Banana Almond Cookies

These are ridiculously delicious - and since there is no sugar or flour, practically guilt free. I just ate five for breakfast. Don't judge me.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, blend together:
3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

In a different bowl, whisk together:
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in:
1 bag cacao or dark chocolate chips

The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

Some say the world will end in fire

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
— “Fire and Ice,” Robert Frost

This week, Valley Life columnists were asked to reflect on the events of 1 year ago — when the Carlton Complex Fire began — for a special series reflecting on the past year and looking forward.

Read my recollection in the Methow Valley News

Gender Limits

There are days
That I hate.
The limits of my power
Tied to my gender.
Fear for my personal safety
Keeps me from helping
The Strange Ones
As much as I want.

An older man is often seen walking along the highway. I have often given him rides. Where he lays his head at night often changes. His story is never the same. At first he was friendly, and worried about his appearance. Apologized for not being clean even though his clothes were spotless and he smelled of peppermint. 
But he has angry outbursts. The last ride I gave him filled me with concern - for both him and myself. I no longer felt safe with him.
These last few days his stride is as erratic as his moods - unsteady in mind and feet. He angrily yells at every car that passes without stopping. He looks haggard and ill. I almost pulled over to him today. But instead parked across the street and watched from behind the door of a store. I watched him pour water over his face, and yell at the sky. Flag down cars and give them the finger as they passed. I inquired from locals, "where is he staying?" 
"At a campground." they said. 
A terrible three day storm is coming. Flash flood warnings, heavy rains.
He needs a hot meal, a dry place to sleep, and maybe medication. I call 911 for a wellness check before driving away.
He never looks up at me, just holds up his fist. The tip of the middle finger extended to a sky as omnious as his mood.

What I Did with the Carcass in My Freezer

Once in a while, when I don't feel like cooking, I'll grab a roasted chicken from the grocery store deli and we'll have it for dinner along with some roasted veggies and rice, or a salad and bread.

Throwing the bones, skin and extra meat into a bag, I'll save it in the freezer for a few weeks and keep adding to the bag all the kitchen scraps from other meals: onion skins, carrot stumps, mushroom stems, pepper tops - any veggie scrap that would normally go into the compost.

When the bag is full, all the contents are poured into a slow cooker and topped off with water. Add a bundle of fresh herbs, like, sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary and set the cooker on low for about 8-12 hours.

I had set up the slow cooker this morning, and in the evening I had a enough savory broth for a lentil stew, with broth left over for another meal. The extra broth was poured into a quart mason jar and placed in the freezer. 

Lentil Stew

4 cups chicken broth
14 oz canned, chopped, tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dry lentils
5 cloves garlic
1 sweet onion
2 large carrots
1 sweet potato
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring broth to boil. Rinse dried lentils. Chop veggies into large chunks. Crush garlic cloves. Add everything to the boiling broth and turn down the heat to simmer.
Go read a book while the stew simmers for one hour, making the lentils and vegetables tender and delicious.

Morning Ritual

I have my own rituals each morning. Stretch, pee, drink water, shower, get dressed, read the paper while eating breakfast, brush teeth.

The dogs have their morning rituals, too. We start out the same: stretch, pee, drink water - and here is where the similarities end. From there, our morning paths diverge. Shasta goes back to bed, and Loki resumes her almost daily one-sided conversation with the squirrel.

It starts when Loki first steps outside. As soon as her paws hit the grass, the squirrel trills out a slew of insults before running up the tree. For nearly an hour, Loki will stand transfixed under the tree while the squirrel chatters and fusses, running up and down the bark - slowly inching towards Loki before wildly twitching his tail and scampering back up the tree.

When Loki is late in stepping outside, the squirrel will sit on the fencepost directly across from the front door and trill loudly.

Because this ritual happens nearly every single day, we have begun to think anthropologically - is it all a game? 

The Best Friends are the Ones with Chickens

It's good to have friends with chickens.
It is not so good to have neighbors with roosters - loud mouthed, pontificating, self-proclaiming roosters who crow from sun up until sun down, and then crow some more in the inbetween hours.

But friends with chickens? Those are the best kind of friends. We have a steady flow of eggs throughout the year. All different colors: greens, browns, blue, speckled, red, and creamy white. The yolks are a dark, rich, luxuriant yellow.

Just a plate of scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes, a bit of torn basil and shredded Parmesan cheese is enough to make the mouth water.

One of our favorite ways to eat eggs is by making crepes. Crepes are so easy and versatile. They can be filled with fruit or jam for a dessert or breakfast, or filled with roasted veggies for a savory dinner.  

 

Crepes

6 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Blend all ingredients in a blender and place in the refrigerator for an hour, or overnight. When mixture has chilled, place a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and lightly spray with oil. Once pan has warmed, pour a 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture into pan - tilting and swirling the pan to evenly spread the crepe mixture. Cook for at least 1 minute - the surface of the crepe will darken around the edges and towards the middle. Flip the crepe and cook for 30 seconds more on the other side.
For sweet crepes, fill with fruit or jam. For savory crepes, fill with sauteed or roasted veggies, curried chicken salad...the possibilities are endless!!

 

Willing the Chill Away

A chill in the air today.
A slight drizzle.
A bit of gray.
Filled the stove with wood,
Struck it aflame.
There Shasta stood
Willing the chill away.