Squash soup.

Squash soup has been a staple in our home for years now. It is easy to make, and so comforting and satisfying. This is the recipe I use; I love it because it has no precise measurements, and gives me a completely different outcome every time I make it.

For the main, basic ingredients, I use olive oil, butter, sea salt, a medium butternut squash, and a big yellow onion- 2 or 3 medium-sized ones will do the job as well... they just involve more pealing and crying.

For the ''side'' accompanying ingredients, I use either 1 or 2 potatoes, or 1 sweet potato for a stronger flavor; sometimes I will throw in a small carrot, or an apple, or orange, depending on what I find in the fridge that needs to be used. And heavy cream...

The secret to this soup is to cook the onions just right. Cut the onions into half-moons (C shapes), and put them in a big pot (preferably a thick one), along with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot, about 3 tablespoons of butter, and salt to taste. Turn the fire to medium and let the onions cook, stirring every once in a while to make sure the bottom doesn't burn, until they are golden. By doing that, I get the full flavor of the onions, which give the soup its sweetness and body.

While the onions cook, I wash and cut the potatoes- no need to peel them, as their skin is nutritious as well. Then I peel (with a peeler), scoop the seeds out, and chop the squash any way I can without cutting myself or getting squash skin under my nail (very painful, not recommended). I also use that time to clean up all the peels and keep the counter clean. When the onions are nice and golden, I throw the potatoes/carrots/apple or orange in, and mix. Then I put the cut-up squash in, and mix. Mixing is very important in order to coat all the vegetables with the butter/oil/salt mixture, and keep them from tasting like ''boiled vegetables.'' I then add water to cover (just like in the picture above), turn the fire to ''high'' until it starts to boil, and turn it to ''low'' to simmer, with or without a lid. I use I lid if I am concerned about a bug falling on the soup (it happens); in that case, I keep the lid ajar so that the soup does not boil over.

I cook the soup for about 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft when pricked with a fork, and turn the fire off. If I have a chance, I let it cool a bit so I don't burn myself while handling it- but that is not totally necessary, in the interest of time. I then put the soup, a bit at a time, in the blender. Once the soup has a nice and creamy consistency, I empty it onto a container or pot. When I am ready to warm it up in order to serve/eat it, I add a bit of heavy cream to it, which makes it taste incredible. Don't let it boil though... very important when using heavy cream. Milk will also do, but really, there is nothing like heavy cream...

New bread in town!

Sarah and Marcelle have started a new bread company. They bake whole wheat loaves, as well as naan, which they sell at the Riverside farmers market (FRAM) every Saturday from 10am to 1pm.

Each week they make a different type of bread, based on available ingredients. They generally work with a few rotating bases (sourdough, whole wheat, rye, etc.) and vary the methods and additions (herbs, fruits, nuts, etc.) to deliver a balance of consistency and variety.

Their bread is made fresh on the day of delivery, with organic ingredients, and local when possible. This is a typical ingredient list: organic 100% whole wheat flour, brown rice, water, vegan sugar, raisin juice, salt, yeast, pumpkin seeds. No preservatives, stabilizers, dough conditioners, or any other bizarre ingredients.

I signed up for their CSL (Community Supported Loaves), which they offer with the following prices:

• Standard four-week subscription is $24 (Tuesday or Saturday).
• Every other week (four week period) at $12 (Tuesday or Saturday). Or
• Twice a week for four weeks at $42 (Tuesday and Saturday)  

If going to the market in search of bread is not your cup of tea, you can easily call Sarah and Marcelle, order your bread, and they will deliver it to your door on their bikes. That service is offered for those who live in the "urban core" (Riverside, Five Points, Avondale, Downtown, San Marco, Ortega etc).

They hope to soon establish a pick-up point at the Beaches Market, also on Saturdays.

For more info, please contact:
Communityloaves@gmail.com
(904) 419-7899.

Quinoa...

Adding ingredients...

Quinoa is a wonderful, versatile seed. It cooks quickly, and it may be eaten hot as a grain, or cold in a salad.

It is very light, which makes it a perfect dish for lunch. I can eat it and stay awake, as opposed to when I eat brown rice and beans at lunch time, which make me full, heavy and sleepy. 

I mostly eat it cold as a salad, with a side of a greens, and/or left over chicken, chick peas, feta cheese, sweet potato fries, meat, boiled eggs, kibies… whatever I find in the fridge that day, basically. 

The secret for quinoa of how to cook it properly. I used to just boil it, which made it mushy and unappealing. But then I found out that if I put it in the pot, and let it heat up and toast for a few minutes, it becomes much more delicious, fragrant and appetizing. 

Quinoa salad.

I put a cup of dry quinoa in a pot, turn the flame to medium high, and let it heat up as I toss it. When I smell its aroma, I add 3 cups of water to it. The trick here is to immediately cover the pot the second I add the water so that it doesn't splatter, make a mess on the stove, and burn myself. A couple burns were enough to teach me that trick.

Once I add the water, I turn the fire to low, and simmer it for 15 to 20 minutes, until the water has evaporated. There is no need to mix the quinoa while it cooks, as it will only make it become mushy. 


When it is done, I let it cool, and then mix it with my favorite ingredients to make a salad: olive oil and sea salt. Then I put in nuts such as raw or roasted cashews and/or almonds, Kalamata olives, parsley or cilantro, red onion, corn... and toss it together. The salad will last for about 3 days, a great deal for about 15 minutes of chopping/mixing and another 20 of cooking, which can be done while I have my morning coffee and get the kids ready for school.

Studying...

Last May I decided to enroll in a summer class at the local college. I wanted to see if I would be interested in pursuing another career other than that of a professional musician. I called my children's babysitter, who at the time was a college senior, and asked her to help me prepare for the college math placement test. She readily agreed, since for the same pay she would only have to care for one grown-up child, as opposed to the usual quarreling two. Thanks to her guidance and patience, I was able to place into College Algebra, a prerequisite for most science classes.

I had not taken any science in Brazil. I studied in a public high-school, which meant that science labs were non-existent. They actually had existed at some point, since the beautiful old building we studied in had once belonged to a prestigious German High-School. The steps were made of marble, the windows were made of elaborate stained-glass. But everything had degraded, and the labs had been vandalized, or literally burnt down. So no science lab. We memorized periodic tables and such, but it pretty much stopped there, since teachers were often absent and there was no such thing as substitute teachers- we just had no class. Most of my learning actually came from all the books that my father made us read at home.

In college, since my major was music performance, there was never a need to study any science whatsoever. It is interesting to go through life without any knowledge of science: math, biology, chemistry, anatomy... I never knew how much I was missing until being exposed to it. It opens up a new side of my brain. A thinking/organizing side. Very interesting. I could have used it years ago, when I was in college, to help organize my life and not be completely stressed out of my mind the whole 6 years that it took to go through Bachelor's and Master's of music. It would probably have helped me practice more efficiently as well, instead of emotionally. Divide problems into sections, not be overwhelmed by the entire task.

I have now gone through College Algebra, Psychology Intro, Anatomy and Physiology, and Statistics. Yesterday I had my first Chemistry class, and start Anatomy/Physiology II this upcoming Saturday.

I think that I can now safely state that I am taking classes. I am very much enjoying them as well. As difficult as it may be to balance them with family, work, exercise, and cooking... they have given me a new mind. I feel that I can actually memorize faster, and process everyday problems into compartments and subdivisions which allow for faster thinking/problem solving, and less stress. It is also very satisfying to look at my hands, for example, and understand what my phalanges are doing, what the muscles are capable of, how sensitive the nerves are, and how much of our bodies is still unknown.

I am not sure yet what will come out of all these classes. They are all prerequisites for Nursing, which I will be able to apply for once I complete Nutrition and Microbiology next fall. It may give me the opportunity to take a sabbatical from the symphony, where I have performed for 14 years now, and challenge myself to complete an accelerated Bachelor of Nursing Degree in a year.

If I am able take on that year-long race in 2013, I might just be able to do what both my kids told me I can do: be a professional musician and nurse.

Why I cook...

Getting ready for pizza...

I have heard time and again about how important it is to cook and eat at home. But when I hear about it in the news, it mainly refers to meals and ''family time.'' To tell you the truth, ''family time/meals'' are, for me, one of the most stressful parts of the day. 

Cooking, trying to get the kids to eat what I serve them, stopping their fights during the meals, cleaning up after them… why bother to cook, then?

Squash soup in the making...

Cooking is the simplest, easiest, and cheapest way to take care of myself and my family, stay healthy, and lean. 

Yes, it takes work, time and planning. But with time it becomes second nature, just like driving a car. No need to consult recipes and how-to books, no need to make fancy and involved meals. Just simple, intuitive cooking of good, wholesome food. 

When I cook, I eat foods that I don't normally find in restaurants. Foods that seem to be ''beneath'' restaurant grade, such as collards, mustard, turnip greens… chinese cabbage, cabbage, beets, turnips, beans, brown rice… those are the foods that nourish my body and sustain the health of my family. They cost little, and yet give sustenance. When I cook, I control the quality of the cookware, as opposed to the aluminum pots and pans of most restaurants…

Argentinian Tortilla in the making...

My mother cooked everyday, both in Argentina and in Brazil. But I think she forgot that she actually had to teach us how to do it in order for us to learn. When I came to America, I ate Ramen noodles, hot-dogs, tuna sandwiches, eggs, pizza, pasta… I was constantly sick with colds, flu, and ear infections.

Then, one incredible day, my sister came to visit me and, horrified at what I was eating, took me to the supermarket. We bought a variety of fruits,vegetables, grains and beans, and she started to show me how to cook them. I started to feel so much livelier cooking this way, that I have kept doing it now for 17 years and counting…

Roasted beets in the making...

I wasn't born knowing how to cook. The first time I made a pot of black beans it was a disaster. I poured red wine in it, and it tasted like shit. I had to throw the whole batch away. But I eventually learned how to cook a variety of beans and grains, as well as all kinds of vegetables.

How does cooking my own food affect my health? The kids go to the doctor once a year- for a check up. No ear infections, no allergies, colds or flu. No trips to the doctor for us adults either.  

Cooking for me is not a matter of pride or status. I cook because I want my kids to grow up healthy. I will not reject cooking because I am too busy. And I will definitely not reject cooking just because I come from a society where women traditionally belong in the kitchen. I cook because I am too smart NOT to.

Lasagnas in the making...

I cook for my health and for my budget, to make my family happy, and keep them healthy and strong. I cook to bring my friends together. I cook to stay alive and ''full of beans.''