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Discolor Online

Weblog of the sweetest person you never want to piss off.

 

A Birthday Request

It's November and that means my annual cycle of introspection has begun. I turn 40 in less than a week and looking around there's a lot of change in the air. I'd hoped to go to Belize, see the Mayan ruins and dive or snorkel on the reefs, take a floating tour through jungle cave complexes. Maybe I'll do that for 45 instead. This year is a close to home year. We put in a patio, bought a grill and some furniture to put on it, built those raised beds I've wanted for years. It was a good substitute. I enjoyed the heck out of that patio this summer.

It's also been a strange time for my social group. The couple who were the bedrock of our "chosen family" since Kate was small broke up this year and without them as a central touch point, other peripheral relationships have fallen away. Friends have continued to spin off in other directions, taking jobs in new cities or countries, skipping conventions or other "gamer socials" in favor of time with family. I understand it, I support their decisions... they're the right ones. I still miss them. It's been a year of establishing strange, new equilibriums.

One thing that hasn't changed, though I haven't been blogging about it as much this year, is the joy I get from food and cooking. My heart is full of food memories, my head is full of inspirations to make and (high on my success in the new garden beds) grow. I may not have any family jewels to pass on to Kate but I have a treasure trove of tastes and smells and memories in food form, sweet and spicy, simple and decadent, special.

So, here we are. My birthday request: for my birthday I'd like a recipe from you. Yes, you. You may not ever comment, may never have admitted that you even read this blog. You and I may not agree on much of anything, may not have spoken in years, may not ever have met outside of the internet... that doesn't matter. In fact, it's precisely the POINT of my request: I may have specific memories of Stan!'s deviled eggs or Linda's crockpot lasagna, the year Catherine and I made that glorious mustard-pickle (the recipe for which I've since lost (SOB)) or the time Christine introduces me to my first bagna cauda but I want to make sure I have a memory of YOU, too.

On Sunday I'm having a birthday brunch. Several friends will be there to celebrate with me. Many more, if not most, of the other people I know, interact with, and enjoy will not be there. You game industry friends, far-flung relatives, former co-workers, and people who lurk, hit this blog looking for recipes, send me feedback, or tell me at conventions or parties how much they like something they've found on my blog and made for themselves...you won't be there and that makes my world seem so much smaller than it really is.

Please send me a recipe. You can send me an e-mail at nikchick@aol.com, or message me through Livejournal, or Facebook, or Nikchick.com. Maybe it's a recipe that makes you think of me. Maybe it's a recipe that will make me think of you. Something simple, something complex, something you love! I'm going to compile my birthday recipes and get them bound into a book for myself, a keepsake of my time with food and people to this point, something I can use over the next 40 years. That's what I want for my birthday!

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Blogger Foxbat Says:

Did I ever give you my recipe for Potato-Leek Soup? Heck, did I ever make the Potato-Leek Soup for you when I lived in your area?

Potato-Leek Soup

Ingredients:

* Red Potatoes (I like to use around 6 medium to large ones)
* Leeks (two; white and light green parts only)
* Onion (sweet onion; one or two)
* Vegetable Stock (I like the "Better than Bullion" stuff; cheap and easy to work with)
* Heavy Cream
* Dry Sherry
* Spices

Cooking:

Peel the potatoes and cut into four or six pieces each. Rinse and then chop the leeks (white and light green parts only). Put aside. Peel and rough chop the onion.

Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot, and toss in the onion. Stir it around for a while until it softens a bit. Throw in the potatoes and leeks, and just cover them with the stock. Simmer for 45 mins to an hour, or until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool a little. Use your hand blender and puree the contents of the pot. You can strain out any remaining solids, but I never bother.

Put the pot back on a low heat and add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of heavy cream. Pour in some of the sherry and spice to taste -- I like to use basil, pepper, paprika, a little red pepper flakes, a little salt. Heat for a short while, adjusting the flavors to your taste.

Serve.

Enjoy!

 
 
Blogger Paul Tevis Says:

When Gwen and I are looking for comfort food, this is what we make:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion, diced
1 lb. polksa kielbasa, sliced into bite-sized chunks
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can corn, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked rice


Over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in olive oil until tender. Add kielbasa and cook until browned. Add canned goods and cook until heated through. Mix in rice and serve.

 

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