Reflections of a struggled holiday

My first thanksgiving in Maine in well over 10 years was a good one.  I am sure it was a little sad for Ashley and Kaleigh to be so far from their family on such a day but I hope that they feel the welcomed by my family.

As a younger guy, I protested the holiday due to the genocide it was founded on.  In my older years I have come to the conclusion that it would be too easy and too sad for me to die alone and right.  Sometimes you need to pick your battles and take the opportunities to enjoy the community support, and family around you when you have the chance.

This holiday, I often found myself thinking about the families of people who have been the victim of police violence.  The idea that they must really struggle with these family events left me angrily cooking dinner sides and shoveling my driveway.  My mind quickly turned to the rage I felt for the families of the perpetrators of such violence; I felt sickened by the idea that they get to spend these holidays with their families.

As the thoughts flowed through my veins I began to feel empathetic to my younger self and the rejection of such a celebrations.  The protest of a genocidal holiday now transformed into a day spent thinking about police violence, after centuries some things stay the same.  I pushed through it as my distance from those circumstances and my privileged permitted me to have a great thanksgiving.  A day I got to see family that I had not seen in over a decade.

The evolutionary dynamics of life change is fascinating.  I was fighting against my younger self while enjoying stories of life events that have been occurring in my families lives.  Bouncing from the present to the past all the while enjoying the moment.  It was a great day for me, if not for everyone who is experiencing hardships my privilege will not allow me to imagine.

Although the day was not vegan, we brought quite a bit of food and there were several accommodating dishes for us to partake.

Wordless Wednesday; from around the yard

All photos taken while wandering with Kaleigh in our backyard.

Cream of Broccoli Soup!

Ashley has been making requests for specific soups recently.  I really enjoy the autumn/winter months for the hearty roasted veggies dishes and soups.  I am generally very happy to oblige a good soup request!

The initial request was for my broccoli and cheeze soup.  I do not make it often, while very good it is not my favorite of the soups.  I designed the recipe for the cheeze lover folks out there more than myself.  Ashley then said I could try to make a cream of broccoli soup if I wanted.

I jumped at the chance!  I made some cashew sour cream, a recipe that I think was very good and will work to perfect and share another time.

Once the sour cream was done, it was off to the races with the soup!  Shredded and pureed broccoli all over the place!  Not to mention some nicely fried onions and garlic in some coconut oil.  It turned out to be a very delicate and delicious dish.

Playing at the table...

I am not sure the popularity of the show but Ashley, Kaleigh and I have been playing Chopped at dinner recently.  Basically, I cook dinner, then Ashley and Kaleigh critique it in the same fashion that the judges on the tv show Chopped would.

There are no mystery baskets which makes my job much easier but I think it is a good exercise for both myself and Kaleigh.  For me I get to hear some constructive criticisms of my food and get to think about meal plate and dish construction in a unique way.  For Kaleigh, she has been able to think about food and how flavors can work together or apart.  It is helping her develop a good palate while also helping her be articulate.  It has been a lot of silly fun.

Shepherd's Pie

Apparently, my Shepard's Pie needed me to transform the corn in some way.  The potatoes were the highlight of the well balanced bite.

Fried Banana

For dessert, I whipped up a fried banana.  It was a little too sweet and needed to be fried for a shorter amount of time on a higher temp to get that good crisp.

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

My Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash was in need of a crunch.  Maybe some walnuts tossed in at the very end of the cooking to add some more texture.  Additionally, the green peppers were out of place.  It was all I had so I blamed the lack of items in the pantry.  However, the dish would have benefited from a more earthy veggie like cauliflower.

Can you dig it?

About 2 months ago, Ashley, Kaleigh, myself, and my sister and her family went apple picking.  I was just starting to get into jarring/canning and thought I would try something fun.  I made an apple crisp, admittedly not my strong suit and put about 5 servings in jars.  Yesterday, I wanted to see if it worked and kept a good lifespan.

Kaleigh and I were the brave folks who popped the jar and took the first bites.  It was very slightly soggy but nothing that it would not have been if it were a 3 day old freshly made crisp.  Otherwise, it tasted fresh.  It had worked!

We torn threw the jar as Kaleigh's after school snack.  I am pretty excited to have had this work. I still have some jars in our canning room and will keep trying it until I can tell it has hit its limit.  It really makes me wonder what else I could jar/can that will keep and be awesome!

Weekend Visitors!

Ashley, Kaleigh and I hosted my sister and my nephews this weekend.  They came up around noon on Friday.  We liberated Kaleigh from school and Ashley took the day off from work.  It is not often we get to see the relatives from Boston.

Kaleigh and the boys played very hard.  They played in the snow, we got a few inches the night prior, they played hide and seek and all sorts of other games.  They had a blast.  For dinner, in our tradition of Friday nights, we made pizza.  This time we made 3 of them.  They kids all ate them up and there was even enough left for the adults to get their fill.

As they were eating pizza I told them I had a surprise for dessert.  Kaleigh new what it was because she helped me make cupcakes the day prior.  They youngest of the nephews, age 5, was extremely skeptical of the possibility of dessert.  He even tried to convince the other kids that there was really nothing for them.  It was quite funny to him hear try to make his case.  After all his efforts, I broke out the cupcakes for the kids!  They were thrilled and destroyed them.

The following day, I made lunch.  Salad, mac and cheeze, and fried tofu tossed in a mesquite lime rub.  One kid ate all everyone's mac, the other ate all the tofu, the other all the salads.

It was a great time with the family.  Hopefully the house will be closer to finished on their next visit.

Recipe Update: Lemongrass Coconut Soup

Bringing it back for the foodies!  I have not shared many recipes recently so this is a fun update for some folks.  I am still trying to find the best spots in the new house for food pictures.  This was taken in front of our new pellet stove but it gave the image a strange yellow color.  I will figure it out I am sure.


Lemongrass Coconut Soup

1 lime
1 onion (chopped)
2 stalks of lemongrass
2 gloves of garlic (chopped)
12 oz of tofu
30 oz of coconut milk
1 cup of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of tamarind
1 tablespoon of jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of curry powder
1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger (minced)
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
salt as needed (depends on how salty your broth is)

the tofu

Press the liquid out of the tofu using a press or wrap it in paper towel and put something heavy on it for an hour or so.  Get as much liquid out of the tofu as possible.  Then cube the tofu in small pieces about 1/4 on an inch.

While the tofu is pressing, mix the ground ginger, 1 tablespoon of tamarind, soy sauce, and curry powder in a large bowl.

A deep fryer is ideal for frying the tofu but if there is not one available, pan fry it as close to 375 degrees as possible on all sides until golden brown.  Immediately upon removing the tofu from the hot oil, dash with some salt and add to the tamarind mixture and toss to coat.  Set aide and let marinade.  The oil from the frying should enable the mixture to stick to the tofu very well.


the soup base

In a pot, bring the sesame oil to a med heat.  Take the lemongrass and chop the ends off both sides.  Only use the yellow portion of the stock, avoid the white and green portions.  Set those aside.  Chop the yellow portion of the lemongrass into small pieces and add to the oil.  Let cook for about 5 minutes until it become aromatic and softens a bit.  It will still be very fibrous.  Then add the jalapeno pepper, onion, ginger, and garlic to the lemongrass and oil.  Cook until the onion is tender.  This should take about 5 minutes.  Do not allow it to brown.

Add the coconut milk and remaining tamarind to a blender.  When the lemongrass mixture is cooked, add it to the blender and puree on high until the lemongrass is not noticeable.  Pieces of lemongrass will be very stringy and fibrous in the soup.

Once pureed, add the blender contents back to the pot and add the broth, stir well.  Salt as needed.  Feel free to add some hot sauce here if s inclined.

Bring to a simmer, never let it boil.  Stir frequently.  I often add the remaining lemongrass white and green portions that I set aside earlier, just be sure to remove them prior to serving.  Just prior to serving, squeeze 1/2 a limes juice into the soup and add the tofu.  Garnish with the remaining lime and serve.

If it's not all ages, its not my punk rock.

Last night, Kaleigh and I went to another show in Skowhegan.  I am continually impressed with how much effort these kids put in, they are holding true to the DIY ethic in typical Maine fashion.  The show is generally littered with kids that do not really look like your typical punkers, while being really warm, inviting and welcoming to anyone who shows up.  They bands they book keep the pace as well.  It has been a great experience to take Kaleigh to these shows.  People have been very excited to see such a young kid at the shows.  If its not all ages, it's not my punk rock.

Last night was opened by an acoustic set and followed by Uncle Spudd.  Uncle Spudd is fun to watch because their drummer makes some really wild faces and beats those drums really hard for such a small space.  It really gives them a driving sound.

After Uncle Spudd was The Dintlos.  This was the first time I saw them play their own set.  Last time we were their they played an all Misfits cover set for Halloween.  They had some really good songs and I can see they will be very good very soon.  They are less poppy then Uncle Spudd and have some really good riffs.

Then came the surprise of the night.  Crystal Methodist.  These kids from Dover New Hampshire burned the place down.  Brutal power violence.  They were awesome.  Sometimes it is sad that bands like this get lost in the isolation of small town punk rock because these guys could throw punches with any power violence band out there right now.  Blistering, tight, explosive, and really energetic and fun to watch.  Kaleigh had been sitting on the floor for most of the show until these kids started.  She popped right up and got in close to the action!

Lastly was Tino Valpa.  I have been out of the New England scene for a long time but from what I understand, these kids have been in a lot of bands over the years.  Their experience showed.  Tight play and catchy guitar riffs kept the circle storm brewing.  Kaleigh really enjoyed this set as well, she was even stomping her foot to the drums!

It has been really inspiring to see these Skowhegan shows.  Since being back in Maine I have been to some shows in Portland as well and they just do not have that same feel.  They do not have the youthful energy of creating something new and having the pride of knowing it is your scene.  This is what punk rock is about.

Halloween!!!

Halloween was lost in the shuffle of dinner parties and snow storms but it did in fact happen.  It is great having a 7 year old in my life and holidays like this really make me excited.  When I was a kid, Halloween was one of my favorites and it is for Kaleigh as well.

This year, she wanted to be a dead princess.  She says that she doesn't like princesses so she wanted to be a dead one.  It was a little morbid but that is what Halloween is about.  There are far too many pre-made action hero costumes out there. I am glad that Kaleigh let us do her up and I think she had one of the coolest costumes we saw!

It was a night of candy, family, and fun.  I wish every day was Halloween!  I even got to talk to Kaleigh about some of the history of the holiday.  She was very excited!

The first of many...Welcome to Maine!

Sunday morning, the girls and I awoke to flurries of snow.  The type of flakes bigger than a quarter and sticky with moisture begging for creativity.  The girls were excited.  Their first snow fall as Mainers.

Within a few hours the prediction of 2 inches had been surpassed and the snow was limiting our vision.  Kaleigh was thrilled.  Ashley was interested yet concerned about driving to work the next day.  Tessa was curious.  I was beginning to wonder how long it would take to shovel.

A treacherous road adventure, snow sledding, shoveling, hot chocolate, and several hours later we were looking at quite a bit of snow.  The snow was up to Kaleigh's knees and still coming down.

The quaint excitement of the snow storm ended about 8pm when the power went out.  It was out for just over 24 hours, the girls had been pushed into the Maine storm season with little warning.  They will both be pros by spring.

House guests!

I have started inviting folks to dinner at our house.  To share food and ideas on a few new projects I am bringing to the table in the near future.  The first dinner guests we had were my old pal Westie and his partner Amanda.  I hold a lot of value for both of their opinions and their understanding of the vegan market in Maine, as well as their networking ability.

Amanda if gluten-free and anti-mushroom which was a nice challenge for me as I tend to go for the gluten too often and I also eat a lot of mushrooms.  I made a corn encrusted tofu with sides of candied sweet potato, a gluten-free rice based mac and cheeze, and "collard" kale.  Ashley added to the southern soul food theme with her famous cole slaw.  We also had some blueberry coconut ice cream for dessert.

We had a great dinner and they both got to meet Kaleigh in person.  Her Cooking with Kaleigh web-series videos were noted several times.  I shared my plans and got some great feedback from the both of them with regards to the Maine vegan scene.

Do not tell Amanda but I let Westie sneak one of my non-gluten free cupcakes when she wasn't looking!