reimagine

Reimagine everything. The theme our keynote speaker, Ron Johnson, CEO of jcp, creator of Apple Stores
and the Genius Bar, idea man behind designers creating specific brands and products for Target, reiterated throughout his presentation. Reimagine everything. His words sinking in as he continued to speak. Use your imagination. Embrace imagination. Don’t believe the skeptics. Believe in yourself, your ideas, your convictions.

Ron spoke passionately to these topics at the CitizensLeague 2012 Civic Celebration. His father, Verne Johnson, has been involved with the organization since before its inception 60 years ago – his passion for engagement clearly passed from father to son, a successful business man and a man who filled me with motivation and excitement – feelings a speaker hasn't invoked in a while. Ron - a person who took risks, huge risks, when Apple was a floundering company, when Target wasn't a common household name and couldn't differentiate itself from the other big box stores, now tackling jcp to turn it into America's favorite store. Ron spoke to the successes through what his father embodied, what made him a successful and wonderful person and what he passed along; he touched on the qualities of clarity, courage, creativity and kindness.

I sat there taking it all in. Clarity. Courage. Creativity. Kindness. Simple concepts with deep and profound implications. I wrote a bit about creativity the other day, finding my creativity, working with it, through the roadblocks and my own hang ups, discovering outlets and proceeding. Throughout the presentation and in the following days, I now ponder these additional concepts; about how all revolve around one another – opening a process for me, (re)imagination: a key to life and living.

Ron brought the presentation to a close stating the worst thing you can do when things are going well is rest on your laurels. He then quoted Maryann Williamson saying, “"We're all assigned a piece of the garden, a corner of the universe that is ours to transform. Our corner of the universe is our own life — our relationships, our homes, our work, our current circumstances — exactly as they are.” I left that presentation discussing the impact of his words, his battle cry to get uncomfortable. What makes a person memorable, makes them important, gives them a sense of purpose, of fulfillment in life and provides a legacy is clarity, courage, creativity and kindness.

 Get moving and reimagine what is in front of you. 

The process

Creativity [kree-ey-tiv-i-tee] n. 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.

 A glorious and frustrating concept.

 I contain a lot of creativity; many ideas: standard, complex, normal, abstract. Self-discipline is my own worst enemy. I fight it, I resign myself against it, I eventually and occasionally embrace output in spurts - a vicious cycle of self-loving and loathing.

 I make stuff. I like it, love it even. Cards, images, stitching, writing. I have an extensive ‘to create’ list full of ideas I want to make and articulate. Some of these things I am actually pretty good at doing.

 I am told I have a 'good eye'. This eye is the core of it but not a sustaining feature - the discipline, the ability to overcome fear must be present – so difficult, I am forever reaching and beating myself up when I can’t find it quickly enough, easily enough. It is hard. I don't write this to garner sympathy but to explore why so many creative people (and I'm guessing most of us are), namely ME, don't ever get outside of our own heads, our own fears, our own damn laziness.

 Ira Glass has a quote (thanks to a friend who posted a .jpeg on the interwebs) that oscillates in my head, taunting me, encouraging me, "Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You've just gotta fight your way through."

 Creativity, like anything, is a process. It is not immediate; creativity takes time, it takes dedication, it takes heart, most of all, it takes self-acceptance. I am here to accept my abilities, my talent and to grow it instead of stifling myself through fear or the unknown.

 These past few days I have been in an output mode, self-love instead of self-loathe, my heart goes into my creative output the goal of self-discipline and self-loving to follow. As the creative output ramps up, hell, I am even writing about it.

 Sealing up a new, completely original card to a friend I smile; realizing this is as much for her as it is for me. The quote I chose, a Chinese proverb, reads: The journey is the reward.

Soups Made easy - Melon, peach, mango chilled number

My CSA from Tangletown is in full effect and holy food. I only did a half share and I seriously have enough veggies for a family. Every. Week. My fridge and freezer are chock full of delicious.

Basil has been overwhelming but even more than that I have been getting so much cantaloupe! What does one even do with all this cantaloupe? Get creative. Melon infused vodka? Check. Diced melon? Check. I still have three large melons. I went to a good source: Clean Food by Terry Walters. This has a recipe for Carrot Fruit Soup. The base recipe seemed pretty good but I didn't have carrot juice and did not feel like juicing carrots and, of course, I love modifications. Below is base recipe and my modifications. It is good. Very fresh, delicious and makes me think summer. I garnished with both mint and basil and it offsets it wonderfully. Due to the sweetness of the fruit it tastes phenomenal all hours of the day. Thinking it will freeze well too when I want that delicious taste of summer in the throes of winter.

1 cantaloupe
1 mango
2 peaches
1.5 c carrot juice (I used 1 c orange juice)
.25 tsp ground cloves
1 tblsp lemon juice (omitted due to orange juice)
handful of mini carrots (my add-on)
sprig of mint (my add-on)
.5 cucumber (my add-on)
pinch of sea salt
blueberries, mint or basil for garnish

Peel, cut and cube cantaloupe. Same for the mango. Cut peaches. Put fruit into pot, adding juice, cucumber, carrots, cloves and salt. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Take off heat, add mint. Use immersion blender or stand blender to puree. Let cool at least one hour. Enjoy!

Dessert Made Easy #1 - Strawberry Rhubarb Compote with Cashew Cream

Oh the delights of seasonal offerings. While at the Minneapolis Farmers Market I picked up a huge bunch of beautifully, deep red rhubarb. Being completely naive on how to cook the rhubarbs I went to my new favorite cook book: Clean Food which outlines recipes by season (side note: I received this cookbook for beta testing a really amazing tool: No Plan Meal Plan).

ANYWAY, one of two rhubarb recipes was this wonderfully delicious and easy recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Compote with Cashew Cream. This is technically a 'summer' recipe but with the rhubarb dominating the farmers market I had to try it out.

Strawberry Compote with Cashew Creme
 I will note where I made substitutions, but did the cooking slightly outside of the recipe so will just list that. 

Cashew Cream
2 c. apple juice (I used 1.5 c. apple juice)
2 c. lightly roasted cashews (I used 1.5 c. raw cashews that I pan roasted over low heat)
3 tblsp. maple syrup (I used 1 tblsp of maple syrup, 1 tblsp agave)

In small pot, bring apple juice to a boil and remove from heat. Place cashews and syrup in food processor (I used a Vitamix; the food processor left it quite chunky, not smooth). Turn on and add juice. Blend until you have desired consistency, in my opinion the smoother the better. Refrigerate covered for at least an hour.

Compote
2 c. chopped rhubarb
.5 c. apple juice
3 tblsp. arrowroot or kudzu (both can be found at a co-op, natural foods store)
1 tsp. agar powder (vegan gelatin substitute - can be found at a co-op, natural foods store)
4 c. de-stemmed and halved strawberries (I substituted 16 oz. bag frozen mixed berries)

In saucepan over medium heat, combine apple juice and rhubarb. Simmer until rhubarb starts to fall apart, about 7 minutes. Because my berries were frozen I added after a couple minutes and had it simmer all together so they'd defrost. Add mixture to blender. Add arrowroot (or kudzu) and agar and blend until mixture begins to thicken and is fully blended. Set aside and cool slightly.

From there you can prepare a few ways. I found my cashew cream was not layering very nicely so I did a large layer of compote and then dolloped the cream on top, mixing it through with a knife which gave it a sorta pretty marbled look.

The final product was visually appealing (thought not so photo friendly) and delicious. Get yourself some rhubarb and try this out, I promise your friends will love it!

Things aren't so random

Last night, biking home from the river front on the Stone Arch Bridge, stopping to take photos and observe, I listened to my intuition and took a right instead of a left, heading towards the Guthrie, towards the glowing, unobtrusive yet beckoning lights.

This right turn led me to the 35W bridge memorial. Something I guess I knew was there yet had not experienced myself. Coming up to it I saw someone else crossing the street towards the memorial. My fight v. flight momentarily kicked in and then realized it was a woman into her 70s give or take, I figured I was safe.

We initially kept our space yet were close and eventually spoke. Lil, a wonderfully warm older woman, with her coiffed hair, glasses and sweater, asked me where I was from, mentioned she was visiting the cities from Albert Lea, joking about the distance and the small town atmosphere. She having to come to the cities to 'see' anything, me having to travel to Northern Minnesota to 'get away'. She had spent her evening at the Guthrie, observing the view from the lookout and could not leave the cities without physically coming down to the memorial.

We talked about the beauty of the memorial. We talked about the people that died. The fact that these people were fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, grandpas, grandmas. Much like the war memorials and the soldiers that have passed these people meant something to someone and gave/lost their lives and such a tribute is a wonderful expression of appreciation.

We then digressed, or rather, segueing into talking about seeing grown men cry and the stoicism of the past. Observing people, specifically grown men, touch those walls in DC and break down in unobstructed tears. She shared the first time seeing her father cry was on a birthday many a year ago. She was at the age where you stop sending your father the funny cards and instead start expressing your love and appreciation. When he read that card he started to cry and she instantly wished she could take it all back. I expressed the only time I can recall my father crying, receiving the news of his own father passing and how it affects you and you can never forget that moment.

We talked for a few more moments, me introducing myself and learning her name. Her wishing me a safe ride home and me wishing her a safe long drive home late at night. And then we left each other to digest the memorial in our own ways. Me going out onto a lookout to write down my notes of meeting her, to snap a few more photos; Lil reading and thinking who knows what. I biked away observing her moving through the pillars and feeling so appreciative I was able to meet her, talk to her and share in the beauty and wonder together.

Cooking on an empty cupboard - Meals Made Easy #8 - Black-eyed Peas & Rice

Due to travel and such my cupboard has been sorely neglected, like my fridge has a couple beers and carrots in it, all dry goods in the cupboards and let's face it one cannot survive off of girl scout cookies and almonds (although I may try).

Inspiration: Needed to cook something delicious, easy and filling til I can make it to the store.

Food Obtained from: Seward Co-op

I made enough for 4-6 servings so cut your recipes accordingly

List of Ingredients:
1 c. dried black-eyed peas
1/2. c. red rice (can use any rice)
1 small yellow pepper
1 small white onion
2 garlic cloves
salt & pepper
pad of vegan butter
some olive oil

Preparation:
Chop onion, garlic and pepper.

In a large sauce pan full of cold water, add black-eyed peas, bring to a boil and simmer for roughly 45 minutes, or until tender. Strain (I like to rinse to cool down) and set aside.

In the meantime, in a smaller sauce pan boil water or broth (I used black-eyed pea water for some flavor as I made ahead of time) to a boil, add rice and simmer on very low for roughly 45 minutes or until tender.

In the saucepan used to make the beans, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat, add the onion and saute for 7 minutes until it begins to get tender, add garlic and pepper and saute for a few more minutes. Over low heat, add a bit of water (or leftover bean water), the black-eyed peas, rice, salt & pepper; stirring to mix it all together.

From there just eat it. It's good.
p.s. I was just thinking as I write this - add celery, that would enhance the flavor. Maybe some dried cranberries too. I love dried cranberries in stuff.

Meals Made Easy #7 – Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates, Salad, Creamy Garlic Mushrooms over Quinoa & Chocolate Delight - A four course lunch for three

Timing has never been my forte but wanting to become better and serving others I elected to make a simple, yet great coursed meal.

Inspiration: Cooking a special lunch for three. Wanted it to be delicious but not too time consuming since I was doing all the preparation myself and wanting to enjoy time with my guests.

All Food Obtained From: Seward Co-op & Surdyk’s Cheese Shop

While this meal is four courses I broke up the prep over two days and each course itself is not labor intensive, saving the creamy garlic sauce for last. Most everything else can be done ahead of time.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

8 marjool dates

Blue cheese

Walnut halves

Cut dates in half, lengthwise. Remove seed. In each half, add blue cheese to taste place one walnut on top.

Mixed Green Salad

Mixed greens

2 small sweet peppers

1-2 large brussel sprouts

Handful of sugar snap peas

Queso fresco

Blueberry, cranberry vinaigrette - recipe here

Divide mixed greens on salad plates. Julianne the brussel sprout(s) and place over the greens. Cut the snap peas in half, and slice the peppers arranging on plate. Cube the quesco fresco and add over top. Dressing , salt & pepper to taste.

Creamy Garlic Mushrooms over Quinoa with Crusty Bread

3 full roasted garlic bulbs

1/2 c vegetable stock

1.5-2 lbs assorted mushrooms (I usually use crimini and shiitake) - sliced

1 tblsp olive oil

1 c. shallots or red onion, finely chopped

1/3 - 1/2 c white wine

1/4 c parmesan cheese

Fresh thyme or other herb

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 loaf of crusty bread

Quiona

Ahead of time, prepare the quinoa (can refrigerate for day or two).

One part quinoa to two parts stock (or water)

Any other seasonings normally used in rice

Many people recommend rinsing quiona but I do not find a disparaging taste difference. Bring stock to a boil, add quinoa and simmer on low for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Set aside.

Roasted Garlic

Roast the garlic. This can and should be done ahead of time. Simple recipe here.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce.

Add the garlic cloves to vegetable stock and puree in blender. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in large pan and over medium heat sauté shallots for 4-6 minutes until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 6-7 minutes, tossing several times and further seasoning with salt and pepper. Turn heat to high, add wine and sauté until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn heat to medium-low, add garlic sauce and simmer for a couple more minutes. Toss in parmesan and pour over quinoa stirring to mix all together. 

 While making sauce,  Cut crusty bread in half and in pieces without cutting all the way through to the bottom. But pads of butter between each slice, wrap crusty bread in tin foil and heat in preheated 350 degree oven.  Heat for about 15 minutes. 

Serve immediately. 

Chocolate Divine*

This can be made a day prior and stored in the refrigerator. 

4 small avocados

.5 c cocoa powder

.5 c agave (could substitute honey but may need more/less)

1 tblsp vanilla extract

Pinch or two of cinnamon

Combine the avocados (without shells and seed), cocoa powder, agave, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a blender or food processor. Combine roughly two minutes or until well mixed. It will have the consistency of a thick pudding/mousse.

Serves 4-6

 Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

Mixed Green Salad

*Dessert recipe courtesy Native Foods, Chicago

Meals Made Easy - Blueberry, Cranberry Vinaigrette

Homemade dressing is very simple to make and tastes so much better than the store bought stuff. It takes minutes to make and the results are fantastic.

Start with a staple recipe and expand based on your tastes. My Blueberry, Cranberry vinaigrette is a variation from Betty Crocker's basic vinaigrette recipe. My version makes a purple-hued dressing, adding even more color to your salad.

1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 in ginger

1/4 teaspoon mustard or mustard seed (I use seeds)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/8 teaspoon pepper(corns)
Few tblsp water

In a food processor combine all ingredients and blend until fully processed. Put in a airtight jar. Mixture can become thick so give it time to warm up and if dressing is too thick cut with small amounts of water.

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Not pictured: ginger

Meals Made Easy - Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is delicious and amazingly easy to make. You can prepare multiple bulbs at one time and save leftovers in the fridge

Preheat oven to 400. Take the bulb of garlic and cut of the top so the garlic cloves are exposed (I recommend saving the tops to use another time). Place on tin foil right side up and drizzle with olive oil. Completely wrap in tin foil and bake for 45-50 minutes until garlic is soft and slightly browned. Let cool fully and then remove the cloves.

Meals Made Easy - #6 - Scallops with Saffron & Mushroom Barley Risotto

Oh, risotto. You are so creamy and delicious. You can be a side or a main dish; you seem extravagant yet so easy to prepare (with just a smidge of time on your hands for stirring). Pair you with scallops and a gourmet meal you resemble, yet, truly, anyone can prepare you.

Inspiration: Craving for delicious yet simple; two random recipes I stumbled upon, working from the risotto and recalling the scallop recipe from memory.

All Food Obtained From: Seward Co-op with the exception of the saffron from The Spicehound in Cleveland

List of Ingredients:
Risotto
1.5 c. pearled barley
.5 large onion chopped
4 c. vegetable stock
saffron
crimini and shiitake mushrooms (volume to liking)
.33 to .5 c. dry white wine
kale (1 stalk)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Scallops
4 large Massachusetts scallops
small sliver of Earth blend butter
whole wheat flour
lemon juice

Prep: Ahead of time: chop onion and mushrooms (keep separate). Julianne the kale.

Risotto
In a deeper pan (you need room to add the broth and rice), add olive oil over medium heat add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add barley and stir for 2-3 minutes until glossy.

Add wine and stir until mostly absorbed, a few minutes. Add stock, one cup at a time, stirring almost constantly until each cup is absorbed. You can take mini breaks to do other things (like shake your shiitake pan or pour yourself more wine) but don't let the mixture sit. I add minimal salt and pepper at this step as I like it to set. I recommend also allowing people to add it to taste at the end.

As you are adding the stock and stirring take your shiitakes and add them to a small pan over medium heat, sauteing until crispy.

Once all the stock is added and absorbed, looking good, add the sauteed mushrooms, shredded Parmesan and julianned kale, mixing lightly to serve.

Scallops
Dredge in flour. Heat oil or vegan butter in very hot pan. Place scallops in pan, let sear for one minute, flip and sear the other side. Allow other sides to briefly color as desired.

Note: Scallops, like most seafood, are picky. Do NOT overcook.

Arrange on plate and serve with risotto.

Que magnifique!

all the ingredients for risotto

scallops ingredients - so easy! 

the final product - scallops with saffron & mushroom risotto

Meals Made Easy #5 - Avocado & Kale Salad

Avocado and Kale Salad


A very simple and supremely delicious salad that can be added to a meal or enjoyed as a stand alone.
Inspiration: My buddy, Claire

Food Obtained From: Seward Co-op

List of Ingredients:
4 stalks of kale
2/3 small avocado
1/4 c. red onion
small amount of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Prep: Remove kale from stalks and chop. Add to mixing bowl. Halve an avocado, remove pit and cut inside vertically and horizontally so it is cubed and add to bowl. Roll lemon on cutting board so it becomes softened (loosening the juice.pulp). Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl. Combine until well mixed (I have read that is 16 tosses of any salad). Add salt and pepper to taste.

This literally takes about 6 minutes to make and is amazingly delicious and healthy!

(instead of taking a photo I ate it promptly).