Shameless Self-Promotion: Pounds to Peru Launches Today!

Alrighty, folks! Happy New Year's Eve. We made it through another year, and I'm happy to report that my bestie Jenna Leigh and I are seriously going to rock the momentum of eating more healthfully and moving our bodies, stat. So, welcome to Pounds to Peru, the new blog I'll be contributing to daily (yes, I did say daily... that's going to be a challenge in and of itself, but I won't have to cook anything for these blog entries, which = infinitely easier). As for the title, I picked it to get us revved up for an upcoming trip to Peru in August 2011.

We're going to see our good friend Elie get hitched, and we'll be bringing sleek North American bodies down South with us (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

I will still bake several times a month (and try my hand at healthy AND delicious cooking). I will make this vow now though: I'm not down with fat-free cheese, margarine, or non-dairy creamer (ugh), so if I eat any of that delicious, fattening stuff, it's in moderation, bitches.

Hugs, high fives, and a healthy New Year, 
Kella

Acceptance & the Joy of Creating without an Audience

Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away.
Aitken Roshi

Special thanks and photography credit to Elie Gardner (all rights reserved, 2010) for the picnic potluck shots: Basically any photo with me in a black-and-white polka dot dress, a baby, and beautiful sunlight is Elie's. So, be kind and don't use without permission. All other photos are mine (shout-out to Nicole Hunt, however, for taking the pumpkin & Kella shot too. You make me look great!).

In the past two months I’ve let this blog rest. I know it’s not a way to keep the few readers I have, and for that long absence I hope you’ll bear with me and forgive me if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. My life has definitely been in transition – from having a serious health scare in late August and early September that resulted in outpatient surgery to regaining my confidence and joy in simple day-to-day living, from exploring Austin, Texas with my best friend Jenna and her amazing friend Julia, dating a terrific person who has recaptured my imagination and heart, meeting with fellow writers bi-monthly on the corner of Chippewa and Landsdowne, and pursuing three jobs that I love: online writing center and writing across the curriculum full-time work, part-time baking, and part-time teaching.

Honestly, I think for these two months I have simply wanted to experience life without documenting it. I wanted, and still want, to be in the moment. To feel the luxury of letting go, immersing myself in the here and now, and banishing negative thoughts and nagging worries.

Lasagna al Pesto: Part I of a Belated Series

I'm woefully embarrassed that I only had one post in October, and I'm hellbent to improve my posting ratio in November, the month of plenty and giving gratitude. Sure, there are legitimate hold-ups from last month and even a real-life tragedy of a friend of mine and Dave's who died suddenly last month. I also have been working my booty off at two jobs I love, travelling to see family (Dad's 55th birthday, Grandma's impending sojourn to Arizona to escape another Missouri winter), caring for my new kitten Zelda (I'm officially the "crazy cat lady" with three cats), and figuring out how to plan for a wedding. Did I mention starting another Master's in January 2010? Yes, there's that too.

So, despite all of these very real, very good commitments, I've missed my blog, my writing schedule, my humble little audience, and also my creative outlet: the kitchen. I've kept cooking and baking last month, but I didn't feel up to the challenge of posting pics and then writing about what worked, and what didn't, until now.

There's something to be said about fallow periods. Just resting, recuperating, taking a deep breath, maybe a nap and then pouring a cup of Harney & Sons organic passion plum tea with a smidge of honey. One of my favorite essays of all time is "Quitting the Paint Factory" by Mark Slouka, an article I read in Harper's when I was living in Tucson, Arizona for a couple years. I love what Slouka says about the beauty of being idle: "By allowing us time to figure out who we are, and what we believe; by allowing us time to consider what is unjust, and what we might do about it. By giving the inner life (in whose precincts we are most ourselves) its due."

I sometimes forget that we need to give pause, say grace in silence, offer up space and time before grand ideas and actions are realized. I feel like many other cultures and people understand this. They're not in an all-fire hurry to get to work, to take the requisite grab-and-go lunch, to beat rush hour, to grab the kids, to make dinner in 30 minutes or less, and to slump into the recliner or bed before a TV after an exhausting day of to-dos.

In many ways, I'm less busy than my counterparts. I have no children. I work from home at a job I adore. I can walk to the grocery store or lunch at Winslow's Home (thanks, Amy!) and pass a sweet gum tree that's turned a blazing, golden yellow. I definitely breathe and pause despite my reputation for being a caffeinated go-getter and Type-A planner who sometimes forgets about the almighty present.

So, I think lasagna is one of those meals that embodies the art of letting go and letting the oven do its part while I read a book (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) or drink some wine. So, to all of you who are over-worked, in a hurry, feeling the approaching winter doldrums, or simply need a comforting dish to remind you why it's okay to slow down and breathe, I present an adapted recipe from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest: Lasagna al Pesto.

Time frame to bake
30-40 minutes to prepare
50 minutes to bake (assuming you have pesto on hand, be it bought or homemade)

Ingredients
a little olive oil for the pan
about 16 lasagna noodles (I used no-boil noodles when I made this, I recommend not doing that)
1 lb. fresh spinach
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
2 cups pesto
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh black pepper to taste
1 cup grated parmesan
2 lbs. mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13" baking pan.
2. Bring a large potful of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes. They should be undercooked. Drain noodles and lay them flat and straight on a table, counter or tray.
3. Thoroughly wash and dry the spinach. I never discard the stems, though Mollie Katzen recommends that you do. I think she says this to prevent bitterness, but I honestly cannot tell the difference, so I leave the stems alone. Finely mince leaves or seriously, just leave the whole leaf alone. It will work out just fine without mincing or stemming (tastes delicous, too!).
4. Place the ricotta in a large bowl and stir in the spinach, pesto, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the parmesan. Mix well. 5) Place a layer of nooddles in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread about 1/3 of the filling over the noodles and don't stress if it's uneven. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella on top. Follow with another layer of noodles, another 1/3 of the filling, and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat this pattern one more time with a third layer of everything (your pan will be mighty full). Top lasagna with one final noodle layer and the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan on the very top.
5. Bake for 50 minutes and if the top is browning too fast, simply cover loosely with foil.

Enjoy!

Hugs and high fives,

Kella

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Sometimes Traditional is Beautiful

I'm all for experimentation in art, jazz, love, and life, but sometimes plain old vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookies or a simple shot of amaretto are flavors I crave. I don't think one has to always muddle lime basil in her salsa or make goji berry-flaxseed-chocolate chip cookies to make traditional fare taste great, though I will admit little fusion tips and tricks like these amuse me.


Sometimes, though, it's easy to understand why some tried-and-true recipes are just that: unflappable, honest, and incredibly comforting. Great bakers know that you don't have to be exotic to create delicious food. There's something beautiful about the simplicity of high-quality ingredients.


So, in tonight's post, I want to pay respect to the unfussy Chocolate Chip Cookie. You are simple, you are humble, but oh-so good when you come straight from the oven. And now that fall is settling in, let's fire up the ovens and bake.



Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything
Makes 3 to 4 dozen

Time: About 30 minutes

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract (pure... no imitation, folks)
2 cups premium chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugars; add the eggs one at a time (this is key!) and beat until well blended (smooth, baby, smooth!).
3. Combine the dry ingredients--flour, baking soda, and salt--in a bowl and add them to the batter by hand, stirring to blend. Stir in the vanilla & then the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by teaspoons or tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes on the sheets before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Store in a covered container at room temp for no more than a day or two.