Creativity - Coming Soon to a Project Near You

creativity

[kree-ey-tiv-i-tee, kree-uh-]                       

noun

1.

the state or quality of being creative.

2.

the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

3.

the process by which one utilizes creative  ability: Extensive reading stimulated her creativity.

Add plywood, broken tiles, old plates

Take one old iron table - no top

Close-up Ready!

 

 

To me, being creative is a large part of what makes life worth living.  You might even say that creativity is one of life's main ingredients.  So today I want you to consider creativity and all of its beneficial nutrients.  Letting curiosity lead you to new places and experiences.  Being as conventional or inventive as you want to be. Expressing your desire to transform or transcend.  To plan or not to plan - the choice is ultimately yours. 

While it's been said that we live in a culture that doesn't encourage adults to be creative unless it looks like we are going to make money at it, I say that you can't put a dollar value on the rewards of making something with your own hands. Be open and aware of everything in your sphere of influence.  Take an idea and turn it into a story.  Take some broken tiles and turn them into a tabletop for your patio.  Take great ingredients and crEATate a great recipe.  Invent, experiment, and let what inspires you lead the way.

 

Amanida de Papa 

(Catalan translation for potato salad, inspired by Spanish tapas)

12 Melissa's Dutch Yellow Potatoes, cut in half

2 Melissa's Piquillo de pimentos, chopped                

1 1/2 Tbsp. minced shallots

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup saffron aioli:

8 saffron threads

1 tsp. hot water

1/3 cup mayo

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

salt & fresh black pepper

For the aioli, crush the saffron threads into a teaspoon of hot water in a small bowl.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Combine the mayo, garlic, mustard, oil, and lemon in a bowl.  Season with s&p.  Add the saffron mixture and blend again.  Season to taste.

For the salad, boil or steam the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.  Let cool enough to handle then cut the potatoes into cubes.  Add the potato cubes into a bowl then add the pimentos, shallots, and parsley. Spoon the saffron aioli over the salad and toss to combine.  Season to taste.  Serve at room temp or chilled.

Mother Knows Best

My mother's been a pretty good sport during "The Vegetarian Years", a.k.a., my life since 1985.  She even requests that we go to a vegan restaurant about once a month.  One of her few vegetarian digs has been to mispronounce tofu as "soul food" and I correct her every time.  I admit that she's in the majority when it comes to mocking tofu, with the general consensus being 1) it doesn't taste like anything and/or 2) it tastes gross and/or 3) what exactly is it?  My response is 1) it tastes like whatever you season, marinate, and/or serve it with, 2) see #1, and 3) tofu is soybean curd, a relative of the very healthy, natural soybean.

My Beautiful Mother and festive sparkler

It may not be nice to fool mother nature but once in a while it's fun to fool my mother.   So when she was over for lunch on Saturday, and while she was waiting for the main course, I brought her a little glass bowl filled with a delicious egg (wink, wink) salad for her to spread on some bread.  "How do you like that?" I asked and she replied "it's very good egg salad" and I said "no it's not" and she said "what do you mean?" and I said "it's soul-food".  She hesitated for a few seconds and with a big smile said "it's still very good!"


Now, therefore, I hereby proclaim that today is Tofu Tuesday and today's special tofu recipe is "Egg" Salad, with a side of homemade Dutch yellow potato chips.  This is very reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood lunches that mommy used to make - egg salad on wonder bread and a bag of chips. Actually, now that I think about it, tofu is soul-food.  Mother does know best..

Better Than "Egg" Salad (Really)
1 pkg. extra firm tofu (water packed)

1/2 cup shredded carrots, finely diced 
1/3 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup green onion, finely diced
1/3 cup Vegenaise/mayo (or as much as you like)
1 tsp. turmeric (or more if you like)
seasalt and fresh ground blackpepper

In a medium sized bowl, take a fork and run it through the block of tofu until it resembles diced egg whites.  Add the carrots, celery, and green onion and stir the mixture together.  Add the Veganaise and turmeric and mix until well incorporated.  Season with s&p, mix again, taste.  This makes enough for a bunch of sandwiches.

Dutch Yellow Potato Chips
8 Melissa's Dutch yellow potatoes, medium sized
vegetable oil for frying
sprig of fresh rosemary

water with lemon added for holding the potatoes between cutting and frying
s&p

Fill a bowl with about 4 cups of water and the juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon.  Using your Martin Yan kitchen knife (http://www.yancancook.com/store/knives01.htm) if you have one or another sharp knife, cut the potatoes into very thin slices then place them in the water until all the potatoes are sliced. 

In a small frying pan add vegetable oil about 1 1/2" deep and heat until sizzling.  Throw a few of the rosemary leaves into the oil, followed by some of the blotted potato slices.  Cook about 4 minutes or so per side until lightly golden, and slightly crisp on the edges.  Remove the potato slices from the oil and place on paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle with s&p.  Repeat with more blotted potato slices.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat. 
This makes a nice pile of chips.

For more potato info go to http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Baby-Dutch-Yellow-Potatoes.aspx

For more tofu ideas go to  http://www.cookinglight.com/food/vegetarian/tofu-recipes-00412000071937/page14.html

                                                                                                          

When Life Hands You Lychees

Recently I was the very lucky recipient of a small bumper crop of fresh lychees.  These rosy red orbs were leftover from my recent participation on behalf of Melissa's Produce Company at Project Sake.  This benefit   for the Little Tokyo Service Center, held at the magnificent Vibiana (the first cathedral in Los Angeles before a newer, slightly larger one was built), is another reason why I have a great job.  I get to do good and I get to eat really good too.

Succulent Lychees courtesy of Melissa's Produce Co.

One of the tastiest of all fruits, Lychees are fantastic just peel-and-eat style, but because there were enough to munch on and also make something with, I googled "lychee recipes" and I couldn't resist a simple one for lychee infused vodka.  With vodka always on hand for infusion opportunities, and an only 5-day waiting period, this recipe looked like, and in fact turned out to be a winner.

To take this to the next level, because it's summer cocktail time and with further inspiration from Project Sake, I created this Lychee Martini.  With sake in place of vermouth, and fresh basil sugar syrup for sweetness, this is a drink for all seasons, but especially for right now.  声援  (Cheers in Japanese.)

Lychees Infusing Vodka

Lychee Infused Vodka
2 lbs. fresh lychees
6 cups vodka

Peel and pit lychees.  Place in glass jar, add 6 cups of vodka, put on the lid, and let stand in a cool, dark place at least 5 days.  Drain infused vodka through cheesecloth, and store in  the refrigerator.

Amazingly delicious Lychee Martini on latest mosaic creation

Sake To Me Lychee Martini
2 oz. lychee infused vodka
1 oz. sake
1 oz. basil sugar syrup

Place the liquids in a shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake.  Strain into pretty glass, garnish with "pickled" lychee & basil flower.

Basil Sugar Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 basil leaves

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat on medium until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has come to a slow boil.  Take the saucepan off the heat, add the basil leaves, and let stand for about an hour.  Remove the basil.  Store syrup in the refrigerator.  Right now this is my go-to sweetener for iced tea too.  And try this with other herbs - let your imagination lead the way.

For more on fresh lychees go to http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Lychee.aspx

So Much Promise, So LIttle Produce

What's not to like about growing your own food on your very own land?  Going to the garden center and picking out the very best soil and organic plants and seeds to have exactly the things you want  whenever you want them.  Standing with the garden hose and zoning out to the sensation of spraying water. To watch each seed grow and each plant change from day to day, first a little sprout then a stem, a leaf, a flower, a zucchini.  "You've planted too much and you won't know what to do with it all" friends warned and so I braced myself for pick-up truck loads.

So Much Promise

 Local.  Sustainable.  "Farm" to table.  I am one with my garden.  Well actually not so much.  I tried, I really did.  "Good morning zucchini, how are you doing snap peas, love you tomatoes, blah, blah, blah."  Instead of being one with my garden it's more like I'm one with the DWP - now that my water bill has gone up double digit percent and they've upgraded my account to platinum.  I was in way over my head, not realizing that not only a lot of water, but a lot of care, cleaning, trimming, weeding, pruning, and feeding among other things went into this little old fashioned grow your own experience. Garden creatures apparently like collard greens and snap peas as much as I do so it's been a race to get them first - Losing!  That abundance of zucchini has amounted to a sum total of 1, one, uno, aka the Lone Zucchini.  Seven, count 'em, 7 snap peas.  A few tops but not a carrot to be found.  Lots of tomato leaves, and only 2 measly albeit teeny green fruit.  A lonely bell pepper the size of a malted milk ball, something that looks like an exploded yellow cauliflower, and not a cilantro stem in sight.

The Lone Zucchini

  

So Little Produce

I will not abandon the "crops" now, but this will be my first and last vegetable garden.  It's too much work, water, and worry.  That one zucchini cost about $136.  Now I know this much is true - store bought vegetables are a bargain.  I truly appreciate how much is involved in turning a seed into a snap pea, and have renewed respect for farmers big and small, from near and far.  Let the farmers do what they do best, which is make things grow in ways I apparently can't.  Let the markets, both farmers and super, do what they do best which is make it all available every single day, at extremely reasonable prices, so that I can do some of my best things - shopping, cooking, and eating.  Oh, and maybe I'll  keep the the cute hat too.

Sunday Swapping and Sunset Boulevard

Where's the 405?

 
The biggest challenge we face living in Los Angeles isn't the closure mid-July of part of the 405 freeway in a week or so.  It's the ongoing, always growing, never ending, sometimes confusing, constantly enticing array of things to do, places to go, people to see.  Festivals, farmers' markets, premieres, sporting events, book signings, flea markets, conventions, volunteer opportunities, cultural events unlimited, plays, concerts, gallery openings, meetup groups, which classes to take, restaurants to try, day trips to take, etc., etc., make weekends in L.A. no place for social sissies.

If you do nothing you can feel very guilty, lazy, or at least left out - yikes, could I be a loser?   So you pour over the Times' events calendar, check your online notices, and try your best to pick and choose what's best for you, i.e., still leaving a few dollars in your no-interest earning bank account, and maybe time for reruns of MI-5 and a short nap.  One recent Sunday had so many options I seriously thought about going back under the covers and waiting it out until Monday.  But my two main events actually sounded so good that I changed into some clothes and headed out for new adventures.

Event #1 was my first visit to one of downtown L.A.'s classic movie theaters, to see one of Hollywood's classic movies.  It was the 100th anniversary of the Palace Theatre, with a screening of "Sunset Blvd.", and Gloria Swanson and Bill Holden were better and bigger than ever (remember, it's the pictures that got small)..  Part of the Los Angeles Conservancy's (http://www.laconservancy.org/)  25th Last Remaining Seats' series, watching a classic movie on a big screen with a theater full of people was a unique experience.  Glad I went. 

Event #2 was my first food swap, which is the latest craze for crazy people like me who love to craft food and wrap it up real nice.  This swap, one of several now held monthly in various parts of the southland, was in Santa Monica (http://www.santamonicafoodswap.com/).  About a dozen or so fellow foodies were there with a nice array of home made, hand made, or hand picked goodies up for swap.  I brought little jars of my sweet/sour pickled grapes, a white & milk chocolate bark with dried rainier cherries, pecans, and orange zest, plus macadamia nut brittle with Hawaiian sea salt (recipe below).  Came home with walnut pesto, chimichurri sauce, teriyaki marinade, tomatillo salsa, granola, cake pops, and snicker doodle cookies.  Really glad I went.

Life is a big adventure and all you need is a little planning and the right attitude to fill your's with great experiences.  Discovering new places, revisiting old favorites, seeing your city with all of its opportunities and in all its diversity is a fine way to spend any weekend.  Go out and explore - you'll be glad you went.

Macadamia Nut Brittle with Hawaiian Sea Salt
(adapted from www.notesfrommyfooddiary.com)
3/4 stick butter + more to spread on pan
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup clear corn syrup
2 cups macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. Hawaiian sea salt

Lightly butter a baking pan.  Dissolve the baking soda in the vanilla.

In a heavy pot over medium heat mix the sugar, water, 3/4 stick of butter, and corn syrup until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Add a candy thermometer to the pan, increase the heat,  and cook until mixture turns a dark golden brown (like Loving Care #52 before I decided to embrace the gray), stirring from time to time with a wood spoon.


When the thermometer reaches 335 degrees (this could take anywhere from 20-30 minutes or more but stick with it), then remove the pot from the heat and carefully mix in the soda/extract mixture and chopped nuts (mixture is bubbling up now), and immediately pour onto the prepared pan.  Using the wooden spoon quickly spread out the goop so it's a nice, even level.  Let it cool about 5 minutes then sprinkle with the sea salt.

After about an hour at room temperature this buttery, nutty, crunchy, incredible concoction will be ready for devouring. 

I Got My Mojo Working (Again)

Sorry I haven't been posting in a while, but you know how it is when you're busy doing other things.  I even started thinking that maybe I'd lost my will to blog, but an afternoon with my Food Blogger Los Angeles friends pumped me up, not to mention filled me up with so much incredibly delicious food.

Losing your way is awful, but finding your way back to something you're passionate about is an important part of living your best vida loca.  Like so many things we all do, consistency and commitment are two of the keys to successful anything - good habits, good work, good karma - pretty much all good things.

So while hanging out on Saturday with other (that must make me one too) bloggers, and joking that my mojo wasn't working, and then everyone made mojito/mojo associations, and because I shared some juicy Key Limes from Melissa's with everyone, and because a refreshing lime-based, mint-infused cocktail or mocktail (with a little twist) could inspire almost anyone to do almost anything, I present this perfect summer beverage to help you get your mojo working to.

Mojo Heat-o
infused syrup:
1/3 cup water

1/3 cup sugar                                                                              
6 or so fresh mint leaves

1" x 1" slice of fresh jalapeno
3-4 oz. white rum
6 more fresh mint leaves
2 key limes
ice
water

To make the infused syrup, over medium heat simmer the water and sugar together until completely blended.  Remove the pan from the heat, add the 6 mint leaves and fresh jalapeno, and let sit at least 30 minutes, but longer is better for more flavor. 

Discard these leaves but put the jalapeno with the syrup into a small pitcher along with the remaining fresh mint leaves.  Using whatever is handy, like both ends of a wooden spoon, muddle or pesto-ize the syrup, jalapeno & leaves for a minute or two.  Add ice (crushed is preferred) and muddle another minute or so.  Add the rum into the pitcher along with the juice of 2 key limes. 
 .
Classic mojitos call for sparkling water but I prefer my water nice and flat so here's where you add your favorite water until your drink is balanced to your taste.  Stir briskly then pour this glorious beverage into a glass or two, garnish with a wedge of lime and sprig of mint if you want to be fancy, take a sip, smile and sigh - that's your mojo working!

YouTube - Muddy Waters - I Got My Mojo Working
	3 min - Nov 19, 2007 - Uploaded by Bluesboy89 - Block all www.youtube.com results Muddy Waters live in 1976, dortmund Germany. His band consists of Muddy on guitar/vocal, Bob Margolin & Luther Johnson on guitar, ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuwbKakPRRI

Support Your Local LIbrary

Last Saturday I went to the main library in downtown Los Angeles for the Culinary Historians of Southern California's  http://chscsite.org/calendar/ monthly program.  The CHSC is an affiliate of the library and in addition to the monthly program they also hold dining events, create culinary celebrations, and contribute to the library's extensive culinary collection.  One way they do this is through their annual used cookbook sale which will be held this year on Sunday, August 21 starting at 8am at the Hollywood Farmers' Market.  Another reason for going to the library that day was because I was bringing 4 very large boxes of cookbooks that Cousin Roger was donating for the sale, but before I delivered the books I gave them a look-see and found one in particular with a lot of inspiring recipes (more on this later).

Saturday's program was "Battle Royal: The Baking Powder Wars" brilliantly presented by culinary historian Linda Civitello.  "From 1876-1928, baking powder companies waged a vicious, no-holds-barred war for control of the market".  There was congressional corruption and libelous and/or false claims for and against each combatant's product, with involvement from the FDA and even President Teddy R.  With interesting facts, humor, and historical slides to accompany her talk, Linda made baking powder fascinating, even to my friend Bonnie who would be the first one to tell you that she's all about making reservations and not at all about making baked goods. 

At the start of the program, on a giant screen in the center of the auditorium was an equally giant and beautiful shot of baking powder biscuits/shortcakes piled high with luscious fresh strawberries. I pointed at the screen and vowed to make something resembling that asap.  And as it happens, May is National Strawberry Month, so - hello - what could be more perfect?

Spoils of War Strawberry Shortcakes                                                    
1 cup white wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. cold Earth Balance margarine
2 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup cold soy creamer
additional soy creamer for brushing

1.Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.                                                                             
2.Mix flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
3.Cut the margarine into the flour mixture and pinch
together until the mix is crumbly. 
4.Add the creamer, stirring until combined into a nicely
 formed dough. 
5.Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and
gently roll out to 3/4" thick. 


 6.Cut the dough into 8 rounds, plus 1 really big one,                           
then place on the baking sheet, brush the tops with
soy creamer, and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly
browned.

So support your local library, because not only do they have an amazing amount of books, movies, documents, reference materials, exhibits, lectures, and programs, but it's FREE and you can order online at http://www.lapl.org/ and have the item sent to the branch nearest you.  Plus, from time to time you'll be inspired to bake something delicious - winning!