As Bart Simpson would say on the idea that geography, culture, and class influences our food choices, “Du-uh!”
Still, this edible geography site’s maps are worth the trip.
For those that haven’t been following the romance, after Celeste appeared on the back cover of Beyond Measure, friend Laura said in a rather fetching way, “I have a frog.”
A moment of silence. My brows arched.
“Is he a boy?”
That’s where it started and since then it’s been a few of us old biddies hatching plans and match-making in the best of traditions.
Why? Just a goof really. But also more about lightening up and not taking the kitchen so friggin’ (or froggin’) seriously.
That’s why even though Celeste insisted on the back cover of Hippie Kitchen as her exclusive preserve, she did allow HH to appear within its pages. Also, why after a year, she finally said yes to HH’s overtures.
We had their engagement party on Valentines Day and even made a video. Sort of a first try, but it was a good time–and many ideas generated on how to make the upcoming wedding more of a blow out. So stay tuned. Wedding’s scheduled for apple blossom time.
In the mean time, here are some photos from the engagement party in case you didn’t watch the vid.
The happy couple.
Celeste sporting HH’s engagement gift of a diamond heart necklace. You can see that Celeste is not a spring chicken–and even has a bad eye. Also that she makes no bones about her commodious belly. We think that’s partly what attracted HH–Celeste’s quiet dignity in the face of what life has brought.
Lastly, the “cross my heart and hope to love” polenta waffles we made for the engagement party. A play-play adaptation of Bob’s Polenta Waffles and Cashew Cilantro Pesto from Cooking Beyond Measure. There are also vids of me making these posted here on the blog and under my HippieCook channel on You Tube.
Now that we’re sure only those really interested are subscribed to this list, I’m hoping this blog gets a little more, like, commenty. I know over on my facebook pages people like to visit–and it’s fun to get to know others a bit. You’re welcome to join the bantering there of course, (either on my friend page at Jean Johnson where the real action is or my HippieCook fan page). Either way, I hope you start chiming in a bit more here.
So here’s getting to know you:
There’s Natalia who came to one of my public library cooking demonstrations and helped me schlep stuff back out to the car. Beth former stellar student who ventured into Portland recently to catch me at Whole Foods. Doug, dear pal from the Sixties who divides his time between Montana and Thailand–and says I’m a natural on the videos.
Stephanie from San Francisco who has put in a good word more than once on my work with Whole Foods. Michael who gets his dry wit from the books his reads by dead white men. Sonya who wouldn’t consider reading a book by a dead white man. Denise who just plain loves my writing. Family friend and cook in her own right, Carole.
Vee and Martha, secret society ladies I love. Ann down at UCDavis who I met on the fringe of a foodie conference. Marsha in Phoenix who has a great eye and who’s late doggie, Soupie, graces the pages of Cooking Beyond Measure.
Steve in Ohio who I first met on Cherry Street way back when. Patrick down the street with his momma hens. Eamon who runs Portland’s best farmers market ever over at Hillsdale. Laura Kalpakian who wrote one of my favorite reads, American Cookery: A Novel.
Mary, one of the mainstays in Portland’s Kitchen Garden group. Bill who lives in a conservative town and does his liberal best to keep them honest. Margaret, a Scot sheep rancher who is a conservative. Angela, excellent new neighbor and mother of Lenore who loves to look at Iris in Hippie Kitchen.
Sheryl down the street who likes to pause a moment now and then for inspiration from my books. Carola who sends pictures of happy hens and who understands food that’s gently sourced.
Linda here in town who is so fun to feed and can handle the video camera too.
Kate in Vancouver, BC who likes the measurefree thing and who I hope to go meet one of these days. Susan who’s read Beyond Measure cover-to-cover. Jackie who came to one of my public library cooking demos. My cousin Catrina. My fine, fine pal Eldie. Longtime, dear friend Linda in Williams who loves the Grand Canyon and who’s pic is in Beyond Measure along with her fresh salsa recipe.
Some guy named Dude who I don’t know but who sounds pretty hip. And even someone from the UK where I’m seeing budding interest in my work–could it be that my books might take off there?
So here we all are. There are others subscribed too, but I don’t know them–yet I hope. Anyhow, thanks everyone for taking an interest. Getting the word out on my work as an unknown is like pushing a snowball up the hill. So always nice to come home to the blog and find a cadre of people at least willing to hear me yap away. Chuckle.
As far as the Thai Slaw Rolls we’re supposed to be getting to know you over, they are a combo of 2 recipes from Beyond Measure: Rolled Ups and Thai Slaw. Ain’t the little trundle bundles somethun’? (Not to miss how much the garnish of coriander does for the plate. Or the loveliness the posies bring.)
On the Thai Slaw Rolls the concern was that the slaw with be too juicy and make the rolled ups soggy. But as Eldie can vouch, we let them sit a good 3-4 hours and they were hunky dory.
What can we say?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The recent Cross My Heart & Hope to Love Waffles and Chocolate Goodies videos were merely a prelude to the big Valentine’s Day engagement party. It’s been two years now since Mr. HH spotted Celeste on the back cover of Cooking Beyond Measure.
Although Celeste turned her back on him at first, she’s finally said yes!
Here’s a video on making Chocolate Goodies. If you don’t have a grinder and go the cuisinart route, you might use a little brandy or juice to make things work.
The best thing about this chocolate offering is that those of us who don’t like dancing up close and personal with refined or artificial sugars, get to pass on all that and still have our chocolate.
So here’s my Valentine to you…
Polenta waffles go way beyond breakfast and become first rate Valentine’s Day fare in these vids. First you made cashew-cilantro pesto. Then you do the waffles. And last, you get out the roasted red peppers and olives for Cross My Heart and Hope to Love Polenta Waffles.
Part 1, Cashew-Cilantro Pesto
Part 2, Bob’s Polenta Waffles
Part 3, Building Cross My Heart and Hope to Love Polenta Waffles
Many I met during holiday events asked about classes–both adult and kidlets. At the very least we’re planning to get something rolling with the kids. The series, Cooking with the Little Aunties, is open to girls 8 to 12.
Isn’t that just the way. The first does yeoman service path breaking, and then the second comes along with her flirty name and catchy clothes and skates all the way to the bank. Speaking of the bank, though, both numero uno, Cooking Beyond Measure, and Ms. Hippie Kitchen are both designed to help save 25 to 50 percent on our food bills–simply by taking back our kitchens.
Down to the two daze of signing books at Whole Foods Market Fremont–a half dozen copies of Hippie Kitchen still hoping to get asked to dance plus an ample stack of her older sister (wherein lies the coveted recipe for Thai Slaw and Rolled Ups). If you want a signed book for Christmas and are in Portland, cruise over. I promise to feed you very well–and the store is totally cool, with it’s support of local hipsters firmly in place. Thanks Whole Foods, Fremont. You people are the best.
(Thanks too, to Beth for coming in yesterday and scooping up an armload of books. Here’s to the delicious revolution! Besides that, it was very very excellent to see you.)
PS: Have you found me on Twitter and Facebook yet under HippieCook?
Ah, yes, I remember my own trip to Mexico as a food writer. Here’s one of my photos:
So Mark Bittman’s recent NYT piece on Mexican markets was a nice reminder of my own cruise-arama. Here he’s talking about how Mexican women get fresh veggies on the table pronto–but he apparently hasn’t got the flash cooking thing wired yet.
“Equally interesting to me was the huge variety of pre-chopped, mixed vegetables, carrots mixed with squash and cabbage, or nopales (cactus leaves) with peas, red peppers, mushrooms, and onions, or simply corn and squash. Bags and bags of these, and trays and trays of them, to be bought by the kilo, taken home, and quickly cooked for tortillas or stews or simply, for want of a better term, stir-fries.”
It’s true that when I first started working with the concept I too called this method of cooking stir-fries–hippie stir fries to be exact. That’s because it uses the Asian stir fry idea but without the oil or Asian veggies or flavors. Still stir fries didn’t quite capture it and my friend Laura couldn’t get behind the phrase. All a good thing, since eventually the term flash cooking came along. Here’s what I write in Hippie Kitchen:
On Flash Cooking—
My Dad called me “High Heat Johnson.” He had me pegged and knew I took after my mother. Mom’s friends said she couldn’t even spell the word patience.
So I come to flash cooking honestly. When I cruise into the kitchen I want stuff done now. I want to pull leftover grains and legumes from the icebox and spin them together with a bunch of vegetables pronto. So I turn the heat up full blast and go for it. I used to think this tendency an indolent cop out, but after traveling in other countries, I discovered that I’m not the only one flash cooking and that there’s not a thing in the universe wrong with this approach to food.
To flash cook vegetables, start with a puddle of water, spices if you’re in the mood, and high heat. The idea is to use just enough water to cook your vegetables, adding small pours as you go—making sure to get things that take the longest to cook in the pot first.
My favorite vehicle by far for flash cooking is a cast iron wok because it holds the heat so beautifully and turns the vegetables crisp tender in minutes. But as I’ve discovered cooking in other people’s kitchens, regular woks, heavy bottomed skillets, and generally any pot or pan rattling around in the cupboard will be your friend.
It is true that flash cooking is an Asian stir fry in spirit since there’s lots of vegetables and full blast heat. But that’s where the similarities end. That’s because flash cooking isn’t bound by a particular orchestration of bok choy, soy sauce, and their buddies. Instead flash cooked dishes are free to move about in the world of fusion cuisine.
Flash cooked dishes can also skip the heat entirely and use raw vegetables. So in truth, the idea behind flash cooking is more about the flash and less about the heat. It’s also a way cooks in hippie kitchens get to muster all the soul at their command and sketch out flavors that appeal in a thousand different hues.
So, get all those blues. Must be a thousand hues.
And be just differently used. You just know.
You sit there mesmerized.
By the depth of those eyes that you can’t categorize.
She got soul. She got soul. She got soul!
~Bluebird, Buffalo Springfield, 1966
You got soul?
Mesmerized?
Far out…
Lenore’s not two yet, and she’s already in the groove. Angela, her mom and next door neighbor, sent these images and says they weren’t posed. Rather Lenore loves to page through Hippie Kitchen, pausing particularly at page 159 where Iris (same-same from the Cat in the Cheese blog post here) is once again checking the scene out.
~~~~Meow, Lenore. Iris finds you rather fascinating too.~~~~
