Lisa Batya Feld's Blog, page 13
June 12, 2013
Nano 2: revenge of the novel
I loved doing NaNoWriMo, but there are two problems with it. The first is that it's in November, when my life is crazy with birthday, Thanksgiving, and all the work stuff I need to do to get ready for being with friends and family for a week or more. The second is that it's only once a year.
So for the next thirty days, I'm going to be working on a novel, cranking out 50,000 words. Hey, this is probably the most stress-free time I will have all year; might as well take advantage of it! I'll be posting my daily progress on this post so as not to completely crash your feeds, but I may make other posts detailing what's going on with plot, characters, and general writing stress.
Wish me luck!
Summer 2013 Stats
June 12: Goal - 1,667 Actual - 1,489
June 13: Goal - 3,334
June 14: Goal - 5,001
June 15: Goal - 6,668
June 16: Goal - 8,335
June 17: Goal - 10,002
June 18: Goal - 11,669
June 19: Goal - 13,336
June 20: Goal - 15,003
June 21: Goal - 16,670
June 22: Goal - 18,337
June 23: Goal - 20,004
June 24: Goal - 21,671
June 25: Goal - 23,338
June 26: Goal - 25,005
June 27: Goal - 26,672
June 28: Goal - 28,339
June 29: Goal - 30,006
June 30: Goal - 31,673
July 1: Goal - 33,340
July 2: Goal - 35,007
July 3: Goal - 36,674
July 4: Goal - 38,341
July 5:Goal - 40,008
July 6: Goal - 41,675
July 7: Goal - 43,342
July 8: Goal - 45,009
July 9: Goal - 46,676
July 10: Goal - 48,343
July 11: Goal - 50,010
So for the next thirty days, I'm going to be working on a novel, cranking out 50,000 words. Hey, this is probably the most stress-free time I will have all year; might as well take advantage of it! I'll be posting my daily progress on this post so as not to completely crash your feeds, but I may make other posts detailing what's going on with plot, characters, and general writing stress.
Wish me luck!
Summer 2013 Stats
June 12: Goal - 1,667 Actual - 1,489
June 13: Goal - 3,334
June 14: Goal - 5,001
June 15: Goal - 6,668
June 16: Goal - 8,335
June 17: Goal - 10,002
June 18: Goal - 11,669
June 19: Goal - 13,336
June 20: Goal - 15,003
June 21: Goal - 16,670
June 22: Goal - 18,337
June 23: Goal - 20,004
June 24: Goal - 21,671
June 25: Goal - 23,338
June 26: Goal - 25,005
June 27: Goal - 26,672
June 28: Goal - 28,339
June 29: Goal - 30,006
June 30: Goal - 31,673
July 1: Goal - 33,340
July 2: Goal - 35,007
July 3: Goal - 36,674
July 4: Goal - 38,341
July 5:Goal - 40,008
July 6: Goal - 41,675
July 7: Goal - 43,342
July 8: Goal - 45,009
July 9: Goal - 46,676
July 10: Goal - 48,343
July 11: Goal - 50,010
April 28, 2013
Nightmares
Just had one of my childhood chronic nightmares for the first time in years, and for the first time it was actually scary and painful during the dream, not just afterwards. My dad and I were covered in hornets, being stung repeatedly. Not fun, especially because wasps do get into the attic sometimes, so I was afraid when I woke up that they might be real and didn't dare move.
Normally, the dream has followed the same pattern since I was three or four years old: I'm at some kind of family gathering and everyone is covered in insects (spiders, cockroaches, ants the size of Shetland ponies), but we're all calm and proceed normally. It's usually only after I wake up that I'm scared and creeped out, wondering whether the tickles on my arms and legs are normal tickles or real creepy crawlies. I don't know what it means that this time was upsetting even before I woke up.
Normally, the dream has followed the same pattern since I was three or four years old: I'm at some kind of family gathering and everyone is covered in insects (spiders, cockroaches, ants the size of Shetland ponies), but we're all calm and proceed normally. It's usually only after I wake up that I'm scared and creeped out, wondering whether the tickles on my arms and legs are normal tickles or real creepy crawlies. I don't know what it means that this time was upsetting even before I woke up.
April 26, 2013
Spinach-artichoke mini quiches
I basically riffed off of a Whole Foods recipe and it turned out absolutely delicious. I modified the recipe because while my mom and I love artichoke, my dad doesn't care for it, and I think you can easily twist it further, substituting asparagus, for example. And I threw in a few other things that were on hand that seemed like they would add to the general deliciousness. The result was some mini quiches that were bright and crisp, and some that were more savory.
The best part? This worked as a fancy side for a dinner, with plenty of freezable leftovers, but it would also work as cooking lunches for a week, or as an easy pot-luck option. I'm a huge fan of recipes that have that kind of versatility.
5 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 cups part-skim shredded mozzerella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 t oregano
1-2 T fresh dill
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2/3 cup minced onion (about 3/4 of a medium onion)
6 oz chopped mushrooms (about 3/4 of a small package)
Preheat oven to 350*.
Sautee onion and mushroom together until liquid is gone, then set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, flour, spinach, cheese, and herbs. Mix a little less than half the mushroom mixture into the batter. Set aside a third of the batter in a smaller bowl. Add the remaining mushroom to the little bowl, and add the artichoke to the big bowl.
Spray a 12-cup muffin tin and divide the batter into the cups (4 mushroom, 8 artichoke). Bake for 30 min.
You could easily save some effort by just mixing everything together in one bowl, but I kind of like being able to serve multiple kinds of quiche with very little extra work.
The best part? This worked as a fancy side for a dinner, with plenty of freezable leftovers, but it would also work as cooking lunches for a week, or as an easy pot-luck option. I'm a huge fan of recipes that have that kind of versatility.
5 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 cups part-skim shredded mozzerella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 t oregano
1-2 T fresh dill
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2/3 cup minced onion (about 3/4 of a medium onion)
6 oz chopped mushrooms (about 3/4 of a small package)
Preheat oven to 350*.
Sautee onion and mushroom together until liquid is gone, then set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, flour, spinach, cheese, and herbs. Mix a little less than half the mushroom mixture into the batter. Set aside a third of the batter in a smaller bowl. Add the remaining mushroom to the little bowl, and add the artichoke to the big bowl.
Spray a 12-cup muffin tin and divide the batter into the cups (4 mushroom, 8 artichoke). Bake for 30 min.
You could easily save some effort by just mixing everything together in one bowl, but I kind of like being able to serve multiple kinds of quiche with very little extra work.
March 14, 2013
Readerly dilemma
My voracious reading habits tend to pull me in two different directions: I reread a lot, so it makes sense to buy books and hold on to them, but I also have limited space, so I try to winnow books I'm not wild about so there's room for new obsessions. My dilemma is this: a series I used to like and reread often has gone completely downhill, and I stopped buying the new ones eight years ago. It's been five years since I last reread the books I do have. Should I get rid of the ones I have (holding on to the couple I like best), or should I hold on to them in case I get sentimental, so I don't have to re-buy the series?
February 26, 2013
Max's dipping sauce for bread
When I was working at the seminary, every Friday I would treat myself to lunch at Max's around the corner, a literal hole in the wall Italian restaurant with Euro-techno pulsing softly in the background and the most incredible Italian food I have ever tasted. Everything on the menu was delicious, and I'm going to try and reconstruct as many as I can over time, but two things especially stood out for me: their heavenly tiramisu, served in a chilled goblet, and the dipping sauce for their bread. Last night, I think I nailed it.
2 campari or plum tomatoes
6 kalamata olives
pinch kosher salt
1 orange
Olive oil
Slice the tomatoes in half and discard as much of the seed and liquid as you can. Using a large/coarse grater, grate the tomatoes into a bowl, discarding the skins, so you have about 1/4 cup of tomato puree. Add the olives and a pinch of salt. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 2-3 curls of orange zest into the bowl as well. Add enough olice oil to cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Serves 3-4 people with slices of warm sourdough, Italian, or French bread.
2 campari or plum tomatoes
6 kalamata olives
pinch kosher salt
1 orange
Olive oil
Slice the tomatoes in half and discard as much of the seed and liquid as you can. Using a large/coarse grater, grate the tomatoes into a bowl, discarding the skins, so you have about 1/4 cup of tomato puree. Add the olives and a pinch of salt. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 2-3 curls of orange zest into the bowl as well. Add enough olice oil to cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Serves 3-4 people with slices of warm sourdough, Italian, or French bread.
February 22, 2013
Culinary bucket list
I saw someone doing this recently and was intrigued, so I thought I'd generate a list of my own: recipes I want to find/invent and master. In the past year I've gotten ginger blackberry muffins, an intense chocolate cake, and eggplant parmesan, so I'm trying to move on to other things I love to eat out but can't make myself, or that even restaurants often get wrong. Plus some basic benchmarks of cooking, some of which are blank until I try out recipes and know what works in those categories. As I finish these, I'm going to link to the different recipes.
Basic Thresholds:
Five Seven really good bread recipes
1. Sourdough
2. Zuchini bread
3. Beer bread
4. Popovers with strawberry butter
5. Scones
6. Cornbread
7. Herb bread
Five recipes to impress a date
8. Grilled asparagus with poached egg and parmesan
9. Salmon with mango salsa
10. Salmon with herbes fines
11.
12.
Five recipes for hosting a dinner party
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Five recipes for hors d'oeuvres
18. Gruyere tarts
19.
20.
21.
22.
Five pot-luck recipes
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
Dips and Nibbles:
28. Guacamole that uses tomato but doesn't discolor
29. Mushroom hand pies
30. Veggie burger hand-pies
31. Fried dumplings
32. Quesedillas
33. Black bean/spinach quesedillas
34. Salsa
35. The dipping sauce for bread from Max's
36. Olive tapenade
37. Clotted cream
38. Jam/preserves
39. Betsy's chimichurri
40. Knishes
41. Scallion pancakes
42. Zucchini fries
43. Crunchy garlic pickle
Soups:
44. Tomato mushroom bisque
45. Cod stew
46. Butternut squash soup
47. Beef stew
48. Irish stew
49. Cream of mushroom soup
50. Tomato cheddar dill soup
51. Betsy's tomato bisque
52. Corn Chowder
Main Dishes:
53. The beef stew from that diner by the sem, over pasta.
54. Eggplant rollatini
55. Zuchinni frittata
56. Vegetable lasagna
57. Mushroom lasagna
58. Veggie burger lasagna
59. Mushroom-ale pie
60. Mushroom wellington
61. Welsh rarebit
62. Broiled salmon
63. Fried tofu
64. Fried eggplant/broccoli with garlic sauce
65. Salmon teriyaki
66. Stuffed cabbage
67. Mom's quiche
68. Fried banana and peanut butter sandwich
69. Macaroni and cheese
70. Barbara's chicken with apricots and prunes
71. Burritos
72. Yankee pot roast
73. Lamb ragu
74. Cod rollatini
75. Cod Florentine (no tomato, mom's recipe)
76. Poached salmon
77. Stir fry
78. Gnocci
79. Sweet potato gnocci
80. Pierogies
81. Kelly's quiche with chard
82. Convict's pasta
Sides:
83. Lime cilantro rice
84. Israeli salad
85. Couscous with onion/cilantro
86. Tateh's latkes
87. Fried green tomatoes
88. Colcannon
89. Sesame noodles
Desserts:
90. Cream cheese frosting
91. Pie dough from scratch
92. Banana bread
93. Pumpkin muffins
94. Tateh's cardamom cookies
95. Sugar cookies
96. Tiramisu
97. Flourless chocolate cake
98. Fried banana
99. Pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling
100. Decorated cake
101. Coventry God cakes
102. Crème brulee
103. Pot de crème
104. Rugelach
105. Hamentaschen
106. Layer cake
107. Apple cake
108. Plum cake
109. Plum tart
110. Kelly's oatmeal cookies
111. Italian cheesecake
112. Chocolate silk pie
113. Chocolate glaze
114. Perfect chocolate chip cookies
115. Perfect double-chocolate cookies
Basic Thresholds:
1. Sourdough
2. Zuchini bread
3. Beer bread
4. Popovers with strawberry butter
5. Scones
6. Cornbread
7. Herb bread
Five recipes to impress a date
8. Grilled asparagus with poached egg and parmesan
9. Salmon with mango salsa
10. Salmon with herbes fines
11.
12.
Five recipes for hosting a dinner party
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Five recipes for hors d'oeuvres
18. Gruyere tarts
19.
20.
21.
22.
Five pot-luck recipes
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
Dips and Nibbles:
28. Guacamole that uses tomato but doesn't discolor
29. Mushroom hand pies
30. Veggie burger hand-pies
31. Fried dumplings
32. Quesedillas
33. Black bean/spinach quesedillas
34. Salsa
35. The dipping sauce for bread from Max's
36. Olive tapenade
37. Clotted cream
38. Jam/preserves
39. Betsy's chimichurri
40. Knishes
41. Scallion pancakes
42. Zucchini fries
43. Crunchy garlic pickle
Soups:
44. Tomato mushroom bisque
45. Cod stew
46. Butternut squash soup
47. Beef stew
48. Irish stew
49. Cream of mushroom soup
50. Tomato cheddar dill soup
51. Betsy's tomato bisque
52. Corn Chowder
Main Dishes:
53. The beef stew from that diner by the sem, over pasta.
54. Eggplant rollatini
55. Zuchinni frittata
56. Vegetable lasagna
57. Mushroom lasagna
58. Veggie burger lasagna
59. Mushroom-ale pie
60. Mushroom wellington
61. Welsh rarebit
62. Broiled salmon
63. Fried tofu
64. Fried eggplant/broccoli with garlic sauce
65. Salmon teriyaki
66. Stuffed cabbage
67. Mom's quiche
68. Fried banana and peanut butter sandwich
69. Macaroni and cheese
70. Barbara's chicken with apricots and prunes
71. Burritos
72. Yankee pot roast
73. Lamb ragu
74. Cod rollatini
75. Cod Florentine (no tomato, mom's recipe)
76. Poached salmon
77. Stir fry
78. Gnocci
79. Sweet potato gnocci
80. Pierogies
81. Kelly's quiche with chard
82. Convict's pasta
Sides:
83. Lime cilantro rice
84. Israeli salad
85. Couscous with onion/cilantro
86. Tateh's latkes
87. Fried green tomatoes
88. Colcannon
89. Sesame noodles
Desserts:
90. Cream cheese frosting
91. Pie dough from scratch
92. Banana bread
93. Pumpkin muffins
94. Tateh's cardamom cookies
95. Sugar cookies
96. Tiramisu
97. Flourless chocolate cake
98. Fried banana
99. Pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling
100. Decorated cake
101. Coventry God cakes
102. Crème brulee
103. Pot de crème
104. Rugelach
105. Hamentaschen
106. Layer cake
107. Apple cake
108. Plum cake
109. Plum tart
110. Kelly's oatmeal cookies
111. Italian cheesecake
112. Chocolate silk pie
113. Chocolate glaze
114. Perfect chocolate chip cookies
115. Perfect double-chocolate cookies
February 18, 2013
Eggplant Parmesan
Tried this as an experiment last night and it turned out really wonderful. I replaced the ricotta that acts as a filling for many eggplant parm recipes with a flavorful goat cheese spread and more veggies, and the flavors are absolutely amazing together (not to mention, a bit healthier).
1 box breaded eggplant slices
marinara sauce
2 handfuls shredded mozzerella
parmesan cheese
1 small clove garlic
4 baby bella mushrooms
3 handfuls fresh spinach
2 ounces goat cheese
oregano
Bake the eggplant slices on a baking sheet according to the directions on the box.
Meanwhile saute the mushrooms and garlic together with a little nonstick spray. Add the spinach and cook until the liquid is almost gone. Turn off the heat and add the goat cheese, a hefty pinch of oregano, and about a tablespoon of parmesan (or to taste). Stir until incorporated.
In a small casserole dish, spoon a little marinara to coat the bottom of the dish, then a layer of eggplant slices. Spread the goat cheese evenly over this, then add another thin layer of marinara, another of eggplant, then marinara again. Top the whole thing with a couple of handfuls of mozzerella and a bit more parmesan.
Bake covered at *375 for 30 minutes, then uncover for another 5 min. Serves 3-4.
1 box breaded eggplant slices
marinara sauce
2 handfuls shredded mozzerella
parmesan cheese
1 small clove garlic
4 baby bella mushrooms
3 handfuls fresh spinach
2 ounces goat cheese
oregano
Bake the eggplant slices on a baking sheet according to the directions on the box.
Meanwhile saute the mushrooms and garlic together with a little nonstick spray. Add the spinach and cook until the liquid is almost gone. Turn off the heat and add the goat cheese, a hefty pinch of oregano, and about a tablespoon of parmesan (or to taste). Stir until incorporated.
In a small casserole dish, spoon a little marinara to coat the bottom of the dish, then a layer of eggplant slices. Spread the goat cheese evenly over this, then add another thin layer of marinara, another of eggplant, then marinara again. Top the whole thing with a couple of handfuls of mozzerella and a bit more parmesan.
Bake covered at *375 for 30 minutes, then uncover for another 5 min. Serves 3-4.
January 17, 2013
Happy birthday, Nomi!
I hope the year ahead is wonderful.
January 11, 2013
Dammit, I was hoping for Picard.
Your results:
You are Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
85%
Beverly Crusher
60%
Uhura
55%
Mr. Scott
45%
Mr. Sulu
45%
Geordi LaForge
45%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)
45%
James T. Kirk (Captain)
40%
Chekov
40%
Jean-Luc Picard
40%
Data
38%
Spock
34%
Will Riker
20%
Worf
15%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)
5%
You are a caring and loving individual.
You understand people's emotions and
you are able to comfort and counsel them.
Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character are you?" quiz...
You are Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
85%
Beverly Crusher
60%
Uhura
55%
Mr. Scott
45%
Mr. Sulu
45%
Geordi LaForge
45%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)
45%
James T. Kirk (Captain)
40%
Chekov
40%
Jean-Luc Picard
40%
Data
38%
Spock
34%
Will Riker
20%
Worf
15%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)
5%
You are a caring and loving individual.
You understand people's emotions and
you are able to comfort and counsel them.
Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character are you?" quiz...
January 2, 2013
Big news
So some of you know this already, but I've been keeping it off the interwebs until it could go through proper channels at work. But everyone at work who needs to know has been told, so I can finally let the cat out of the bag: I'm quitting my job at Oxford.
For the time being, I'm going to be staying with my folks up in Mass and looking for work in Boston, New York, and points nearby. It's a little scary quitting a job without something new in hand, but I just couldn't do a job search and the work at OUP at the same time and give them both the attention they deserved.
The hard part for me is going to be leaving the friends I made here. When I first accepted the job offer, I didn't think I knew anyone in North Carolina. A little digging yielded a fandom friend and the rabbi who married my parents, neither of whom I had met in person, and a childhood friend I hadn't spoken to in 20 years. After a year and a half, not only have I been lucky and delighted to see those friendships grow in extraordinary ways, but I've also been blessed with friends from an amazing synagogue community, friends from work who awe me with their talent, kindness and humor, kids who have become like family to me. As I'm packing up my things, I keenly wish I could pack up the people and take them with me.
I have no idea what's next. The next few months are going to involve more than one kind of searching. But as my friend Kelly is fond of quoting, "All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well."
For the time being, I'm going to be staying with my folks up in Mass and looking for work in Boston, New York, and points nearby. It's a little scary quitting a job without something new in hand, but I just couldn't do a job search and the work at OUP at the same time and give them both the attention they deserved.
The hard part for me is going to be leaving the friends I made here. When I first accepted the job offer, I didn't think I knew anyone in North Carolina. A little digging yielded a fandom friend and the rabbi who married my parents, neither of whom I had met in person, and a childhood friend I hadn't spoken to in 20 years. After a year and a half, not only have I been lucky and delighted to see those friendships grow in extraordinary ways, but I've also been blessed with friends from an amazing synagogue community, friends from work who awe me with their talent, kindness and humor, kids who have become like family to me. As I'm packing up my things, I keenly wish I could pack up the people and take them with me.
I have no idea what's next. The next few months are going to involve more than one kind of searching. But as my friend Kelly is fond of quoting, "All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well."
