Arugula Pesto (and 41 hrs of non-parental bliss)

Where the Russian River meets the sea

My husband and I spent the weekend at the coast. We had two kid-free nights in a row. This is the longest we have been alone together since our son was born over 6 years ago! Pretty amazing when you think about it. If you would have told us back in early 2006 that it would be 2012 when we would next have 48 hours (41 actually, but whose counting?) to ourselves, I doubt we would have believed it or been able to comprehend it. We took advantage of our time together by dining at a nice Thai restaurant in Santa Rosa called Sea Thai Bistro. My favorite dish was the coconut chicken soup in which lemongrass was a powerful component. I love the flavor of lemongrass. The menu reads: Chicken Galangal Soup in coconut milk broth, crimini mushroom, cherry tomato, shallot. No mention of the lemongrass but that is what made the soup amazing. Yum!

The next day we did a leisurely 6 or 7 mile hike from the edge of the Pacific over the bluffs to a lush redwood grove and back. There were views of the Russian River flowing into the sea as seen in the photo above. There were ferns as tall as us and interesting plants like this lily: 

I consulted my fellow Quincy blogger, naturalist Joe Willis, who posts prolifically here: black oak naturalist, to find out what it might be. Here is his response: It's definitely a lily. Probably a species of Clintonia. Probably Clintonia andrewsiana which has red flowers and blue fruit. So there you have it. Anyway, it was a lovely day full of uninterrupted conversation, synchronized hiking, and quiet moments.....


Back at home, I've been making arugula pesto like mad and freezing it for next winter. I've made it 3 ways so far and will share my favorite. Pesto (from the Italian pestare: to crush, grind, or pound) consists usually of nuts, oil, garlic, salt, cheese, and leaves of an herb. The most typical combo is basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, salt, and parmesan cheese. But let your imagination be your guide. You can use sundried tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, or arugula in the place of basil. You can use any kind of nut. You can use any kind of hard cheese. You can play around with different oils and salts. The possibilities are endless. I experimented with walnuts, pistachios, and cashews in my 3 different versions of arugula pesto and the cashew version was, hands down, my favorite.

Cashew Arugula Pesto
3/4 cup raw cashew nuts
1 clove of garlic
1 to 2 oz. of dry cheese cut in chunks (I used an aged dry Monterey jack)
a large bunch of arugula
1/4 cup of olive oil (or more depending on the consistency you like)
salt to taste
*****************************
Place garlic, cashews, and cheese in a food processor and process until crumbly. Add the arugula leaves and the oil and process again until it looks like pesto. Open the lid and scrape down the sides with a flexible spatula and sprinkle in some salt. Blend again. Adjust salt and oil to your preference. Done! *********** I've been eating it with rice crackers and on spiral rice pasta; husband has been slathering on sandwiches. The little bit of hard cheese doesn't seem to upset my tum-tum :-) And again, it freezes well.


Enjoy!!

The Panacea

The potatoes are liking their home in the re-purposed stock tank

Since cutting gluten out of my diet 3 months ago I've experienced some remarkable changes. I lost the 10 pounds I've been wanting to lose for years. My wrinkles have smoothed out. My gray hairs have been replaced by brown. My singing voice has become amazing and I am thinking about joining a band.

No, not really.

Okay, now for real, these are the changes I have noticed: I've lost 5 of the 10 pounds I've been wanting to lose for years. My back feels better. My gums which were a bit inflamed aren't anymore. My gut feels good. My skin seems clearer. My lifelong affinity for sweets has abated (but hasn't disappeared). So that's pretty good, even without the singing voice.

More on my back.... My mid-back has been giving me problems for years. There seems to be just one activity that aggravates it: doing the dishes. I think our sink is too low for my 5'9" stature. I actually enjoy washing dishes so its not psychosomatic. (I enjoy washing dishes so much that although we have a dishwasher I have never used it. I've actually never used a dishwasher in my life and truth be told, I am a bit intimidated by them. I always feel like there is some secret to loading them and that I should have a dishwasher training session before I can be trusted to do it correctly.) A few dishes didn't bother it but every time I finished a whole sink-load, I would have to ask my husband for a crack. This meant he would stand facing me and embrace me with both arms around my mid-back and squeeze. This invariably produced several loud cracks that immediately relieved my discomfort. I even trained my 6 year old son to crack it by walking on it. As I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and doing dishes, I would need cracking anywhere from 1 to 3 times a day, every day! I knew it wasn't a good situation but I really didn't know to rectify it.

Well, a couple months into the gluten-free experiment, I realized that I hadn't felt the need for a crack in a long time. Now another month has passed without a request for a crack! So it appears that something about eating gluten was causing inflammation in my joints, gums, skin, and belly. 

I went ahead and had a blood test done to test for celiac disease indicators recently, but from what I understand those mostly come back negative. I haven't received the results yet. It would only be interesting to me if it were positive, which I doubt. I just think I am one of the growing number of people who develop an issue with it and/or realize how much better their body feels and functions without it.

So, for now life continues......gluten-free and happy.
Enjoy!

*Update*
December 1, 2012: Now approximately 8 months gluten-free. I have lost 15 of the 10 pounds I had vaguely wanted to lose for years. I feel lean and strong and clear-headed. I still have not once asked to have my back cracked after doing the dishes! My eye-glass prescription has stabilized (coincidence?) and gum inflammation has been reversed.

The Amazing Color of Rhubarb and a Sweet Succulent

Clearly I need to plant some rhubarb because this year I had to BUY some at the store! And then when I returned a couple days later for more, it was all gone. Now, I fear, I will have to wait an entire year to taste their unique flavor and SEE their unique color again. If you have a healthy rhubarb plant or two of your own, you likely take it for granted. They tend to get large and produce more stalks than you know what to do with. I am one who has taken them for granted in the past but not so this year. Although I don't have my own plant, my parents have a huge one and the neighbors have several and the rental I manage has a monster, so there has always been rhubarb in rhubarb season. This year the only rhubarb to pass through my kitchen were the 6 or 7 stalks I picked up at the co-op and hiked home with, their red and green canes protruding from my cloth bag.

When I got home I chopped them up and and cooked them down with ginger, sugar, red wine, and lime. This mixture was then strained, creating two products: a rhubarb butter and a rhubarb syrup.

These jars of ruby sweet-tartness didn't last long. The syrup was drizzled over homemade ice cream and used to ginger up sparkling water and prosecco. The butter/jam was eaten directly from the jar and used in a solar fruit bar thingy.

In case you'd like to try it:


Ginger-Lime Rhubarb Syrup and Quick Jam


4 or 5 cups of chopped rhubarb
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cab sauv or other red
1 t. finely chopped fresh ginger
juice of half a lime


Place rhubarb, sugar, water, ginger and wine in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until rhubarb is very soft. This doesn't take very long but I didn't time it. I'm guessing 20 minutes of simmering. Turn off heat. Stir in the lime juice and let the mixture cool to at least warm. Pour liquid through a strainer into a jar. Press solids to extract most but not all of the juice. Put solids in a second jar. Done!


Now for this cute succulent that Leo picked out a couple years ago at the St. Helena farmers market. Each year around this time it blooms, sending out its single long tendril adorned with tiny iridescent white-pink flowers. So sweet.

Hmmm......I think I need to wash the windows

June is in full swing! 

Enjoy!

Pangaea and the Orange Dressing

I've mentioned this before. While Quincy is a really great town, we are lacking a little bit in the restaurant department. There are actually around 10 restaurants in Quincy but because there is only one that we go to, it feels like there is only one restaurant in Quincy. That's not very many..... And the next town is quite a journey away. 


But oh, how we love this one restaurant! It is called Pangaea. If it weren't for Pangaea.....I don't know. I'm not saying we would move for sure but Quincy wouldn't be the same. We don't go there a lot; maybe once a month, but the fact that it is there when we need a family restaurant fix it is huge. It is walking distance from our house (as is all of the downtown). As a popular local gathering place it is usually buzzing with conversation, music, laughter and a busy kitchen. Out of the kitchen comes delicious, creatively presented, mostly organic and local fare. They carry a variety of local craft beers on tap so many patrons saunter right on up to the bar for their evening tipple. If you've lived in Quincy any length of time you are guaranteed to see familiar faces as you enter. The atmosphere is relaxed, the service prompt and friendly. It is always a good experience which is why we will continue to return again and again. It's a gem; I can't say it enough.


We have been bringing our son there since he was a baby in a stroller, an orange BOB that now can be seen rolling around town with a new little occupant. When they bring your plated food, they also bring a 4-pack of dressings, 3 of which are house-made. One of the house-made dressings is an invigorating orange color, kind of like the stroller. It is Leo's favorite. It is my favorite. Husband loves it too. We can go through three quarters of a 12oz. bottle in one meal. It is great on rice dishes, salads, home fries, steamed veggies, wraps, you name it. It's packed with flavor and it is healthy! One of the primary ingredients is carrot. 


I've had the recipe for years. It traveled around the Quincy underground via emails and whispers....... But for years I didn't make it. I would say most dressings that I make average 5 ingredients. This one has 11. Every time I pulled out the recipe to make it there would be one or two ingredients I was missing. Oh well. "Does anybody feel like going to Pangaea tonight?"


This dressing is worth the effort. The recipe makes a whole quart and if you like it as much as we do, that is not too much. It keeps well refrigerated. 


Pangaea's Orange Dressing
You will need:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup canola oil
2 t. sesame oil
1/2 to 1/3 cup of apple juice
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup sesame seeds
a small piece of fresh ginger (~1"x1/2") coarsely chopped
5-6 peeled cloves of garlic
2+ cups grated carrot
1/4 onion cut up
3 T. prepared mustard or 1 T. mustard powder


Gathering all the ingredients is the work. Once you have them you just put them all into a blender and blend until smooth.

Ready to be drenched in orange goodness

Enjoy!
And if you ever find yourself in Quincy, California, you know where to go: Pangaea Pub and Cafe!

Spring Herbs and Fresh Mayonnaise

Egg salad with homemade garlic mayo, fresh chives and raw asparagus

Overall my diet has improved since eliminating the things that were bothering my tummy. I also notice that rather than grazing throughout the day, my breakfast and lunch are more intentional along with being more nutritious. If there was homemade bakery in the house, which was often, I tended to snack on that throughout the day and then count on dinner to supply me with most of my protein and veggies. Now I find myself cooking rice at 8AM and chopping vegetables at noon. It does require more work than slathering some peanut butter on a bagel but the results are more colorful, flavorful, and nutritionally rewarding. When I have a carb craving the only thing that seems to satisfy it is a protein-dense meal or snack. I've been eating a lot of boiled egg salads and sardines! I open a can every day or two and last time I went shopping I bought all they had on the shelf. My previous sardine consumption probably averaged once every 5 years. As an aside, there is a funny scene in an animated film we watched a couple years ago with our son. The movie is called Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and features a young scientist who grew up in a town that used to be a thriving sardine port until it was discovered that "Sardines Are Super Gross". It is a big joke with our family now. I must admit that you are better off not scrutinizing your sardines as you consume them.

Because of a lack of clarity on whether grain distilled vinegars irritate the gluten-intolerant, I've begun making my own mayonnaise again. When I first learned how easy (and tasty) it was to make, I made it all the time. Gradually, as I added family into the mix, I got away from it and bought Saffola instead. As I blended some up for this lunch salad I couldn't help but notice the lovely pale-yellow color of it brought about by the golden yolks of the eggs we buy locally. It made me wonder about the decidedly white color of store bought mayo. For the acid I used a little lemon juice rather than vinegar.

Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise

2 nice fresh eggs

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 minced clove of garlic

1/2 t. kosher salt

a bottle of preferably organic canola oil with at least a cup and half left in it

(Many different oils or a blend of oils will work to make mayonnaise. I enjoy the mild flavor of canola.)

Crack the eggs into a blender or if you have an immersion blender (on my wish list) crack the eggs into a jar. Blend on low speed. While blending add lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Now begin to pour a slow stream of oil into the blending mixture. Continue pouring slowly and watch as the mayo begins to take shape. It begins to thicken suddenly. Keep pouring until it looks quite thick like mayonnaise and then stop abruptly. If you continue blending much past this point it can lose its emulsification and become liquidy again. Done!

From when you start blending it will be done in less than a minute. Some other optional additions include a teaspoon of any kind of mustard, chopped fresh herbs, or a teaspoon of wasabe powder or horseradish. Scrape into a mason jar if not already in one. Use within a week or two. I love this garlic mayo for dipping artichoke leaves! 

On another day I brought my eggs out to the garden and cut the chives directly into the bowl.

 No sardine photos....

The iris forest beside our patio

And this last, a cartoon from a recent New Yorker that my dad cut out for me. So funny! I do feel strangely trendy telling people that I am avoiding gluten..........

From a recent The New Yorker magazine

Laughter and enjoyment to you.

Levels of Healthfulness

Do you consider yourself healthy? Do you eat a healthy diet? I've been thinking a lot about health lately as I navigate the process of trying to diagnose an "off" feeling in my abdominal area. I've always felt that because I don't drink soda or smoke or eat fast food that that was good enough. I eat my veggies. I love veggies! We buy mostly organic and grow and forage some of our own food. I cook almost all of our meals from whole ingredients. Our family's diet is relatively very good. But it is easy to have a relatively good diet when so many Americans eat so poorly. And as long as you eat a fairly healthy diet and feel fine, why would you worry or make a change? The same goes for exercise. As long as you are feeling fine and can still do the things you are used to doing, why bump it up a notch? Oftentimes it takes a health issue arising for us to push our eating or exercise habits to the next level. But make no mistake, diet and exercise are some of our best medicine.


We really are facing challenging times health-wise. Sometimes even our best intentions are thwarted by our exposure to toxins and pollution beyond our immediate control. Due to outdated corporation-centric laws, the burden of testing chemicals used in consumer products falls to the FDA and not the company profiting from using or producing the chemical. There are tens of thousands of chemicals in use today and very few have undergone testing to determine their effects on human health not to mention the health of the environment as a whole. In other words, we are guinea pigs in a big chemical experiment. And clearly we are suffering. Sick-care is one of the largest growing industries in the world.


It is so strange to have to tell my son that things that they sell at the store are poison or "bad" for you. "Why are they selling things that are bad for our bodies, mom?" "Because it increases their profit margin, my sweet, precious, lovely angel."


As far as my own journey goes, I have eliminated gluten and dairy from my diet but unfortunately there are still days or parts of days where my "gut" feels uncomfortable. I'm not sure what my next step will be. There is a talented acupuncturist in town. There are a variety of western-medicine type doctors. There is a homeopath. I am still in the process of discovering what my body is trying to tell me and I am proceeding with a newly revitalized commitment to being as healthy as I can be.


Alright, enough musing and ranting. How about a super healthy, bump-it-up-a-notch, raw kale salad recipe? 

Spicy Kale Salad
 You will need:
1 bunch of kale (preferably curly leaf)
1 T. sesame tahini
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. tamari
1 T. water
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic minced
1 pinch of cayenne 


Wash and dry kale. Remove leaves from stems. Tear kale into bite-sized pieces. Blend all of the other ingredients in a bowl using a fork or whisk until it forms a thick dressing. Pour over kale and massage the dressing into the kale until all pieces are well coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This salad will not get soggy or wilt. Keep covered in the refrigerator and enjoy over the course of a few days. It just gets better. Raw kale is so good for you! This dressing makes it pleasurable to eat.

Enjoy and in health.

Libations in the Sunshine

Last May it was very snowy and rainy. In fact, last year there was no spring to speak of. Winter dropped us precipitously into summer in the second week of June. Since it has been two years since last spring I am especially appreciating it now. Walking about town is like walking through one big garden. The streets are lined with lilacs and their accompanying heady fragrance fills the air. Our own yard is heavy on the spring-flower side of things so right now is about about as good as it gets flower-wise.

Promise of apples to come

It was a perfect time to invite the neighbors over to try the Stephan Way Chardonnay. We gathered in the back yard and toasted the ultimate local wine experience; and here in mountains no less. The wine was a hit. We are all hoping for another bumper crop so I can give it another go with a few hard lessons under my belt.

Our talented neighbor, Scott, made the apropos wine barrel tables. He can transform wine barrels into all kinds of amazing things. He arrived at our wine tasting party bearing the gravity-defying gift below. 

In addition to actually sitting down and enjoying the proverbial fruits of previous wine-making labors, we've opened a couple bottles of last year's mead recently to enjoy in the spring sunshine. The cherry mead made with cherries from another neighbors magical tree is a lovely thing to behold; bright and clear and cherry red. The taste of mead varies wildly from one batch to the next depending on the ingredients and proportions used. This one is on the dry side; an acquired taste and one that I have. I am thankful that both wine and mead are free from gluten and a decadence I can still partake in.

I've recently started two new batches of mead; a vanilla cardamon, and a cranberry ginger. Last year's cranberry mead was my favorite of 2011's five batches. I won't share how to make it here unless I receive a special request. But just know that it is not too difficult. If you want to make your own honey wine, you can do so without too much fuss.


Cheers and enjoy!

Curried Quinoa Salad

I absolutely LOVE quinoa. Not only is it chewy and delicious and satisfying, it is a nutritional powerhouse. Besides being a complete protein, quinoa is also high in fiber and packed with iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, folate, lysine, and other essential amino acids. Oh, and it is gluten-free. Bonus!


Several people who recently tried my curried quinoa salad requested the recipe so I will share it here. I make it a little differently every time so I will share a couple options and you can feel free to experiment. The curried quinoa with golden raisins is the base. The dressing stays more or less the same. It is the other additions that vary depending on what I have on hand. 


For the quinoa: Put 3/4 cups of uncooked quinoa into a saucepan. I double this to 1.5 cups for company and then double everything else as well. Cover with cold water and swish with hands. Gently pour off most of the water and cover again with fresh water. Let sit for a few minutes and up to 15. Gently pour off most of the water again and add 1.5 cups of fresh water. Place on a burner over medium heat. When it comes to a simmer turn the heat down to low and add 3 tablespoons of golden raisins, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, and a pinch of salt. Stir and cover. Cook until water is absorbed. Approximately 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, fluff with a fork, gently stir in additions and dressing.

For the simple dressing: Whisk together 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth, 1 T. olive oil, 2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 t. kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper.


The additions: If tomatoes are in season, they are awesome chopped up in this salad along with a coarsely chopped hard-boiled egg and some thinly sliced scallions.


If there are no tomatoes you can try chopped crisp apple, a small handful of fruit-juice-sweetened dried cranberries and keep the hard-boiled egg and scallions.


This dish tastes delicious still slightly warm and is maybe even better cold the next day.


Serves 4 (or 8 if doubled)


Try this and enjoy!

Life Proceeds Gluten Free

Yippee, some time to write!! The past week was busy with house guests and our son's 6th birthday celebration. It was also full of peaceful, aesthetic moments as captured in the photo above. Spring is in the air and life is good. I am beginning my second month of leaving gluten and dairy out of my diet. During the first month my self-diagnoses was confirmed a few times when I unintentionally or intentionally partook of gluten. I still find it a bit bizarre that one day I could eat it, and apparently digest it uneventfully, and the next day I couldn't. But I guess that is how life works. Things change. They are always changing. Usually the changes happen gradually so we have time to adapt but sometimes they broadside us and we are forced to make rapid mental and sometimes physical adjustments.

It really is a fortuitous time, relatively speaking, to go gluten-free. There is a newfound awareness of potential problems associated with ingesting gluten and a resulting infusion of gluten-free labels and gluten-free products in the marketplace. Of course, most whole food is already gluten-free. Some people are capitalizing on this. Just make sure not to be fooled into paying more for gluten-free rice or peanut butter!

At least so far, I feel that I am doing a pretty good job of taking the change in stride. Interestingly, the most difficult adjustment has not been giving up gluten and dairy, but rather changing some of my other ingrained habits associated with food. I am a zero-waste kind of gal and pride myself on shopping, cooking, serving, and cleaning up in a way that virtually eliminates any food waste. I don't feel this way about all food, only quality food. I pick up my son from kindergarten at noon and every day I see two large trash cans full of uneaten crappy food-like-substances that his school tries to pass off as an acceptable lunch for the children. I actually feel a sense of contentment that all that junk didn't make it into their digestive tracks. But I wouldn't hesitate to cut off the bite marks of a half-eaten organic apple and save or eat the rest. I know my son and husband's eating habits, so in our home I compensate for what I know my son will probably leave on his plate by putting less on mine and then cleaning his plate when he is done. Well, now that some of his food is off-limits for me, I find myself, oftentimes without success, offering Leo's picked-over or nibbled-on leftovers to my husband. The conversation might go something like this: 
"You could finish Leo's quiche." 
"Uhhh, yeah, no thanks."
"It is still good, it's just mashed up a bit."
"I'm really not hungry."
"If I put it in a container, do you think you might have it for lunch tomorrow?"
"Probably not."
And who could blame him really.
And so, unable to eat it myself; unable even to compost it (which would feel better) because of the bear that regularly visits our property, into the trash it must go. I apologize to the food-gods, bid farewell to the asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, the gruyere, farm fresh eggs, nutmeg, and cream. And drop it with finality and helplessness into the garbage can. This letting go has been the surprise hardest part of my new gluten and dairy-free life.

Other than that I have been enjoying cooking, baking, and eating without gluten and dairy, and I did a lot of all those things last week. I look forward to sharing as I expand my gluten-free baking repertoire. I was able to find rice flour and potato starch and xanthan gum at our co-op. I ordered sorghum and tapioca flour through Amazon. Yes, you can buy anything from Amazon. I've already made some respectable lemon bars and birthday cupcakes and am excited to continue to experiment.

Enjoy.

Spring Lily Soup

Unless you have a greenhouse, there isn't much in the way of spring gardening here in the mountains. May 31 is considered the beginning of the safe zone for planting outside without the chance of frost or even snow. Of course many people take the risk and plant sooner. I've done it myself plenty of times. I've also had to pull up frost-bitten and wilted little plants and start over. Today was one of those days that can seduce you to throw caution to the wind. The sun was high in sky and it approached 80 degrees. Surely winter is behind us. Surely this warmth will continue...... Beginning with June we are then favored with four frost-free months before the possibility of it returns. It is a short growing season but it does get quite warm, so a productive summer garden is achievable. 


Green String Farm in Petaluma, Ca, had super-fresh baby leeks when I stopped by last week on my way back to Quincy from a Sonoma County visit. And then at Tony's, between Marysville and Oroville, I loaded up on fat fresh asparagus from their garden because ours doesn't make an appearance until early June! I made a blended (I'm into those lately) spring soup out of the leeks, a few of the asparagus, and whatever else I could find in the fridge. It was delicious so I will share what I did in case someone wants to try something similar. I am not a very exacting cook so it is a challenge to try to capture a thrown together soup but I scribbled as I went. I went a bit heavy on the butter for richness because my belly currently seems to tolerate it better than, say, cream.


Spring Lily Soup 
ingredients:
a couple large or a half dozen small leeks
1 medium onion
10 asparagus
3 yellow potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
6 mushrooms (optional)
1/2 t. crushed dried or chopped fresh thyme
1/2 t. crushed dried or chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 c. white wine
3 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
3 c. chicken or vegetable broth (or water and bouillon cube)
salt


Melt butter with olive oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot. Add chopped leeks, onions, asparagus, garlic, and mushrooms. Add the herbs. Saute until tender; about 8 to 10 minutes. Deglaze pan with the wine and cook a few more minutes. Add broth (or water and bouillon) and peeled potato chunks and a few sprinkles of salt and simmer until the potatoes are tender; about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Puree in food processor. Return to soup pot. Taste. Add a few more sprinkles of salt if needed. Serve plain or with chopped chives and crumbled bacon or with a fried egg as I did.


Serves 4ish.

A trick my dad taught me - instead of breaking off the tough ends
of the asparagus, you can peel them.

Enjoy

The Local Blog Scene

A sad and, I think, rather pathetic result of budget shortfalls in our county has been the cutting off of funding for our Plumas County Visitor's Bureau. The Visitor's Center on the outskirts of Quincy has a black sheet hanging ominously over its roadside sign. The county website sits unattended and outdated for the time being.


But on the upside (isn't there usually an upside somewhere?) I see a grassroots "Quincy Pride" movement taking shape in our super-awesome, righteous, gorgeous, best-town-ever. (See?!!) If there will be no county resources provided to help promote our area, we will have to do it ourselves. A local woman has started a new website to inform locals and potential visitors about our vibrant regional scene. New features are being added weekly and I see its potential to be a real internet hub for the area. Check it out here: QuincyCa.us

There are several blogs being written for the site itself which are evolving nicely. I volunteered to compile a list of other local blogs of interest to link to through this new website. It was a pleasant little journey of discovery. When I began, I knew only of my own. I ended up with a list of seven blogs, all very different. Here are the other six:

Margaret Elysia Garcia, local writer, blogs about the joys and challenges of mountain living at:  http://taleasofasierramadre.com/

Julie Hatzell, Quincy Café and Coffee Shop owner, blogs about eco-ethical business practices and issues at:  http://alleycatcafe.net/

Sierrosmith describes Quincy as a quirky quixotic bit of Utopia lost in the Sierras. He offers an eclectic mix of snapshots reflecting the local scene at:                         http://q-topia.blogspot.com/ 

Greg Williams of Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) maintains a blog about Plumas and Sierra County trails and trail projects at: http://sierratrails.org/blog

Joe Willis loves natural history and blogs in hopes of inspiring others to get outside and discover the wonderland called Plumas County at: http://blackoaknaturalist.blogspot.com/


I am familiar with all of these people, except Sierrosmith, but their blogging life was heretofore unbeknownst to me. Joe Willis is particularly prolific, logging a whopping 384 posts in 2011. I know! More than there were days!


Also, continuing in the vein of shameless self-promotion and touting the merits of our exceptional area (see, I can't stop), Carrie Hawthorne, the woman who started the new website, is hosting a video contest. In her words, "In order to promote our region and foster economic development through awareness and tourism, we're hosting a video contest on QuincyCa.us. The goal of the contest is to encourage the production of short videos that reflect the natural beauty and vibrant community that exist in our area."  


I've never gotten into making videos. The only videos I've ever created are unedited snippets of our son doing interesting and not-so-interesting things. But for fun and to contribute to the cause (go, Quincy, go!), I pulled together snapshots taken in and around the Quincy area over the past several years, created a slideshow, and uploaded it to YouTube. You can view my video entry here: 

That's all for now.
Enjoy.

Gluten and Dairy Free!!!!?

I've always been able to eat anything. Allergy is not a familiar word in the history of my family. A childhood friend of my brothers, named Michael, had allergies. It was the first time I had heard the word and I remember examining him with a certain intensity to see if I could detect a difference in him that would elucidate these "allergies". He did seem a bit pale (or maybe that was just his northern European descent?) and thin. Anyway, people with allergies have always been an enigma. When I've heard of people with multiple allergies like dander, grass, pollen, milk, eggs, shellfish, AND nuts it just hasn't made sense to me. They were born of the earth, how could they be allergic to it? Well I'm still not well versed in the science of it but I now know plenty of people with allergies and sensitivities and now possibly may have to count myself among them.


These days you hear a lot about gluten intolerance. It's all the rage. I'm joking of course. I understand fully that celiacs disease is a serious issue. But what IS going on? More and more people are realizing that when they avoid wheat and other gluten-y grains that they feel better. I was in a Whole Foods Market in Napa a couple of days ago and I saw a huge selection of gluten-free products. It is growth industry right now. 


So here's the story. I had a tummy ache for about 2 weeks and instead of going to the doctor, (I have an aversion to Western medicine), I decided to eliminate gluten from my diet to see if that helped. Well, it seemed to. I was on day 4 and keeping a food journal when I had a decadent dairy-based treat. After a couple of hours I had extreme tummy pain and other unmentionable unpleasant symptoms. So maybe dairy is the issue. Back to the computer for more googling.... If you do have celiacs and there is actual damage to the villa in your small intestines it can cause you to have problems digesting dairy products even if you wouldn't ordinarily. So the two can be linked. I also read that some level of lactose intolerance in adults is the norm worldwide. I'm on day 9 now with no gluten or dairy and my tummy is feeling fine. I have mixed feelings of course. I plan to stick to the program a month or two longer until I feel that I have a good solid baseline to then re-introduce gluten and dairy in small quantities and take careful note of their effects. 


I think when you have food sensitivities you end up being a more mindful eater in general. I want my seemingly iron gut back but if I need to eliminate a category of food in order to be well, so be it. We'll see.


Here is a kale dip recipe I found in the latest Whole Living magazine. I made it back a week and a half ago when I was gluten but not dairy-free. Actually I made it twice. It was good at first, better the next day, and then I craved it.


Kale Dip
1 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove roughly chopped
3 cups thinly sliced kale leaves
coarse salt
1 cup cottage cheese
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T. fresh lemon juice


Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add garlic, and kale and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 or 6 minutes. Let cool. Place in food processor with cottage cheese, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Serve with chips or veggies.

Lastly, I want to share a photo I took on the morning after a large bear came through our yard last week. We have a pet cat whose paw prints can be seen in the snow beside the bear's. Perhaps they are friends?

Enjoy...