bound! I flipped through my mother’s houseplant book (which I’ve had on a shelf for years), threw out two of the ugliest spider plants, and put a handful of philodendron clippings into a tall vase full of water. Then I took myself to Gertens and purchased an enormous amaryllis bulb, a Christmas cactus, a few flower pots, and some potting soil. Red and white amaryllis are relatively common, but the apple blossom variety (a favorite in our family) is harder to find, and Gertens had them on hand.

The apple-blossom amaryllis, in its full glory.

The bulb I pulled out of a barrel in October has burst forth with the most incredible floral display I have ever seen. This amaryllis has twelve blooms at once, with another flower stalk maturing, and I hope to maintain tradition by persuading it into a similar show of color next year. In contrast, all the buds on the Christmas cactus have dried up. I’ve watered it steadily and provided it with sunshine, but I think it lacks humidity. Picturing the Christmas cactus of my childhood, I moved mine into the windowless bathroom this morning while I took a shower, and back into the sunshine this afternoon. Perhaps with some dedicated attention, it can be nursed back to health.

Photo credits, mine.

San Antonio, restaurant edition

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There’s a lot of good food in San Antonio, and I’ve been lucky to enjoy many meals in the company of the truly wonderful people that I have met and spent some time with here. I’ve also wandered around a bit on my own, resulting in a variety of experiences. The downtown has capitalized on some old mission irrigation systems, and a main feature of any visit should be wandering around on the resulting riverwalk. There’s a section that is densely populated with restaurants, most which present some variation on a Texas theme. They can all blur together a little bit, leading to some of the poorer choices on this list. May that be your warning, future riverwalk diners – be discerning in your selections.

Boudro’s – I can highly recommend this place, which I believe is one of the older riverwalk options. The walls are limestone, which gives the sense that you’re in a cozy cave of some kind. I’ve had both seafood and pasta that were delicious, and they do the thing where they make guacamole on a cart next to your table, which is always fun!

Cafe Ole – I have only the rain to blame for walking into the first option that I saw one evening when I got into town. The food was terrible but service was quick, and when the waiter brought me my bill he offered me delicious orange slices dipped in chili and suggested that if I wanted good Mexican food, I should probably look beyond the riverwalk.

El Mirador – The first breakfast I ever ate in San Antonio was enjoyed in a booth here, at the invitation of this very fine individual.

The Fairmount Hotel’s restaurant is being renovated but I once had a delightful birthday dinner there, hosted by the really lovely individuals from the agency that we work with in San Antonio.

Iron Cactus – Advice from the Cafe Ole guy aside, this is a really nice riverwalk spot, with excellent service and delicious food. I had excellent shrimp enchiladas here (after the waitress warned me that the brisket enchiladas were mushy).

La Gloria – Venturing away from the riverwalk to explore the Pearl Brewery area is very much worth the small effort that it takes. Once there, this chef-run celebration of Mexican street food should be your first stop!

Las Ramblas – Rain to blame again, I stopped in at this hotel restaurant for breakfast one morning without planning very well. I had not-that-great food from a buffet, surrounded by tables full of large families who appeared to be hotel guests. The website claims they have “the best food in San Antonio” but I beg to differ.

Mexican Manhattan – Their website claims they offer “the finest Mexican food,” conveniently located at a junction on the riverwalk. I have witnessed fierce debate about whether or not this is a good lunch choice, but the food I had was fine (though I will admit, not memorable).

Mi Tierra – Celebrating their 75th year of business, this bakery and restaurant is decorated with “thousands of Christmas lights” at all times of year, and has every combination of eggs and beans and tortillas that you can desire (they serve other meals, too, but I’ve only been for breakfast). I especially like the pumpkin empanadas from the bakery.

The Monterey has closed but I enjoyed a very memorable breakfast at their sunny location in Southtown, some kind of creative take on eggs benedict that was salty and delicious.

Paesano’s – If you’re on the riverwalk and Italian is your thing, this is the place. They’re famous for a pasta shrimp dish that’s quite good, and if you know the right people (as I do!) you can arrange for them to cater a guided riverboat for an evening.

Rita’s on the River – I remember thinking “how bad could it be” one evening after checking into my hotel. The food was okay, but it felt rather like a tourist assembly line. The woman at the table next to me demanded that her dinner be free of vegetables, and that a side of beans was out of the question.

Rosella Coffee Company – A reasonable stroll and a world away from the touristy riverwalk, this coffee shop is in a high-ceilinged industrial sort of space and offered a perfect spot to read and eat a sandwich one afternoon when that was just what I needed.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House – Located in the hotel where I holed up for a rainy weekend with a book, I sat at the bar here one evening just long enough to drink a glass of wine, eat an appetizer, and meet a millionaire. It’s a steak house, as promised.

Sip – This coffee shop is across the street from a Starbucks and has friendly people and good things to eat and drink. I recommend it.

Supper – This gorgeous restaurant is in a hotel so beautiful it’s as though someone’s fantastical dreams came to life. The food was incredible (brussels sprouts and salad and steak and panna cotta, relatively straightforward and totally outstanding).

Swig Martini Bar – Fun name, fun drink list – there’s a red velvet martini that I assume really tastes like chocolate cake.

Photos, mine!

San Antonio

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I like San Antonio. It is a convention city and there’s a military base nearby, so the tourism economy is strong and there are lots of options when it comes to hotels and restaurants. It’s also highly amusing to guess which individuals are convening (and for what company or association) and which young people are destined for (or on break from) basic training. The conference lanyards and the military haircuts sometimes give it away, but otherwise this activity can keep you entertained for hours.

I myself have attended a conference here, and I’ve also visited a handful of times to collaborate with a communications agency on various projects. That’s why I’m here now, prompting me to share a few observations. Firstly, the weather is great – for example, it is approximately 60 degrees warmer outside than it was when I went out for the mail this morning in Minnesota. That’s a solid vote in favor of this city. Secondly, it really is the friendliest place – the cab drivers and the restaurant employees and the people I work with here are all very chatty and informative and welcoming. Thirdly, San Antonio is a city of much pride – pride of history, pride of culture, pride of people – and so there are a lot of interesting things to see and experience. I was in town when the Spurs won an important game in 2014, and the streets were clogged with people cheering and honking their horns in celebration.

I’ve stayed at a number of hotels, which is only relevant if you’re planning a trip to San Antonio – but maybe you are, or will be – or maybe you know someone who is. Plus, there are some pretty good stories in what appear to simply be hotel reviews, below:

Grand Hyatt: this is a perfectly nice, new, clean, Grand Hyatt that is close to convention activities and has a rooftop pool, though it rained most of the March weekend that I had hoped to use it. On that same rainy weekend, a gentleman in their in-house Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse informed me that he was the anonymous winner of a $100 million lottery, and that I was the first person he had told. Something about his sorrowful look, his well-worn baseball cap, and his wedding ring made me believe him, and I suggested he call his wife.

Hotel Havana: this is far and away my favorite hotel I have stayed at, but also had the highest likelihood of actually being haunted, so it would take courage to stay there again. There was a delightful balcony off my room, and palm trees in the courtyard, and whimsical interior design that felt like I was staying at my crazy San Antonio aunt’s house. I had memorably delicious breakfast here, delivered to my room and consisting of broiled grapefruit and warm tortillas and some kind of milky coffee concoction.

Holiday Inn Riverwalk: this is a perfectly nice, new, clean, Holiday Inn that is right next to the restaurant-heavy area of the riverwalk, and surrounded by historic theaters. The windows are big in these rooms and there is nice architecture nearby to appreciate, but no sense of history or ghosts inside. This very night, Macklemore is playing at the Majestic, across the street. His show apparently requires four semis that are labeled “Truck ‘n Roll, Concert Logistiques” and my sister informs me that if Macklemore is here, so is her friend Greg, who plays trombone in his band.

Hotel Emma: I have not stayed here, but if ever my hotel budget is around $350 a night, this would be my very top choice. It just opened in the Pearl district, where they are renovating old brewery buildings into what is described as a “culinary and cultural community,” and it looks absolutely divine.

Sheraton Gunter: this hotel is conveniently located and the lobby is beautiful and historic, but when I stayed there in 2013 the whole central air system was creaky and temperamental, and the bathroom was tiny and a little on the grimy side. They claim to have recently renovated the rooms, and they’ve posted glowing reviews on their website, so this negative bias may no longer be relevant.

I’ve also eaten at a whole lot of restaurants, but I’ll save that for another post.

Photo credits: all mine!

Atlas Obscura

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There’s a website called Atlas Obscura. The people behind this fascinating spot on the internet collect images and tales of the most strange and wondrous places and happenings in the world. They distribute a newsletter packed with captivating stories, and they even host intriguing events like this lock-picking party in New York.

When I first discovered Atlas Obscura, one particular memory came crashing forward. At 15, I was very fortunate to spend a month in France. I was studying French in high school, my family was comfortable with me traveling alone, and I had relatives (the sister-in-law of my uncle’s brother-in-law, to be exact) willing to host me. We ate fresh tomatoes and apricots unlike anything I’ve tasted before or since, we sailed on the Mediterranean, and we rented bicycles to tour Porquerolles (as seen above). I have misplaced the journal that I kept during that grand adventure, but what sticks in my head as the most appropriate Atlas Obscura point of interest begins with a clear memory of a hot and sticky July afternoon in the town of my hosting family’s grandparents. We wandered down into the village to an enormous old structure that was one part sculpture and two parts crazy, sitting dustily on the side of the road. The rural area was dominated by orchards and rolling hills, and the walk home was unpleasantly steep, but this bizarre creation was not a sightseeing opportunity to be missed, and I was an out of town guest.

Sitting at a computer 18 years later, and struck with the sudden need to identify this place and flag it in my Atlas Obscura profile, I took to the internet in a passionate searching quest. However, not knowing the name of the town or the spectacle, and unsure if any English speaking source would make note of it, I was at a loss.

Family being what it is, I spent a weekend last summer with the son of the aforementioned brother-in-law of my uncle, and I asked him if he could help. He was a toddler when I visited France, but that odd place in my memory is still a real location in his grandparent’s village. He laughed and said, “Ah, the Idiot’s Palace! Yes, it is famous now, and they actually charge an entrance fee!” He looked it up on the internet right there on the lawn and sent me the link.

I am pleased to report that Postman Cheval’s Ideal Palace is listed on Atlas Obscura, and I have now flagged it as “been here!” in my profile.

Laughing

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So, there’s no better thing than laughing, right? Seinfeld episodes were so funny to many of us, the characters became well known to nearly everyone, and shared memories were created that we take for granted. What must it be like to be Jerry Seinfeld, known wherever he goes and seen as the man behind the curtain – and in front of it, I suppose. Since Larry David was actually the other guy behind the curtain.

In any case, there is now a new reason to laugh. I mean, not new, if you’ve been aware of this already (they are on their seventh season) – but I had heard of it myself and not really pursued it, so maybe the same is true for you. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is just about exactly what it promises. Jerry Seinfeld introduces a car from his collection, calls up a comedian friend, and they hop in and drive around for a bit chatting and laughing. They go somewhere for coffee, and then ride around a bit more. Most episodes are less than 20 minutes. You can choose to just watch the comedians you already find to be hilarious, or you can begin at the beginning and watch each episode in order, like a television show. The internet is such a great place. There’s a brief ad at the start of each one, but you can of course ignore that or watch it or whatever you choose.

I heard at Christmas dinner that the Steve Harvey episode is particularly funny, and I can vouch for the Ricky Gervais one myself (in fact, just the opening still shot for that one makes me smile). Get started. Laughing is good for you.

Photo: my own, from a gift shop in Texas

Books

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I like to read, and usually I prefer to start a book without knowing much about what to expect. The trouble with that approach is that it can be hard to know which books to choose. And so, here are a few books I have read lately, with perhaps enough detail for you to decide if you might be interested.

***

Land of Love and Drowning, by Tiphanie Yanique

This unsettling story of heartbreak and hope is beautifully written. As much about St. Thomas and the surrounding Caribbean islands as it is about one family’s secrets and dreams, it offers an historical perspective on the unanticipated consequences of development and opportunity, at both a national and individual level. Most of all, this is a captivating tale of the twisted paths we follow to find (and survive) love.

Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh

This is the tale of a sad and lonely young woman who copes with her alcoholic father at home and the depressing atmosphere of a juvenile detention center at work. In her own surprising way, she discovers that she may not be as alone as she thinks, and eventually finds direction. It’s not an uplifting book, by any measure, but it is very well written and I appreciate a protagonist who isn’t always so easy to champion.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, by Jenny Lawson

If you want to laugh a lot and wince a little, and wonder at the variety of the human perspective, this is the book for you. Jenny Lawson blogged about her strange predicaments and her odd view of them until someone noticed how popular she was getting and published a whole book of her writing. This is my favorite section, but the book offers hundreds of pages of the same.

Seattle, in pictures.

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My tale of our Seattle adventures got a little lengthy, so I saved some of the best pictures for a separate effort. Credit for these goes to my traveling companion. Enjoy!

Dahlia Lounge, home of the famous tomato soup: