Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

A Long Weekend in California

This is a re-post. I originally spent 45 minutes working away on this post with Victor sleeping by the computer. When he decided to get up and wander about wouldn't you know that he would step on the back arrow key. Poof! Post gone.

If all goes according to plan we'll be on a plane heading to California when this post appears. A group of the slow travel are gathering in the up and coming wine area of Paso Robles for an anti-super bowl celebration. We really enjoyed our visit to Paso in the spring so we were quite tempted by this. When I found flights on Delta for $ 203 return the temptation gave way to certainty!

We fly out of Buffalo tonight and if the weather gods are with us, we will arrive in SFO at 10:46. We connect through Cincinnati. When I booked the flights we had about 50 minutes to make the connection, tight but doable in a small airport. Of course, the twits at the airline changed the flight and now we have only 30 minutes to make the connection! We may make it, I'm not sure about our luggage. We know how airlines act so we have an alternative plan, just in case.

Anyway. If all goes according to plan we will arrive at SFO late in the evening, pick up our luggage (year, right), get the rental car and head to a hotel by the airport that I booked with points. One of the alternative plans includes bringing a change of clothing and our toiletries on the plane with us, just in case our luggage gets stranded somewhere in Delta's system.

Tomorrow morning our plan is to get up, have some breakfast, and head south to Paso Robles. Of course when Paul discovered that we would be heading past one of the largest outlet malls in the US he indicated that a pit stop in Gilroy might be in order. He couldn't care a less that Gilroy is the largest garlic producer in the world or home to a fabulous garlic festival - he sees bargains in his future. After he exhausts his VISA card we'll get a burger at In-N-Out and continue south to Paso.

Our plans for Friday night are quite flexible. A group of folks are gathering at a house that has been rented by some of the slow travel moderators but I think we'll be tired and so will just hang around the town. We might stop by the house for wine or we may not. We may just wander around the downtown square. Or we may visit some wineries. We may just crash in the motel!

The fun starts on Saturday. Shannon, one of the slow travel moderators, has arranged the events for the day. Because it is a large group (close to 50) everyone has volunteered to bring food to the house for breakfast or dinner. This presented Paul and I with a dilemma: we can't cook in the motel and we can't bring food with us. We ended up teaming with Wendy and Rob to provide the cheese, crackers, nibbles, and snacks at the first winery the group is visiting: Castoro.

Here we are enjoying dinner with Wendy and Rob last spring. Yet again I apologize for the pic Rob, it was the waiter darn-it! *smile*

After our visit to Castoro the group splits up. Shannon has arranged visits to two wineries and an olive grove. We opted to go to Pasolivo. We've been to lots of wineries but never to a working olive farm. Plus we have had olive oil from Pasolivo before and it is great.

I think that our trip to Pasolivo ends at 2:30. Paul and I will likely spend some time exploring the winding roads west of Paso Robles. It seems as if there is a winery every mile or so along these roads. This will give us lots of time to visit some wineries and be back at the motel with plenty of time before the party starts back at the house at 6:00.

It will be a fun night. I've met many of the group before at Palma's party in Palm Desert so I know that the wine will flow , the food plentiful and tasty, and the laughter won't stop until everyone leaves!

On Sunday a group is getting together for brunch and a tour of another winery. We decided to forgo that fun. Instead we will hop in the car and head north to San Francisco. We hope to hit some of our favourite haunts in the Ferry Market and the Union Square area.

We have lunch reservations for 1:45 at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant: the Slanted Door. For dinner we were torn. We could visit yet another of our haunts or we could check out a new restaurant outside of the city. In the end we decided to check out Barolo in Pacifica. It is well reviewed and only 15 minutes from our hotel (again booked with points) plus it will allow us to check out a part of the peninsula that we have never visited before.

We head back east Monday morning at 9 am. Of course it will be the usual mad dash to pack our wine, olive oil, and other purchases and get to the airport in time but somehow we'll manage it. We connect through my least favourite airport for connections (JFK) and arrive back in Buffalo at 10 pm. Talk about a whirlwind!

Yes, I am taking Tuesday off of work to recover.

You Know You're Having A Bad Day . . .

Sandi sent these to me today which was wonderful because I was having a horrid day and these really made me laugh. I hope that they make you laugh as well.

Signs You Are Having A Bad Day

You woke up in a strange place.

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You had trouble getting out of bed.

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You washed your hair and couldn't do a thing with it.

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You feel like you have a hangover and you weren't even drinking last night.

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Your new diet doesn't seem to be working.

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You pulled a muscle when you tried to exercise.

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Your new hat looked better on you at the store.

 

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Your old hat doesn't seem quite right either.

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The dry cleaners shrunk your favorite outfit.

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You have a stiff neck.

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You feel like you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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You got caught in the rain at lunchtime.

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The lunch you had didn't seem to agree with you.

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You're alone in the house at night and you hear a noise in the basement.

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Let's hope that tomorrow is a better day!

World Without End

With his immensely popular The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett introduced an enormous, overbearing, and at times seemingly dangerous main character, a Gothic cathedral, the building of which consumed, in one way or another, the life of most of his 12th-century characters. I first read Pillars back is 1989 (NOT last fall when Oprah (hssssss) decided it was worthy of a Book Club nod) and loved it. I was fascinated by the depiction of Medieval society and in particularl the struggle to build the cathedral.

Follet returns to that same building, in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, for World Without End, but in the 14th century. Family lines remain but the cathedral is the only remaining character from the first novel. There's much the same group of brutal, uncouth noblemen and their much-tried ladies, set against the rising, inventive merchant class of the town, built on the wool trade, and the scrappy peasantry that supplies them.

Because I had enjoyed Pillars so much I was happy to get World Without End for Christmas. It is a mammoth book, 1,104 pages in my edition, for a large historical frame - coverning the arrival of the Black Death and the beginning of the end of the feudal system.

For those who enjoy history as nonfiction as well as fiction-  this book is a learning experience about a distant time that gave birth to the first stirrings of what we call our modern world. On a good day, we inhabit a place of science, gender equality, and rule of law instead of superstition, enslavement, and free violence and degradation, well most of us do. That fact is due in large part to certain things that happened in the 1300s - especially the year 1348. If you are unfamiliar with the unpleasantness of that year, sorry, you are just going to have to read the book.

There are a couple of things I think might be the reason for some of the bad reviews I have seen elsewhere. One thing is that Follet is not primarily a historical fiction writer and a great many of his books have been thrillers. So his writing style tends to be pretty gritty - especially when he is writing about sex, violence or death. In Follet's view of the 1300's there was plenty of all three. Also, while there is a strong love story (and a couple of minor ones) running through this book it is not a romance novel. It's the story of a 14th century community in a cathedral market town and at times his vision of 14 century life makes me a little uncomfortable. Plausible, but still a little uncomfortable. Especially what passed for justice and fairness.

I caught myself being sympathetic to some of the less-savoury characers (as compared to the 'heroes') in the book simply because it seemed to me that the only way someone of the "lower classes" might improve their circumstances was with either brawn and hopefully a few brains thrown in. Luck played a huge part in this and I found I couldn't really blame some of the characters who seized any and every opportunity that came their way, fair means or foul (with the exception of Ralph!)

For some reading the book will feel as if they are stuck in a history lesson, but it's an interesting one. Follet is keen to bring out the inherent conservatism of the uppper class and church, and their overbearing maleness (yet in many respect the strongest characters are women who use the men in their lives to get what they want). He's also keen to emphasise the superstitions which govern local lives, and the climate of casual terror: murder and rape are commonplace, judgments are often rigged, and punishments brutal. The account of one miscreant being flayed alive is disturbingly precise (far too precise for me).

Follet also sketches the wider political world, most notably, if improbably, when the main female character, Caris witnesses the victory at Crécy – from the French lines! – and meets Edward III. Here too, he is determined to make a point: great battles are really tyrannous, booty-driven slaughter-fests. But not such virulent killers as the Black Death, which overshadows the central chapters, and which pits religious superstition against medical intelligence. The plague scenes are expertly handled. Happily for the townspeople, but again improbably for the readers, Caris, with no training whatsoever, invents modern medicine. Go Caris!

Where Follett excels is in telling a yarn. Yes it is a brutal one, the sex is graphic, and violence pronounced. There is also sufficient intrigue here, enough turns within double-twists, to hold readers through all the 91 chapters. Style takes second place to structure and plot. World Without End is exciting, full of sudden reverses of fortune – all the fun of the unfair. The comeuppances are surprising and satisfying. Assuming you can pick the novel up and plod your way through all of this, you won't be able to put it down.

The Bright Pearl - Dim Sum

Yesterday we had our hearts set on a Dim Sum feast after visiting the ROM. Paul insisted that we go to a dim sum restaurant where they wheel the food around the restaurant on a cart (as compared to the restaurants where you actually place an order). It makes for a fun experience. You signal to the server that you are interested in somethng on the cart. She places it on your table and marks off your bill. often you don't have a clue what you're getting . . . this becomes the adventure!

I suggested that we go the Bright Pearl, a Toronto chinatown landmark. Alongside Kensington Market, this majestic eatery contains its own fish tank. Filled with live lobster, Vancouver crab, and bass, it reflects the fresh seafood offered here. The dim sum is another all-day staple, although early morning and mid-afternoon happy hours offer freshly steamed shrimp or pork, beef balls or ribs, steamed BBQ pork chicken or sticky rice and spring rolls. 

After being seated in the expansive dining room, we listened to the chatter of happy customers and the clicking of china and chopsticks. Once our cups were filled with soothing jasmine tea the fun began. Luckily there was a visual dim sum pamphlet at our table, which helped us identify some of the selections.

This is what we enjoyed:

Beef balls with bean curd skin, shrimp balls, and scallion pancake

BBQ Pork buns (my favourite)

Spicy shrimp

Steamed shrimp dumplings

BBQ pork

Fried shrimp balls

Shrimp spring rolls

Steamed pork buns

Fried shrimp dumplings

crispy chicken wings

Lemon chicken

When the time came to leave we paid the bill ($ 73) and rolled ourselves out to the car. We were stuffed but happy!

The New, Improved ROM

Today Mom, Paul, and I headed into Toronto to see the new galleries at the Royal Ontario Museum (known as the ROM). The Lee-Chin Crystal is part of Renaissance ROM, the Museum's renovation and expansion project. Considered to be one of the most challenging construction projects in North America for its engineering complexity and innovative methods, the Lee-Chin Crystal is composed of five interlocking, self-supporting prismatic structures that co-exist but are not attached to the original ROM building, except for the bridges that link them.

One of the fascinating things about this wonderful new addition is the story behind it. Inspired by the ROM’s gem and mineral collection, architect Daniel Libeskind sketched the initial concept on paper napkins while attending a family wedding at the ROM. The design was quickly dubbed the 'crystal' because of its crystalline shape.

The exterior is 25% glass and 75% extruded-brushed, aluminum-cladding strips in a warm silver colour. The steel beams, each unique in its design and manufacture and ranging from 1 to 25 metres in length, were lifted one by one to their specific angle, creating complicated angle joints, sloped walls, and gallery ceilings. Approximately 3,500 tons of steel and 38 tons of bolts were used to create the skeleton, and roughly 9,000 cubic metres of concrete were poured.

While the exterior is fascinating it was the insides that we were wanting to explore on this cold January day. We paid the admission fee and went to see the recently opened Dinosaur exhibit. This dramatic new space leans out over Bloor Street W., offering visitors a glimpse into the gallery even before entering the Museum. Once inside, visitors encounter 350 specimens, including 50 dinosaur specimens, of which 25 are fully-mounted skeletons. The 5.4-metre (18-foot) ceiling inside the gallery is high enough to accommodate the tallest specimens while allowing others to be suspended artistically overhead.

Most of the dinosaur fossils are divided into one of two themes, Life on Land and Life in the Sea and range from the Jurassic (200 to 145 million years old) to the Cretaceous (145 to 65 million years old) periods. Triassic period fossils (250 to 200 million years old) will be shown in another gallery to open in 2009.

One of the highlights is “Gordo”, the Museum's massive 27-metre (90-foot) Barosaurus skeleton, the largest dinosaur on permanent display in Canada and one of only two Barosaurus skeletons on display in the world. Several of the dinosaurs on display are long-time ROM residents that have been remounted for the new display including Albertosaurus, Corythosaurus and a number of hadrosaurs that are easily recognizable by their distinctive tubular head crest, some measuring over one metre long. The most well-known hadrosaur, Parasaurolophus, a very rare species, is one of the ROM's best and most complete specimens. Other featured specimens on display include the full skeleton cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex and a real Triceratops skull.

The Temerty Dinosaur Galleries also includes nearly 300 fossils of other life forms, including other terrestrial reptiles, plants, and insects that shared the land with the dinosaurs. An expanded marine section displays fossils of marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, as well as fish and numerous invertebrates, many of which provided food for the reptiles. Visitors can view one of the Museum’s newest specimens, the six-metre (20-foot) ichthyosaur, Eurhinosaurus longirostris from the early Jurassic period (approximately 180 million years ago), which the Museum acquired through the assistance of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust.

Four interactive audio/visual stations add a dynamic new way to discover the gallery's specimens. A series of short and engaging video segments reveal how dinosaurs may have walked and interacted and feature fascinating overviews of more than 12 dinosaurs and other creatures. Explanations are provided by curatorial staff from the ROM’s Palaeobiology section. Integrated with the surrounding exhibits, touch-screens allow visitors to choose a subject that interests them and discover fun facts on each of these ancient creatures.

Other areas of the gallery include TD Bank Financial Group Continents Adrift Exhibits, the Evolution of Birds, and K-T Extinction, which discusses the events that may have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. This leads visitors into the next gallery, Age of Mammals, which picks up the story of evolution at this point.

Neither mom or I had voiced it but it turns out  both of us were anxious to see what had been done with the fabulous mosaic which used to be on the vaulted ceiling of the old entrance. For more than 80 years visitors entering the museum looked up and saw a beautiful shimmering mosaic which depicted the ROM's mandate in vivid colour. Leaving the dinos, we made our way to the new Canadian and First nations galleries. Before we entered, we looked up and saw the mosaic in all of its glory. The folks at the ROM have done a fabulous job of embracing the new while at the same time as respecting the old.

Tomato, Pancetta and Arugula Pizza

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. This week's round up is being hosted by host is Anna from Anna's Cool Finds.

We've made another pizza using the recipe for pizza dough we were taught in the 'Taste of Italy' cooking class. I had some things in the refrigerator which I wanted to use up so this pizza was created. We liked the contrast between the peppery arugula and the salty pancetta.

Tomato, Pancetta and Arugula Pizza

I recipe pizza dough, spread thinly
12 slices of thin pancetta
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup prepared sun-dried tomato pesto
grated Italian cheese blend (to taste depending upon how 'cheesy' you like your pizza)
2 handfuls arugula

Heat over to 425 degrees

Spread the sun dried tomato pesto over the prepared pizza dough. Arrange the halved tomatoes and thinly sliced pancetta evenly over the pizza. Cover with 3/4 of the cheese.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 23 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove, sprinkle the almost cooked pizza with arugula and the remaining cheese.

Return to the oven and bake for 2 - 3 more minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Since I've been watching my weight I've been paying far more attention to what I eat that I normally would. As a part of this we've been trying to eat more fish. This is a challenge for me; as a child we were raised on frozen fish sticks and when you trained to think of barely edible bits of fish discards enrobed in cardboard masquerading as batter as fish you don't want to branch out and try other things!

We have discovered that we enjoy Tilapia. It is a mild flavoured fish which takes on the flavours added during cooking. The fish's mild flavor allows the bold flavors in this brothy sauce to shine. Serve this dish with rice, which will absorb the sauce.

Another nice thing about this recipe is that it is quick. It actually took longer to cook the rice than it did the fish and sauce. This makes it a great weeknight meal.

This is not a traditional Thai curry - in particular the addition of curry powder is strange. I didn't use it, instead I added more curry paste. I also use green curry paste instead of the red because I had lots of the green paste on hand. The green paste is hotter than the red so it really knocked our socks off! We sprinkle the fish with extra cilantro - we really love the stuff - misguided cilantro haters could omit the garnish.

Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice
4 lime wedges

Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet, 1/2 cup sauce, 3/4 cup rice, and 1 lime wedge)

CALORIES 506 (30% from fat); FAT 17.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 6g,poly 2.5g); PROTEIN 29g; CHOLESTEROL 82mg; CALCIUM 47mg; SODIUM 616mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 2.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 56.6g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2002

People on the Train

I've mentioned numerous times that I commute to work on the train. On most days my commute goes quite well and  I thank goodness that I don't have to brave the stop and go traffic into the city. It is peaceful to sit on my butt, read my book, or to surf the net without a care in the world.

A number of my colleagues also take the train. Lately we have taken to commiserating with one another about the characters we met on the train. Sending the e-mails back and forth to one another helps to pass the time.

We all know about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This post is about the Seven Commuters that I or my colleagues have encountered on the train over the past few weeks. Believe me, our lives would have been so much better without these characters forcing their way into our existence.

Sleepy Pervert

This lug nut fell asleep on my colleague's shoulder. This was bad, there are some egregious breaches of personal space and this is one of them. Then her train broke down and they were stranded for 45 minutes. Slowly his head 'slipped' down on to her chest. Was he really asleep? I doubt it at all, the dirty old man. He was probably thinking 'woo hoo - nice rack'. Tsk, tsk. The finger of shame is waving vigorously.

Phlegmy

This guy takes the train with me every morning. He gets on at the Oakville stop. He is an older man and probably should focus on retirement. I dread those days when there is an empty seat near me because he spends the entire journey coughing. ICK His cough is the most phlegmy I have ever heard. I don't want to know what he is coughing up, I don't want to even think about it. It is gross and must stop. NOW

Trailer Trash

This woman delights in the antics of the folk she reads about in the National Enquirer. Now, I know lots of folk who sneak a peak whilst standing in line at the grocery store, I have even been known to have done this once or twice. However, I know of very few folk who actually purchase the thing.  Further, I know of no one who wishes to point out their trailer park sensibilities to a train full of commuters. Not this gal. To make matters worse she insists on discussing the antics of those crazy celebrities with those sitting near her. Enough.

Sniffy

This is really a common character. Every now and then one comes along who stands out. This recent example was simply over the top. Obviously this poor man had a bad cold. I can appreciate how tough it is to be sick and that not everyone has access to the sick leave plan that I do. However, if you can't stop your nose from running constantly you really should be at home under a blanket with your cat curled up beside you. To make things even more special, this joker also had no Kleenex. Happily my colleague had enough of the constant sniffing, so after reaching into her purse she handed him a stack of Kleenex. I think he got the point.

Britney Spears

No, Britney does not take the train with me, bless her heart. I have called this particular woman Britney Spears because she has similar parenting skills. I am aware that Paris Hilton, that paragon of good judgment, has recently publicly declared that Britney is a good mom. My sense is that this just isn't the case. I'm sure if you asked 1000 folks to name a really bad mom more than one or two would name Britney. I digress.

'Train' Britney seems to fight with her daughter a lot. The other day she carried on a screaming match with her daughter over the phone. Why? What was the point? Did she really need to exhibit her inadequacies as a parent to the rest of the world? Britney Spears did that - look where it got her. I get that if you're waiting for a lung transplant you may need to take a call and you may need to chat for a bit. If not, how hard is it to say - 'I'm on the train, may I call you back?' See, it is easy, it really is. I sure wouldn't be saying things like 'I'm going to smack you so hard your teeth will rattle if supper isn't on the table when I get home!' in the midst of a train full of folk. It is bad enough to admit you are a failure as a parent but to admit that you're abusive? oh no!

Kleenex

This fellow is related to sniffy up above. However, he is a wee step up - he brings his Kleenex with him. Thank goodness you might think . . . NO! Most people I know will blow their nose and throw out the Kleenex. If they aren't beside a garbage receptacle they will stick it into their coat pocket to dispose of at a convenient time. This character couldn't be bothered. For him this is clearly someone else's job. He blew his nose and proceeded to drop the used tissue on to the floor. Ewwwww!!!!!!

Just who does he feel should clean that up? I hope Go Train cleaners are very well paid, I fear that they are not.

Poopy

This is the last of the seven commuters. I am thrilled to state that I did not experience this sad soul myself. This afternoon I received an e-mail from my colleague Joanne. This is what she wrote:

Some poor soul (and there are no children on the train) sitting in close proximity has just soiled themselves and I'm not talking number one...I'm about to lose my swiss chalet (note for clarification : we ordered Swiss Chalet for lunch for the department). People are actually gagging....more commuting adjustments...holy shit!

Holy shit is right. I love my job but NOT enough to cope with that!

There you have it folk. A cross section of the characters my colleagues and I have run into over the past 2 weeks whilst commuting. Would you care to join this rat race? 

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

There is no doubt that it is 'soup weather' right now.

What is soup weather? It is that bitter cold weather where you need something to warm you throughout.

This recipe fits the bill on a number of diifferent levels. It is quick to prepare, spicy, and hearty. . . . the perfect way to recover after shovelling the driveway and being so cold that you are convinced an appendage is about to crack off (shame excess blubber didn't follow suit, but that is another entry I suppose).

If you like spicy food, you'll love this. You can purchase corn muffins to round out the meal (or make your own - but that defeats the quick and easy part). We decided to have a sandwich and carrots sticks to round out the meal.

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
3/4 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup crushed baked tortilla chips
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and chicken; sauté 2 minutes. Add chile powder and cumin; stir well. Add water, salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Top with tortilla chips and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups soup, 1/4 cup chips, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 1 lime wedge)

CALORIES 228 (21% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 0.6g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 22.9g; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 62mg; SODIUM 873mg; FIBER 3.5g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.8g 

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2005

Ziti with Fennel and Sausage

Lately we have been enamored with fennel. The other day I was searching for a recipe which would use up some ingredients I had on hand (turkey sausage and fennel) and I came across this one at Cooking Light. It seemed perfect - it used up those ingredients AND it was low-fat.

I wondered about the combination though, I know that Italians use fennel a fair bit in their cooking but was curious about how it would taste in a tomato based sauce. I did some more searching and came upon a recipe (remarkably similar - hello . . . copy rite . . .)at the web site of famed celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. I was sold - if Lidia says it is OK then it was.

By moving ingredients to one side and adding a new ingredient in the open space, each can be sautéed in direct contact with the pan to achieve the right browning, instead of steaming in the mass of ingredients. Keep more than two cups of the pasta cooking water to adjust the sauce. If the pasta appears dry, ladle in more cooking water; if it is soupy, increase the heat to cook it rapidly and thicken the sauce.

Ziti with Fennel, Onion, and Sausage

1 (1 1/4-pound) fennel bulb
6 quarts water
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 pound uncooked ziti (short, tube-shaped pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) onion wedges (about 2 medium)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese

Trim fennel, reserving fronds and bulb. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise; cut each bulb half lengthwise into (1/4-inch-thick) slices. Cut bulb slices into 2-inch-long pieces. Chop fennel fronds to measure 1/3 cup.

Bring 6 quarts water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir in pasta; partially cover, and return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook 8 minutes or until the pasta is almost al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 cups cooking water.

While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings. Add sausage to Dutch oven; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Push sausage to one side of pan. Add onion to open space in pan; cook 1 minute or until onion begins to soften. Stir onion into sausage. Push onion mixture to one side of the pan. Add fennel bulb to open space in pan; cook 1 minute or until fennel begins to soften. Stir fennel into onion mixture. Stir in pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute. Move the sausage and fennel mixture to outside edges of pan, leaving an open space in center. Add 1/4 cup tomato paste to open space in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir tomato paste into fennel mixture.

Add reserved 2 cups cooking water to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until fennel is tender. Add fennel fronds and pasta; cook 2 minutes or until pasta is al dente, tossing to combine. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)

CALORIES 352 (21% from fat); FAT 8.3g (sat 2.9g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 19g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 88mg; SODIUM 669mg; FIBER 3.8g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.7g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2004