Vegan For A Day

Actually it was a little more than a day. It was 27 hours. I made the commitment to "go vegan" on Saturday afternoon. Just after sneaking a few of Kellan's cheese fries off her plate at lunch. I had read a bit recently about -- getting healthy, not eating meat, how bad milk is for you... And so I decided the best thing for me would be Vegan.

As usual, I didn't really investigate the details but I knew the basics. So I bought some fake cheese and decided I felt healthier already.

Battle fig I thought could work, certainly I can find some vegan recipes for figs. So I invited my friend Elise (vegetarian - not as committed as me - VEGAN) to come over for a little tasting, a few practice dishes.

"Hmmm, this looks good, but without the prosciutto and goat cheese, not so much."

"Oh, here's one where I can use my fake cheese, YES!"

Here is a lovely salad, I can skip the blue cheese, they don't make fake blue cheese"

But I thought, what about all of my NON-VEGAN friends, and family. I am going to have to make a few variations. I can't expect them to be as health-concious as me.

I made a few vegan friendly dishes. Kalmata olive and fig chutney on toast squares (that was better with prociutto and goat cheese, or so I am told), a melon, fig and arugula salad, without the big wedge of blue cheese that it needed. And a couple of pizzas:

Carmelized onion and fig pizza with fake cheese and rosemary
Real cheese pizza with prosciutto
Fig and kalmata olive pizza with real cheese
and one for the kids...real cheese pizza (that's all)

I ate the fake cheese pizza. I did. It was good. And then I tried the prosciutto pizza with real cheese...27 hours...

Pig Shuns Fig

This whole guinea pig thing was not an easy decision for me. It really came down to the pig or pierced ears. And pierced ears seemed too permanent. Plus, she's only 10 and I am sure I would be stepping on earrings all over her room.

So enter Bugsy. Cute for sure. Not a rodenty as I thought he would be. Actually, quite sweet and lovable. And Kellan is coo coo for him. She takes him everywhere but school.

Well, ends up that guinea pigs can eat some pretty interesting fruits and vegetables. And what should I find on the food list...figs. So, I thought maybe this pig will turn out to be a fun addition to the family. My kids will rarely eat anything I cook, and the healthier or more interesting it becomes, the less likely they are to try it. But Bugsy, he could be my...well...guinea pig.

So I grabbed a fresh fig from the fridge, told him all the reasons he would love this fruit, put it in front of him and he totally ignored it. Wouldn't even try it. And this pig is a good eater, you should have seen him go after the watermelon rind I gave him yesterday. But not the fig.

It is a little embarrassing to say out loud but "I don't think he deserves to be called a guinea pig". Bugsy...you are just "Pig" to me now.

Anniversary Aphrodisiac

Happy 10th Anniversary Tricia and Chris. Your love and friendship have created a wonderful marriage and family BUT…as with all marriages a little help is welcome. And so, my gift to you – Battle Fig!

Figs are known as an natural aphrodisiac. Seems unclear whether eating the fig, or just the looking at the fig, does the trick. Take a look, see the confusion?

Here are a few facts (?) I found on the web.

“Legend has it that eating a fresh fig while naked in front of a woman is one of the world’s most erotic acts ” http://www.eatsomethingsexy.com/

"Figs are a fabulous fruit aphrodisiac with a voluptuous shape, a sweet dark flesh with a honey scent, and a unique texture to the tongue." http://www.lovingyou.com/

"An open fig is believed to emulate the female sex organs, while a closed one, part of the male genetalia. We’ll get to the nutritional info later." http://www.thewellhealedcook.com/

So buckle up Chris. This one’s for you. Happy Anniversary!

The Morning After

I can’t help singing that old song…

There's got to be a morning after
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on looking for the light…

And well, that’s how we have to view my challenge dinner. Pink peppercorn challenge was delivered to my mom and dad, and John’s sister and family. It was Kellan’s 10th birthday and I had made the leap (mistake) of getting her a pet guinea pig for her birthday. Needless to say it was a hectic day of fun and celebration. And while dinner was fantastic, I forgot to take pictures.

So the next morning, I went to the fridge and took out the leftovers for you to see. Here is the leftover line up:

Main Course. Ribs. Smoked to perfection by my husband John, on his Kamodo smoker. I used a rub that we use often called Cajun Ragin'. But I halved the white pepper and black pepper and used ground pink peppercorn in its place. The peppers were mixed with celery salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, cayenne, thyme and sage. I was a little worried that the pink peppercorn would not break through all the bold spices, but it really did. Proving its interesting and powerful flavor. The ribs were great. And yes, even the morning after - cold.

Side:#1: Coleslaw with pink peppercorn. I used my favorite recipe which includes cabbage, green onion, minced garlic, and a little salt. The sauce is made with just a bit of mayo, white vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. I added pink peppercorn, and what a difference it made to the flavor. It really was good. Good enough that I have been eating it for lunch for three days straight.

Side #2: Corn on the cob with pink peppercorn and tarragon butter. I softened the butter, added in whole pink peppercorns, and fresh tarragon. Molded it and put it in the fridge until dinner. This is one I will make again. Can’t wait to use it on fish!

And then…the dessert. Pink peppercorn ice cream: Here is a picture of where I found the pink peppercorn ice cream leftovers…the garbage. Yuck. Both the texture and the flavor were just weird. That is all I can say. I used a recipe that included cream cheese. I don’t know, that probably should have turned me off, but the picture was so pretty. Lesson learned.

Overall, both for dinner and leftovers, pink peppercorn really came through in each of my dishes. My guests all gave me high scores…but they are family…and not to be trusted.

So with that I leave you with that beautiful and lasting ending to the Maureen McGovern song. (Remember get softer and slower with each line.)

There's got to be a morning after

(There's got to be a morning after)

There's got to be a morning after

(There's got to be a morning after)

There's got to be a morning after

(There's got to be a morning after)

There's got to be a morning after

(There's got to be a morning after)

(repeat and fade out)

Job Well Done

Well, I almost didn't make it.  I almost took a bye this month.  But the day the battle ended, I bought pink peppercorns and came home to make a savory spiced cocktail with the tiny pink jewels.  I was celebrating two things.  Not giving up on the Battle, because pink peppercorns was my idea and I have been wanting to use them for years.  And, I started a new job.  The first job in ten years where I worked for someone else, instead of being self employed.  I got my first paycheck signed by someone other than myself or my husband and headed straight to Whole Foods. 


When I got home, I toasted 2 tbsps of pink peppercorns, four whole star anise, 2 tsp whole all spice until fragrant.  It smelled so warm.  I added two cups of water and one cup of sugar (I used raw sugar but next time I'll use refined.  I would have liked a cleaner looking cocktail.)  Once the sugar was dissolved I added a half bunch of fresh thyme and a two inch strip of lemon zest and let it simmer for 10 minutes.  I took it off the heat to let it steep until cooled.  Perfect timing because that's when everyone got  home from Adam's soccer practice and needed showers and baths.  With everyone in bed, I strained my spiced simple syrup, and poured about 4 oz over ice.  Added a shot of vodka.  Topped it off with Pelligrino (my favorite product in the entire world) and then a garnish of more pink peppercorns.

Then we toasted.  It was sweet, savory and spicy.  Kind of like life.  Which is different now.  For the better or worse?  Well the jury's still out on that one.  It's only been three weeks.  But just being willing to try something new needs celebrating.  An ingredient ... or a job.