Eating Superbly Well

Shawn and I share a love of cooking...and of eating. We get a bit competitive in the kitchen, especially because we have differing styles when it comes to crafting dishes. Shawn finds a recipe and follows it exactly, and by some magic (good taste and intuition), what he makes almost always turns out world-class. I take a look at what ingredients I have sitting around and throw them together in impromptu creations--dark chocolate walnut cranberry coconut muffins, bok choy tofu udon soup, etc. When we have people over for dinner, we work on our separate dishes, and to my seething chagrin, Shawn's dishes seem to get the best accolades. "These fried plantains and this Caribbean rice is great. But what Shawn made, the Puerto Rican fish stew, that...that was like something a chef would make. That was amazing. I'll never forget that. That's the best thing I've had in a very long time."

Yes, precision and good taste are Shawn's strengths. Fearless adventure is mine. I'm not a baker--all those measurements?! When I read "sift," to me that says, "scoop loosely; don't pack." For Shawn, "sift" means "go to the store, buy a flour sifter, and painstakingly sift until my thumb cramps up."

Now that we're deep into fall, I'm in all my farmer's market glory--buying gnarled varieties of squash, selecting new heirloom apples to try, on quests for the perfect purple bell pepper, lugging Canary melons under one arm, and collecting "dragon apples" (heirloom tomatoes--the weirder-looking, the better!) as if they were gems. This may be the one season where Shawn cannot outshine me...and he dare not even try to match my pumpkin-selectin' and pureein' skills...in my homemade pumpkin pie, mulled wine, and spiced cider, I have absolute confidence--yes, Sept and Oct are my favorite "food months" of the year.

I've branched out these past couple years, however, due to Eating Well Magazine. Thanks to these good folks, I've actually come to enjoy collecting and treasuring recipes. While all of their recipes seem to be online, I still find it well-worth it to subscribe to their print magazine, with its sumptious photos, aesthetically-pleasing layout, and informative ecological articles. I like how their recipes are both meat- and vegetarian-friendly, which has really bridged the gap between me and my carnivorous friends/family at dinner gatherings. And, ingredients that I never bought before, I now look for every time they're in season--asparagus, brussels sprouts, watercress...so here is an ode to our top 10 Eating Well recipes, which are guaranteed to make you like such daunting ingredients as Savoy cabbage and fennel. They range from simple sides to more ambitious entrees...all striking in their celebration of the fine things earth has to offer :)

My Top 10 Eating Well Recipes:

1. Puerto Rican Fish Stew (There's really nothing you can do to make this one vegetarian, so this is a great option for pescetarians who have meat-eaters over for dinner--THE singlemost best recipe ever. Serve with fried plantains and Caribbean rice)

2. Shrimp Tamale Casserole with Three Sisters Black Mole (The mole really makes this one, but pesco-friendly tamales are always a treat. Pure vegetarians could subsitute roasted veggies for shrimp)

3. Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Pancetta & Wilted Watercress (Vegetarians, substitute veggie bacon for pancetta. Cook separately and add last, since adding early to the dish will just impart more salt, and the flavor of the veggie bacon will be cooked out)

4. Asparagus Soup (Vegan if veggie broth is substituted for chicken broth)

5. Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms (This one made me like brussels sprouts, which I now can enjoy cooked up in just some sherry and served with some parmesan on top)

6. Tuscan Cabbage & Mushrooms (Vegetarians substitute veggie bacon for pancetta, and veggie broth for chicken broth)

7. Asparagus with Curry Butter (This is so easy that's it's become our fav way to cook up fresh asparagus)

8. Spaghetti Squash & Pork Stir-Fry (Vegetarians substitute veggie chicken strips for pork)

9. Roasted Squash & Fennel with Thyme (Vegan)

10. Blue Cheese-Walnut Green Beans (an early summer fav way to cook all those green beans you bought at the farmer's market)

Eat well and prosper!

Alternative Dimension: Time's Tea Party

Last year I heard a woman share a story about her joy at watching her daughter play. Her daughter was in the backyard, setting up an imaginary tea party and unbeknownst to the child, her mother casually kept an eye on her from an upstairs window. After a time, the mother called the daughter in to help set the dinner table, but the memory of her daughter's idyllic tea party stayed with her. She believed that was how God must feel when he sees his children--all of us--at play. Just like a good parent gives the child time for play and time for responsibilities, so God gives us time for play and work as well.

But how many of us adults really take time for play? And of that time, how much of it is spent with unabashed joy and gratitude? How much of it is instead pre-scheduled and structured, more of an appointed obligation with either a hidden purpose or agenda, a "to-do" or "should-do?" How much of it is spent self-consciously and guiltily, instead of with exuberant creativity and imagination, with appreciation for creation?

Most of us today see time as an enemy, not as a gift. We live in opposition to time instead of in harmony with it; we try to stay ahead of it instead of living alongside it. We over-book and hyper-schedule in an attempt to "get ahead" or "stay on top of," all of which results in barely keeping our heads above water.

Many drown in the sea of time instead of floating on its surface, buffeted and overwhelmed by waves and currents--and a drowning person does not have the perspective to see the shore or the horizon. We feel that we should constantly strive to beat out the competition--but won't there always be sales to take advantage of, friends to be made, and money to be earned? Do we truly believe that if we don't get what we want today, we never will? And if so, what does this say about things of eternal value vs the things of this world--status, money, material--that we should not be measuring our life's worth by anyway?

Even if we see finite time as a curse to mankind, I still believe that God wants to take any evil thing that befalls us and turn it to good. Therefore, even if we see finite time as our enemy, we still must see it turned into a gift from God. Yes, time on earth leads us to a bodily death, but if Christians believe death leads to eternal life, can we not look a bit more kindly on time?

What if we see time as a banquet set before us? Is time a bowl of candy to be devoured--rotting us from the inside out, making us crave more until we're sick and unsatisfied? Is a bowl of gruel, sullenly ate without joy, nothing inspiring us to continue partaking but solely getting to the end and being done with it? Or is it a spread as varied as creation itself, with nearly endless possibilities and choices?

I personally think sitting at God's banquet includes an optional tea party. The courses at God's table can fortify and inspire gratitude and wonder in us, or can (if we choose) lead us to excess and greed, or can even lead us into joyless denial and pointless sacrifice. But what about what just is? What purpose does sitting down to tea serve? None, nutritionally. It's purpose exists in really having no purpose--in letting time just be, in taking a break from the other cares, pursuits, and agendas of the world.