a carlson and a zerger, too.

Perhaps it is the fact that light is slowly returning to our days here in Minnesota (thus I feel like my personal productivity must follow suit) or perhaps it is the fact that December 31st fast approaches (and I'm well aware I should be setting January 1, 2010 resolutions) that I find myself back here on Furlough Food. Whatever reason may be, I find myself with renewed interest in the blog-o-sphere. Forgive me, my dear readers, er, family, for such a long hiatus. But, you likely know many of the reasons, er, excuses, I would conjure. Wedding, fantastic but harried change of employment, Devin challenges, and the holidays are the first to come to mind. All these little life details have ensured months of emotions, and though it may seem that I have lost interest in culinary exploration if one were to assess such by my blog posts, nothing could be further from the truth. I've made delicious sauces and soups with vegetables from the garden, Swedish meatballs for Papa san and Melissa, cookies and candies galore for holiday treats and a few delicious experiments in between. I will fill you in on the finer details but surely need good food photos and stories to do so. For now, I leave you with a few iPhone photos...Along with a personal goal of writing more regularly, I also intend to step it up a notch and - pause - photograph things with a *real* camera, so these may be the last few from my iPhone to you.


Ah, blessed summer. Don't these look delicious? They were. The tomatoes were insanely productive this year and the size of the zuchini is a direct result of the August 1st nuptuals (read: week or two of garden neglect). I made a few delicious soups and salads and pasta sauces with the above.


Our lovely Socrates. Yes, those treaty-weaties were delicious, thanks.

Oh, and what of the title? Well, more on that later of course!

mind wander time

Note: The following contains philosophical musings of author. AND, I like to ramble at times. If said topic bores you, I highly suggest you close this tab in your browser now and check back on Monday for the next post about the killer vegetable garden I've started. I won’t be offended – really – it’s okay.

My autobiographical description to the right of this entry – yep right over there –> tells you a little about this (relatively) new endeavor into cooking as a means to enjoy the lighter side of life. This morning, I finally realized why I'm enjoying the cooking time so much these days...it’s my mind wander time that I had lost for a few too many years. When I was coaching, often I had daily moments (or hours) to just let my mind wander wherever thoughts would take it. While in transit to some far off location, in early mornings when the sun would rise over mountain peaks, or in long evening runs in new locations, I had time to ponder the past, present and future. Going back to grad school, I lost that mind wander time but am only just realizing - a mere 4.5 years after grad school began- I lost such an important part of my day. It just wasn’t programmed into my academically-based day or week; for all practical purposes I did NOT regularly run, I didn't see sun rises from the top of the mountains and I surely didn't drive cross-country by myself. I miss those days, but not in a 'I wanna go back' way. More in a, 'why did I feel more in balance?' way. I've slowly started to get back to some daily mind wander time by running and cycling on a more regular basis, AND by cooking. Yes, it requires great concentration at times, especially when I'm trying to get my brain to remember 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda when going from reading the cook book to actively measuring (note to self: work on short term memory). But, for the most part, cooking is allowing me to re-insert some mind wander time on a more regular basis and damn it feels good.

the cliff-hanger resolve

Hmmm...well, not really sure reading the items: limes, chicken, baking powder, zucchini, and bay leaf would piqued my interest enough to return to furlough food, and I'm the one who should be at least mildy amused by my own blog, right? Now if I had suggested "limes IN chicken" or "zucchini bombs" perhaps I would have returned. Hmm...Nope, still not sure.

But it looks like I'm here, and you're here so it must be something that brought you back. Perhaps you are one of the few who have asked for images and recipes of some items I've cooked recently. Perhaps you're just bored at work and looking to pass the time. I have a sneaking suspicion you are one in the same.

The title of my last post was "and I finally *made* muffins"; naturally there is a double meaning to that statement. The obvious: I did make muffins (three batches, in fact). The no so obvious: I am making the most of it (refer to post number one for what 'making the most of it' actually means). Explanation....

The Muffins:
It starts with a rather amusing beginner-cook story. This story is now logged nicely in my mom's book of Silly Cindy Young Cooking Adventures, tucked right next to the chapter she can read to you about the time I brought home 12 loaves of french bread to make one 9x13 pan of bread pudding for Thanksgiving. We had bread in the freezer for, well, YEARS really. And now I've got blueberries...lots of them.

I took on the Cooks Illustrated recipe for blueberry muffins (May/June issue). With a lemon zest sugar topping and a blueberry jam swirled into the muffins, it sounded like a winner. The blueberry jam thing is actually what got me...in more ways than one. (1) The blueberry jam and promise of good blueberry taste hooked me; (2) The preparation for said blueberry jam did a little "gotcha" on my brain and cooking confidence at the grocery store.

ONE: I don't actually like blueberry muffins very much, never have. I see them as the Emperors New Clothes of Food, really. I try one now and again and think to myself, "Do these taste like this to everyone? It this just muffin innards, with blue spurty things devoid of any taste? Where is the rich taste I think of when I think "blueberry"? Why is everyone eating these when clearly there is no taste?!?" Blueberries just near my Grandma's house in Stonington were rich, sweet and there was a little zing in those suckers; I ate them by the handful when I was a kid. So this recipe got me: it was a test to see if I could make a blueberry muffin taste like blueberry, as the author claimed it would.

TWO: I forgot my list of things to get at the grocery store so had to rely on my not-so-trusty-short-term-memory. I remembered the recipe called for "2 ____ of blueberries, picked over". Well that blank is pretty crucial, now isn't it? 2 tablespoons? 2 lbs? 2 cups? 2 what? I went to the frozen fruit area, and found some blueberries from Door County (just a stone's throw from the UP). I still couldn't remember what the 2 _____ was. I thought, "Well, you are going to be making a jam, so maybe it IS two pounds?? It needs to reduce and perhaps this recipe makes a double batch?? Two pounds sounds like an awful lot, but you better get more than have to come back, Cindy." So naturally if I'm looking for pounds, the item is sold in 12 OUNCE bags. I did my math...32 oz so I needed to get three bags....Wow, that's a lot (red flag! red flag! red flag!). What sort of recipe would seriously make you get three bags of frozen blueberries? I assured myself that well of course it will call for a lot of blueberries it is a top notch recipe. I grabbed three bags, the rest of the groceries and headed home to read what the devil filled in the blank. It was....2....(yes, I'm sure you figured it out when I gave you the 2___ options above)...CUPS. Of course, CUPS. The idea of making a jam, having never done so before, shattered my cooking confidence and scattered my clarity all over the floor of the grocery store. What else would explain coming home with two POUNDS of frozen blueberries? At least that is how I explained it to Todd who helped unpack the groceries and revealed bag after bag after bag of blueberries (holy crap, did you buy them out?). Gotcha, says blueberry jam. I will be making muffins for quite some time given the bags taking room in the freezer.

So that is a long prologue into muffin making....I did in fact make the blueberry muffins (jam and then some). The buttermilk batter and sweet, yet tangy, little blueberries made the perfect muffin. I did the lemon zest and sugar for a topping in the first batch, the second batch I tried the strudel topping. Lemon zest sugar is WAY better than the strudel (little heavy and flavorless). While it still wasn't like eating blueberries by the handful, there was a good dose of blueberry flavor throughout the entire muffin. After baking (and eating two warm ones), we put them in a container and I swear they were better the second day. I'm not sure it is legal to post the recipe but here goes:

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar, 3 teaspons lemon zest (it calls for 1.5 but I doubled it)

Muffin Ingredients:
2 CUPS blueberries (fresh or frozen, depending on the season), picked over (duh)
1 1/8 cups sugar (plus 1 teaspoon for jam)
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Making the gotcha jam:
Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to a simmer, mashing berries and stirring often. Reduce to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Let cool.

Batter (or "crumb" as those in the muffin biz call it):
Oven to 425, grease 12-muffin tin
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Whisk 1 1/8 cups sugar and egg together in medium bowl until combined; slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined; whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Fold in egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened (batter will be lumpy...do not over mix!). Using ice cream scoop (this is crucial), and fill muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using a chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion (note: figure-eight will likely not work and will make you feel inept if you try in your itty bitty muffin cups of your tin...just swirl in what ever fashion you can). Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins. Bake until just golden and just firm (17-19 minutes), rotate muffin tin 1/2 way through baking time. Cool for 5 minutes in tin, transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.



The muffins pictured here actually have a strudel topping, but don't do it, stick with the lemon.

And lastly, Making the Most of It:
I have left the ranks of coen+partners as a full time employee. The reasons are many, but largely personal. I love all the people, and see a fantastically talented group. Hopefully the entire lot will be at the Michigan wedding, but it was time for me to try something that suits me. It will be filled with design, to be sure, but as my dad has always said, "It is good to be your own boss." I've decided to heed that advice and am working on aligning personal and professional health (with a slight slant to the personal for the time being), being my own boss as it were. I am scared, overwhelmed and busy these days...but am just beginning to realize the possibilities in this great, big, humorous, enjoyable thing called LIFE.

I promise to resolve the limes in chicken and zucchini bombs in the next post. I needed to revel in a little muffin-ness for today and frankly I imagine you've lost your attention span by this point...if you're still here.

Ode to the Followers

I see a common theme in photos of furlough food followers.
A wave, a dog, a child, two doggies and a cat,
All following a human food blog, imagine that.

To the followers I say, thanks for your support!
You've left messages and emails and warm friendly smiles,
I never would have guessed you'd follow all the while.

A few more meals to post:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday a roast
To work I go on Monday morn, I am happy and excited
so please don't look forlorn.

My furlough, it's come to an end
but there is another 'right round the bend.
And furlough food will have posts galore
kept alive by two or three good friends.

They'll post and post...and post and post
if I know them at all
they'll post treats and meals
and
funny dog tails

But it is all of you I toast:

Thank you for reading and enjoying my ventures
It has been a fun, exciting and rewarding endeavor.
Through these times we will continue the pleasure
Of making it through many challenges together.

Make muffins, make muffins I say, and make the most of your day no matter what comes your way.

Just one of those days

...to make cookies.

Chocolate is food for the soul. Or so says the entire Zerger family...and I’d say my Dad would agree to that too...only his is in the form of a Babe Ruth.

I know we’ve all heard the statistics, but there are 11,100,000 people in the United States that are unemployed. That’s roughly three Twin Cities that are unemployed. That is pretty tough to stomach when you know it is an increase of 50% from the previous year.

Here’s an interesting link that graphically depicts the unemployment rate. It’s not the shwoopiest of websites, but scroll down really fast and you get an interesting picture. And scroll slower and you read interesting facts, like when the minimum wage was $0.75. Here's one from NYT and another from MSNBC.

Doom and gloom, eh? Dang this post is bringing you down, isn’t it? Well, just wanted to start out on the lowest point, relay three pretty cool observations for the day…and end with a smile…read on.

I got an email from my cousin, Bill(y):

I will be on multiple furloughs this year ... My voluntary 2% paycut was increased to 5% (now effective for everyone), 401k match was suspended, and we will now have 30 days of 'shutdown' this year, where you can use PTO time to cover, but if you use PTO time for other things, you have to pay for the shutdown days.

Ugly, but I'll take it all day long.

Yep, that’s what he wrote, “Ugly, but I’ll take it all day long.” I glazed over that in my responses to him – focusing on what this meant for his bottom line, trying to figure out if he was getting paid less and working the same or getting paid less and working less…and even I asked if he at least got a free lunch when they broke the news. But, I went back and read his email I saw the last poignant line, “Ugly, but I’ll take it all day long.” It stared me right in the face and said, “Snap out of it! Focus on the positive, not the negative!” Thanks Cuz, I needed that reminder.

Another reminder...music from the upstairs...

Todd is one of those 11,100,000 right now. I think its harder psychologically to be part of that statistic than it is to just not go to a place of employment. He IS working – likely harder than most people who are at work. He’s working on his own website, networking, reading and doing lots of yoga these days….he is smiling and sometimes I hear him singing to his music from the upstairs studio. And, as he said, he will come out on the other side in a better situation with a better understanding of the life-work balance.

And another...warmth of a friend...

On Thursday, Carrie came over for a little lunch, planning for her baby shower and a good hearty MN walk. She came in with a blast of awesome vacation energy. She and her husband, also recently laid off, made a powerful decision to embrace the opportunity in front of them. Carrie was invited to speak at a conference in Florida and they decided to make muffins, er, the most of it. They jumped in the car and headed south…they saw 70+ degrees on the thermometer, enjoyed the company of good friends, played in the ocean, relaxed, and I imagine they smiled a few times knowing Carrie. Three weeks later they came back to MN refreshed and excited to just be here and now. A few potentials on the horizon for both of them, but what I admire most is her perspective on it all….life is here and you just gotta live it.

It is all a matter of perspective isn’t it? Have a chocolate chip cookie today, and just forget about the guilt - enjoy the inner smile it brings you!

Todd made these in honor of his 3 week-a-versary. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal…delicious with an icy cold glass of milk. Ahhhh, food for the soul.

Domesticated Cat

Socrates, our wild-at-heart cat, mews incessantly at times and we have no idea why. I’ve come to the conclusion that she has no idea why, either. She just does it because that’s what she does. It crackles and gets a bit sad at times. Then again, it is a roar at times and she quite likes herself while she’s mewing.

Cooking, while I LOVE eating, is something I never thought would get the best of me. It is absolutely no part of my residual self-image. I’m bad ass like Trinity (a la Matrix), or at least that’s what I tell myself. No matter what, my self-image does NOT hold a wooden spoon and certainly does not own a white apron with wintery gnomes painted gleefully at the bottom of it. But here I am: wooden spoon and gnomes galore. And, blasted, I'm blogging about it.

Sigh.

So am I kind of bummed about all of this? Well the funny thing is, no, not at all. What I’m bummed about is that I’m not bummed. I actually like cooking despite the fact that I think, based on my vision of myself, I shouldn’t like it and certainly shouldn't admit to liking it. I’m not sure I’m any good, but I’m loving it and learning to cook the in the savory style of my mom (she’s a heckva cook when she has the time).

I feel a bit like Socrates the cat. She’s domesticated, and enjoys indulging in the domesticated lifestyle, but she mews now and again just to remind herself that, while she’s loving her cat food and mouse toy, she’s still a wild bad ass cat at heart.

Yesterday’s concoction: Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips from Runners World. It is ridiculously easy and they consider it a good post run food. Ha!

I’m a sucker for all-things pumpkin, so gave it a go. It is unbelievably moist, a little chocolaty and deliciously pumpkiny. I prefer large chocolate chips so just changed that one thing!

It's my job to make muffins?

Wait...what?

Yep, it is now my job to make muffins. This blog is borne of two things: (1) a Devin-ism (more on this in a minute), and (2) a decision my boss and co-workers have made to take some unpaid time off to ensure our place of work (a pretty cool landscape architecture studio in Minneapolis), and all eight of us make it through this economic implosion together.

First the Devin-ism. Though I've only heard this story second hand, it is apropos and I think of it nearly every time I, well, make muffins.

Devin, my stepson, had a tough day at day care. He was riding in his car seat losing himself in the landscape as the world passed him by. His dad could feel the sad energy radiating from the backseat. Todd (that’s his dad), asked him about his day and Devin, never short for words, told him how hard it was and how frustrated he was because the other kids weren’t willing to share or play nice. Todd, also never short on words, offered his years of wisdom to Devin. The words flowed freely and Todd talked about what sharing means, how to get along with others and relayed anecdotal stories of his days sharing Lincoln logs. Perhaps Todd shared a story too many and Devin continued to stare out the window. Sensing the loss of attention, Todd summed up with, “I know it can be tough Devin, and sometimes people don’t do what you hoped they’d do, but it is your job to make the most of it.” With that, Devin turned his head toward the rearview mirror and engaged Todd's eyes with an inquisitive look. He was about to speak, then paused and thought again...Todd looked at him through the rearview mirror with that raised eyebrow, "yes? yes?," waiting patiently for his question….and in all Devin wisdom, he said to his dad, “Wait, so you mean it’s my job to make muffins?”

Moral of the story: Sometimes, making the most of it is making muffins.

Second: the furlough. Yes I realize technically “furlough” is a temporary leave of absence from the armed services, but it is now a colloquial euphemism for unpaid leave from any sort of gainful employment. And, I’m on it. As a recent graduate of landscape architecture and urban planning, I’m damn thankful to have a job, and doubly thankful it is at a place like Coen + Partners. We’ve got a great crew, all of whom have agreed to take some unpaid leave in the next two months to keep us in the black for years to come.

So, while I could be a bit miffed about the loss of pay and the time away from work, I have decided to make the most of it, or as Devin may say, make muffins. Hopefully this place will become a repository of furlough stories, cooking adventures and other musings (post, feel free to post!)…but for its humble beginnings, it is a little place for me to share the wealth of my furlough….making FOOD!

Yesterday was Furlough Eve, and I made a delicious hearty minestrone (from the Creme de Colorado cookbook), garlic sourdough bread, and little french fudge cakes (thanks to Lynne Rossetto Kasper's and Sally Swift's How to Eat Supper).

Hearty Minestrone - Italian sausage, a medley of beans, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, chuck roast. I will be honest, I made this in November, but pulled a frozen container of it from my freezer on February 1st and it was even better than this fall.

sourdough garlic bread - get a good Parmesan and super fresh garlic....a little basil and oregano (and oil and butter) and poof! garlic bread to dunk!

little french fudge cakes - this is a meal in itself. The chocolate chunks become pools of molten chocolate and make you scream for some milk. Add some vanilla ice cream and it is pure bliss. I'd recommend trying some different percentages of chocolate (I used 70% Scharffen Berger), and it was a humdinger. Todd got the chocolate wobblies and I seriously could not eat it all.

Nothing like starting out on a full day of work with a full tummy. Wait....er, nothing like starting out on a full day of no work with a full tummy!