LIfe's Simple Pleasures

Verne enjoying Lauren's back deck on her new home in Beaverton

I started keeping a journal (nowadays called a Blog) in 2012. It was called StixChixConnected and I posted updates monthly for my handful of readers, who were also fellow quilters. Its purpose was to keep us “connected” as well as provide inspiration by sharing our current quilting projects and other creative endeavors. About two years later I started a blog for my other interest, food, and the two gradually were combined into the one blog, Moser Good Eats and Good Times. Just as I’ve had two blogs in the last eight years, I’ve also had two computers for about that same amount of time. Thanks to Jana, I now have a single computer that’s smaller and faster than the previous two combined. The past few weeks have been spent transferring documents and photos to my new laptop and learning to use OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage, for managing my files and thousands of photos. It’s a big project and one that has sparked a lot of memories. It’s made me realize the importance of documenting memories with not just photos, but also words. So often Verne and I together try to remember an event and uncertain about the specifics, we resort to reading my blog. Most of my posts are not about life-changing events, just our day-to-day experiences. Like the robins that made a nest in our hanging plant this past summer or about making granola with puffed cereal shot from a gun. Anyway, looking at old photos and reading old blog posts has made me realize that while most of our life experiences are not particularly significant or even interesting to others, they are as important to us as we make them.  And, taking time to place photos in an album with a few words or share photos and stories in a blog memorialize experiences and raise them to a level of importance. Bottom line…I’m thankful we’ve only experienced a few life-changing events of which I’ve written about over the past eight years and will happily go forward writing blog posts about our simple daily life experiences.

A special memory of Maria and Sally at Stix Retreat in January, 2008

Verne and I are perfectly well-matched in so many ways with one of the most important being our enjoyment of cooking and eating good food. We subscribe to several cooking magazines, own a couple hundred cookbooks, take on-line MasterClasses on cooking, and follow our favorite chefs online. We can go months (and sometimes do) without cooking the same recipe twice. We not only love cooking, but we love food sourcing. Grocery shopping is not a chore for us, it’s an adventure. For us, local is anything within a hundred-mile radius, and we have been known to drive that distance to Shop Local. Kitchen cookware and gadgets also hold an attraction. Until a month ago, I’d resisted the pull of the multi-cookers (they include a variety of functions, like pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, etc.) which have become popular over the last few years. Afterall, we own a complete set of All-Clad cookware, including the 6-quarter slow cooker, steamer and stockpot, rice pot, etc. The list goes on. I had convinced myself the last thing we needed was a multi-cooker. And then along came William Sonoma’s warehouse sale on Instant Pots. It was during a moment of weakness that I ordered one. All I can say in my defense is that I ordered the smallest Instant Pot (fondly referred by us as the “Mini”) to just give it a try. We’ve made perfect rice in it, including a jazzed up Mexican Rice, perfectly-done glazed carrots, creamed corn using fresh corn from Davis Ranch, the most perfect Ricotta Cheese, real Crème Fraiche (fermented, using the slow cook cycle), and most recently, Beef Stroganoff. It just keeps out-performing my highest expectations. If I’m to be honest, they weren’t that high…that’s why I hedged my bet and bought the less-expensive model. We’re in love with the Mini and talking about buying the 6- or 8-quarter model. Actually, we were perfectly happy with the 3-quart until we decided to try to make Crème Brulee and its small size couldn’t accommodate even our smallest ramakins. ☹ For now we’re going to hold off on the larger model until we decide we need it for something more than Crème Brulee, or William Sonoma or Amazon have another warehouse sale.

Besides cooking since I last blogged in August, we’ve made double trips to both LA and Portland. In other words, we’ve spent a lot of time on the road. Our first trip to LA was in early September to get Jana’s cat, Izzy. Yes, you heard me right. We drove 400 miles to have lunch with Jana and Andy and return home with Izzy while they went on vacation to England. Even though I keep all three cats separate, Julie (Izzy’s momma cat) and Olive (Izzy’s sis) sense her presence and, given the opportunity, misbehave. That is, pee on the floor to mark their space. You’d think it would be a happy family reunion…NOT! We managed to keep the bad behavior to a minimum, but it was a good day when we put Izzy in her carrier for our return trip to LA. 

Izzy's road trip

Girls in London September 2019

This time we didn’t even get lunch with Jandy, but did have the pleasure of staying in their condo in downtown LA. The following day we met up with Lara, Raelin and their families for the annual LA Phil Subscriber Appreciation Day at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This was our second time attending the event and it was once again amazing! We started with the music instrument Petting Zoo. The kids (big and little) got to hold and play the instruments and indulge in some body painting. We attended three of the five musical presentations followed by Q&As with the musicians, and then took an audio/video guided tour of the Hall. All I can say is the response to the tour was mixed: I found it surreal in an artsy sort of way, the others found it confusing (so did I), and Rick hated it but couldn’t stop talking about it. I’m certain if we go next year we’ll all take the tour again. There’s just something about it…?  Lunch was also included in the 6-hour open house with food provided by the local LA truck scene. Overall, we had an incredible family day together with the only thing missing being Jana and Andy. Sadly, we left for home the next day without seeing them.

Logan 's attempt to play the violin (Lara, Sam, Matthew, and Raelin watching)

Kendall giving the violin a try

We spent Labor Day weekend helping Lauren pack for the big move to her new home in Beaverton. We managed to get in a few of our favorite outings, including rediscovering the greatest breakfast place in Lake O, Biscuits Café. The food is excellent and they serve homemade jam with every breakfast. Lucky for us there’s a Biscuits Café in Beaverton, so it won’t be the last time Verne and Lauren get their delicious chicken fried steak with white gravy. A month later we returned to Portland to help Lauren settle into her new place. She had done a good job unpacking and organizing all rooms except her new craft room (the third bedroom) and the garage. We focused on the latter building a couple of shelving units and installing a new overhead light. Other big jobs included installing a fan in her gas fireplace and swapping all of her Nest smoke detectors from the Lake O condo with those in her home. That ended up taking two trips and several hours before all were in place with fresh batteries and no chirping, screeching, or other obnoxious noises. 

Breakfast at our favorite restaurant

Verne and Lauren installing a fireplace fan

One final smoke detector in the Lake O condo

We celebrated with dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Lake O, Nicoletta’s Table. It’s definitely worth the 30-minute drive from Beaverton, so that won’t be our last time dining there. One of my take-a-ways from helping Lauren move is this – always buy second-hand boxes, paper, and other packing supplies. One of us (I think it was me) suggested looking on Craigslist for used packing supplies. For $70 Lauren purchased 50 moving boxes of mixed sizes and 20 pounds of packing paper – a fraction of the price new. I had no idea people make a business of selling previously-used moving boxes and paper. If all goes as planned, she’ll be one of those sellers and recoup a small portion of her moving expenses. And as a bonus she’ll feel good about her ecologically responsible decision to buy used moving supplies. Actually, Lauren needs no prompting to go-green as she is our tree-hugging conservationist and often our family’s conscience when it comes to living an ecologically responsible life.

Lauren's pieced and quilted  Puffin quilt in the Northwest Quilting Expo

Cereal Shot from Guns

Once known as Granula, now called Granola, it’s a healthful (albeit calorie-laden) and delicious breakfast cereal, or when eaten out of hand, a delightful (and addictive) snack. I started making granola when I was in the Master Food Preserver program. One of my early assignments was to teach a class on dehydrating. All food preservation was new to me five years ago, so I used each teaching assignment as an opportunity to fully research the subject, equip our kitchen with all necessary tools and gadgets, and experiment. For this particular class I purchased a half-dozen excellent books on the subject and a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator with temperature settings, a timer and automatic shutoff (all desirable features in a dehydrator). I dried a dozen different fruits and veggies, made various snack mixes as well as a complete dehydrated meal in a quart jar. Spaghetti in a Jar was actually quite good when rehydrated and became a favorite at my classes. I also made power bars, trail mixes, and granola. I still dry fruit and have continued to make granola, but have switched from using my Excalibur to baking it in the oven. I prefer the oven method as it’s faster and the results are crunchier and have a delicious toasted flavor.

I don’t eat much granola for the two reasons I mentioned above: It’s full of calories and it’s addictive. Verne never eats granola. So why do I make it? Also two reasons: it’s a great way to use up bits and pieces of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and cereal, and a perfect way to ingratiate myself with our new son-in-law, Andy McGee. If you’ve seen pictures of Andy you’ll agree he doesn’t need to worry about the calories. Secondly, Andy LOVES my granola. You might say he’s “addicted” to it, eating four 1-gallon bags (that’s three batches) in a month. I love this selfie he took eating granola directly out of the bag.

Andy's favorite way to eat granola - straight from the bag!

Actually, the title of this blog post is what prompted me to write it. Verne asked me one morning if I remembered the slogan “Cereal Shot From Guns”. I didn’t, although my mom did occasionally let us kids eat cereal for breakfast (the unsweetened kind), such as cheerios, puffed wheat, or shredded wheat. But then I wasn’t much of a reader. To this day Verne reads everything put in front of him, including the cereal boxes or milk carton if we’re having a no-frills quick breakfast of cereal. Even so, I thought the slogan was too weird to be true. We both Googled it and lo and behold, there’s an amazing story behind the slogan and the cereal. I’ll let you read for yourself about Alexander Anderson and his invention of puffed cereal shot from guns (of peace). 

Alexander Anderson's puffing gun in action

How does this relate to my recipe for granola? Puffed wheat or puffed rice is one of the ingredients I always include since happening onto it a few years ago when I was using up some of the leftover bits and pieces from the pantry. I loved the textural contrast it offered to the chewiness of the oats and changed the recipe to include it as one of the basic ingredients. Other additions to the basic ingredients I’ve made include Bob’s Red Mill flax seeds (also known as linseeds) and chia seeds, both of which are enriched with plant-based omega-3 fatty acids (similar to oily fish). I always include a handful of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), a mineral powerhouse and a beautiful addition of color. Actually, my granola recipe is a work in progress. I’m not sure where I found the original recipe or how I’ve changed it over the past five years, but am sure it will continue to evolve as I experiment with other leftover bits and pieces from the pantry. For now, here’s the recipe for the best ever granola.

Energy-licious Granola

3 cups rolled oats (quick or regular)

1 cup puffed cereal (wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, or whatever else you fancy)

1 cup chopped almonds or other nuts 

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 cup mixed dried fruit (all kinds, cut into small bite-sized pieces)

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup currants

1/2 cup sesame seeds (white or black)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds 

1/4 cup pepitas

1 cup dried coconut, small flakes

1/2 cup dried coconut, large flakes

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons Chia seeds

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a saucepan, mix peanut butter and honey and thoroughly heat. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Set aside.

2. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl. Pour the warm honey-peanut butter mixture over these dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed. Use your hands, if necessary. (Hint: First coat your hands with oil or butter.)

3. Spread mixture evenly on two flat, rimmed baking sheets and bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned. I rotate trays mid-way through cooking time.

4. When cooled, place in airtight containers, such as quart jars or 1 quart storage bags.

Note: This is just a general guideline. All measurements are heaping and I vary fruits and nuts based on what I happen to have at the time. 

Feliz Navidad!

Babysitting Izzy while Jana and Andy spent Christmas in Peru

It’s mid-January and I’m already neglecting my New Year’s Resolutions – one of them being more frequent journal updates (blog posts). Typically, I’ve got lots to say the first of January and several photos to share. This past Christmas was not typical, though. We’d celebrated Christmas at Thanksgiving followed by our trip to Oaxaca. Christmas was just the two of us and Lauren made it three. It was our first in over thirty years that both girls were not with us, as Jana and Andy spent the holiday in Peru.

Jandy at Machu Picchu

Change is good, I guess. It was a little sad to wake up Christmas morning and not hear the girls giggling in bed together downstairs. And then there were the empty stockings hung by the chimney with care…actually, they weren’t completely empty as each had a box of Dark Chocolate Peppermint Covered Joe-Joes. Lauren discovered these little delights this year and I can assure you, they will now be a regular Christmas treat. If you are interested, they are sold at Trader Joes and apparently are only available for a few weeks each December and once stocked they don’t last through the weekend, we’re told.

Lauren and I came home from Mexico inspired to cook and try our hand at a few of the recipes we’d learned to make during our recent trip. She was home for ten days, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to experiment. We decided on a menu for Christmas dinner that included a tortilla soup, tamales with mole sauce, beef enchiladas with a chipotle sauce, Mexican rice, and flan for dessert. Leading up to our two days of cooking, we gathered my Mexican cookbooks, including two by Rick Bayless and another by Diana Kennedy, both authorities on regional Mexican cuisine, and scoured them for recipes and general techniques and tips. With exception of a few ingredients, we had or at least were familiar with everything required to make our meal. A few things new to our kitchen included:

·      Lard – if you are not familiar with lard, it’s pig fat. There’s a wealth of information on the internet about the good and bad of it. According to one article, lard “is back in the larder”. In other words, it’s making a comeback. I’ve made tamales before and always substituted shortening. My bad! From now on its pig fat for me! The masa in our tamales was more flavorful and fluffier than any we’ve made in the past.

·      Epazote – this essential Mexican cooking herb is not widely grown or available in the U.S. Obviously, I couldn’t find it in our local market and would probably have to drive an hour to find a Mexican market that carries it. The name was familiar to me and after searching my well-stocked drawer of Penzey’s spices, I pulled out a small jar of dried epazote! Our cookbooks warned against substituting dried for the fresh herb, but we were desperate and took our chances.

·      Banana leaves – we used fresh banana leaves for the tamales in our class. In the past I’ve always used cornhusks and have fond memories of sitting around the dining room table with the girls making tamales and then cornhusk dolls with the leftover husks. What fun! Lauren and I agreed we prefer tamales made with cornhusks as the banana leaves impart a sweet flavor. However, for future reference I did discover they are available frozen at most markets.

·      White corn tortillas – I generally purchase white or yellow corn tortillas, whichever is fresher. However, after reading Diana’s description of “those dirty-yellow, bitter-smelling ones” (she’s referred to the yellow corn tortillas), I’ll be sticking to the white corn tortillas in the future.

·      Chile peppers – I’ve always liked both fresh and dried chile peppers of all kinds. When Verne and I started making and canning our own salsas, we found an excellent recipe that uses two different kinds of dried chiles and Verne learned a dry-heat method of rehydrating peppers. His approach has been refined a bit since taking our class and then reading our Mexican cookbooks and we now very quickly heat them in a small amount of oil until the color changes and then let them cool to use as a garnish or they go from the saute pan to a bowl of water until they are rehydrated and then pureed to be used in soups or sauces. Easy peasy and so delicious.

·      Mole – this traditional Mexican sauce is not particularly difficult to make, but it does take a bit of time and patience. It involves toasting, browning, blending, straining, searing and simmering the twenty plus ingredients, which include dried chiles, raisins and chocolate. A concentrated mole paste can be purchased at some Mexican markets. I’ve seen it sold at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles next to where Jana and Andy live. However, making a delicious mole is very satisfying and something we’ll do again as we work our way through all seven Oaxacan moles. It doesn't end there as each of the seven regions of Mexico have their own versions of mole.

Lauren making mole

To begin our Christmas Mexican feasting, we spent Christmas Eve in Ione with Maria, Ruben and Ruben's son, Edward. Ruben made one of his favorite soups he enjoyed eating as a child. Akin to my own Vegetable or Hamburger Soup (the name changes based on whether you're talking to my boys or my girls), this was a hearty vegetable soup with whole veggies and pork slow cooked in broth. Through our Oaxacan cooking class and our reading we had learned that many Mexican dishes are served somewhat deconstructed to the table and eaters are then encouraged to add optional ingredients table-side. Ruben served his soup in this fashion, providing us each with a simple bowl of soup and then a wide array of garnishes including serrano chiles, green salsa, a simple Mexican rice, a fresh squeeze of lime, and tortillas for dipping. By the time we finished fully garnishing our soups, we had each created an incredibly filling and delicious dish unique to each person. And this is to say nothing of the chips, salsa and guacamole Ruben made as a starter snack! I completed the nights meal with an apple crisp dessert served over vanilla ice cream. And by the time we left, Maria and Ruben were forced to roll us to the door. 

The following day the same group gathered for Christmas dinner in Volcano. I suspect Ruben and his son had their doubts about our (a couple of gringos donning brightly colored Oaxacan aprons) attempt to prepare a Mexican feast for Mexicans, albeit Ruben is from Northern Mexico and our menu was based on recipes from Southern Mexico. All concerns were diminished after our first course, a tortilla soup with ancho chile (and a slew of condiments including queso fresco, crumbled dried chiles, avocado, thinly sliced radishes), followed by red chile pork tamales with a classic mole sauce. If there was any concern on the part of our guests, it related more towards the small portions than the quality and authenticity of our meal. And we ended the meal with a final course of chipotle enchiladas and Mexican rice. Maria made our delicious dessert, chocolate flan cake. It was one of those mystery desserts that starts out with the flan on the bottom and ends up on top after it’s baked. Very pretty and very tasty. This was a perfect meal and one that left everyone comfortably satisfied, while wanting more, as well as wanting the recipes. Our success has further inspired us to read more, learn more, and cook more Mexican food. Our latest book is “The Food and Life of Oaxaca” by Zarela Martinez. 

Annual trip to Apple Hill

Belated SoCal holiday dinner with family (Lara, Rick, Logan, Matthew)

Logan and Rick checking out the view from Jandy's new home

Dinner at Maccheroni Republic (Jandy and Raelin)