the Castle looms on the horizon 
with the rising sun behind. 
an imperial sight – 
the rook’s stately comportment 
cast in plaster 
as Apollo carts the shadows. 

the Elephant lumbers onward 
with exhaustion in her limbs.
a week’s persistent journey – 
I follow clandestinely behind
with great expectations
of the city that awaits.
             ___

This recipe is my Grandmother’s.  
Given to me on faded paper, typed – with a typewriter.  It is 3-hole-punched and rests in my cookbook.  This recipe is quick & simple.  It is wonderful for catering or simply for an everyday dinner.  Chicken (or Veal) Piccata:

the STUFF

1-1/2 cutlets, pounded thin
Flour
4 cloves garlic
4 Tbs butter
¼ C lemon juice
¼ C white wine
2 Tbs fresh parsley

what TO DO

coat cutlet pieces with flour & shake excess
mince garlic & chop parsley
melt 2 Tbs butter in skillet
add meat & brown 4 minutes each side
add remaining butter
reduce heat
add lemon juice, wine & parsley
cook about 8 minutes 

garnish  with lemon slices & parsley
eat with angel hair pasta

delicious!

I tried describing you.  But descriptions are,                      difficult.  

I could have mentioned your hair.  Or your eyes.  Or your height.   
But these descriptions would not have been enough.

(I could not fully describe how it can be messy, in the most attractive sort of way.  How it curls and reaches out in every direction but down.  And it frizzes from running your calloused fingers forehead to occipital – once, twice, and again.
I could not perfectly describe how they laugh in a quiet kind of manner.  How when your brow furrows in thought, they unfocus and focus at once.  And also at once how they can pierce and warm the same. 
I could not completely explain how your height is tall but not too, relative to me.  How it is just right walking for your hand to swing into mine.  And when sitting, how your broad shoulders welcome my ear. 
But again these descriptions would not have been enough.)

So I described you as a thing.
Not that that’s what you are.

I described you as a stovetop-coffeepot.

The kind that always whistles.  Perhaps a grey metal, tarnished in a lovely way.  Well-designed, of course.  With a black handle.  Your size fills two cups, plus some extra to warm each up later.  And your smell is delightful in the early morning and irresistible nearing midnight.  Dependable and durable, an advertisement could claim.  
The stovetop-coffeepot is a slow revolution humming right in tune.         

coffee &
cinnamon - walnut buns

the STUFF

for the dough…
2-1/4 teaspoons yeast (+ ½ teaspoon sugar + ¼ cup water)
¼ cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup cream
1 egg
2-1/2 cup flour
8 tbs butter

for the filling…
4 tbs butter, melted
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¾ cup walnuts

for the glaze…
2 cup confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup milk

what TO DO

in a bowl…
whisk the yeast with ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ cup water
let it sit for about 10 mins, until it is frothy
whisk in the sugar, salt & vanilla, mix well
whisk in the cream, mix well
beat in the egg

in a large bowl…
cream flour and butter together
slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture
keep mixing, until a large ball of dough is formed
cover the bowl with a dish towel
set in a warm place
let rise for 60 – 90 mins.

later…
combine cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, brown sugar & walnuts
set aside
(pecans or chocolate chips are excellent substitutions)

on a floured surface…
roll out the dough about 20” x 30”
(you can roll it out half this size if you would like.
the larger the area, the more rolls in the buns,
which means more cinnamon filling!)
brush 2 tbs of melted butter onto the dough
evenly spread all of the filling onto the buttery surface
(finger licking is a requirement)
then, roll!
roll so you have a 12” log
with a sharp knife the log into buns
(about 10 buns)
arrange the buns on a cookie sheet
let them rest in a warm space for another 60 – 90 mins.
(trust me it’s worth the wait, but if you just can’t wait any longer, 
feel free to skip this part – I won’t tell, promise)  

finally…
preheat oven to 350 F
bake for 30 min
remove from oven
stir milk & confectioner’s sugar together
spoon on top of warm buns
eat immediately
preferably with a cup of stovetop-coffee

- Coco

moving day.
excitement tainted with a stroke of anxiousness,
gloomy tones because
summer has slipped away.
flip flops are packed away & boots are racked in my closet.
sunburn fading fast as
the crickets croon a final chorus,

welcome to autumn
the gaslight anthem whispers
into the microphone.

The 4033
my friends’ new apartment
& a kickoff to our final beginning of the year
stories, jamming, laughs & drinks

I’m going to bake for the welcome,
something with the flavors of autumn
& with the celebration of senior year, beer bread: 

the STUFF

for the bread…
1-1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon all-spice
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ cup lemon juice
½ stick butter
¼ cup sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup honey
6 ounces pale ale
½ cup chopped pecans

for lemon glaze…
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup lemon juice

what TO DO

in a small bowl…
mix flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt

in a large bowl…
cream butter, sugar & spices
(by hand or with a stand mixer)
add eggs, one at a time, mixing well
add lemon juice, mix well
add honey, mix well
add 1/3 of the flour, mix
add 1/3 of the beer, mix
repeat 2 more times
(the batter is very thin)

butter & flour a bread pan
pour in batter
top with chopped pecans

preheat oven to 350 F
bake for 50 min

mix powder sugar & lemon juice
let bread cool
spoon the frosting on top of the cake

enjoy with music, laughs & company
cheers to the beginning of the last!

the STUFF

for the peanut butter balls…
1/3 cup PB
2 TBS butter
¼ tsp vanilla
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

for the chocolate cupcakes…1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda 
3 tablespoons Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
½ cup Coco Powder
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Vanilla 
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon white vinegar 

for the chocolate peanut butter frosting…  
1/3 cup milk
2 tbs butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup PB 

for the name tag decorations...
acrylic

what TO DO

for the peanut butter balls…
mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, sugar & cinnamon
form into 12 dough balls
place in freeze to harden for the chocolate cupcakes…


for the chocolate cupcakes...

in a medium bowl...
shift together flour and cornstarch 
(this makes a homemade cake flour) 
Add sugar, salt, baking soda, pudding & coco powder
(if you do not have pudding mix, that’s okay, 
but the pudding mix makes the cupcakes super moist)

in a large bowl...
whisk together olive oil, water, white vinegar & vanilla 
keep whisking & gradually add in the dry ingredients 

in a cupcake pan...
line with parchment paper 
(cut 5" squares and press into the pan)
fill 1/3 of the way with cupcake batter
remove the peanut butter balls from the freeze
place one in each cupcake
fill each cupcake with remaining batter

in the oven...
preheat to 350 F
bake 20 mins

for the chocolate peanut butter frosting…
in a saucepan heat milk and butter
bring to boil
pour over chocholate, whisk
(keep whisking … if the mix is thin, add more chocolate) 
stir in peanut butter
spread on top of cupcakes

for the name tag decorations...
laser cut acrylic
(thanks to Kevin for his design assistance)
or you can be less of a nerd & cut a thick cardboard

There was a time when
the sun seemed to laugh upon the bay
happily – and the brilliance blinded me
to the choking motor, silently struggling 

underneath your weighty demands.
Never whining, regardless playing along.



The restaurant stank of a dead sea
and the water, though clear
tasted rotten.                                            I drank,
how could I have known of              the poison?
June is innocent and her magic intoxicating.

Twilight is a lingering goodbye
that accepts a black velvet night and
promises late night laments,

the lighting bugs and crickets didn’t even try
to compete with the county fair,
lights demanding attention,
whistles, beeps – buzzing electrics, persistent droning,

cotton candy, face paint – mirror mazes, twisting rides – 
all an illusion of joy, a spectacle  
your performance was …
                                                                          astonishing.
 ___

joys of childhood wrapped into one:
              ice cream, summer’s treat
              cookie, mom’s specialty 
              cupcake, birthdays’ delight

the STUFF
for cookies...
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla 
1-1/3 cup oats
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped 

for cupcake...
ice cream
chocolate syrup 
crushed pecans 

what TO DO
in a large bowl…
cream butter with brown sugar
add the egg, beat well
add vanilla, mix

in a small bowl…
combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, slat, cinnamon, nutmeg

in another small bowl…
mix oat, chocolate chips, pecans
to the large bowl...
add the flour mixture in 3 parts 
add the oat mixture in 3 parts
(alternate between the flour & oats)
mix well



in a cupcake pan…
line the pan with cupcake holders
spoon in about 1 tbs of dough
press down lightly with the spoon

preheat oven to 350 F
bake for 7-10 mins
let cool

to assemble the cupcakes...
spoon ice cream atop cookie
mix syrup with crush pecans
spoon this mixture atop ice cream
spoon more ice cream atop 
freeze for a few hours

eat.smile.

for JUST cookies
on a cookie sheet…
spoon dough onto ungreased sheet 
bake at 350 F for 10 mins

eat.smile. 

I have spent the past few days gawking at architecture, art & design.
Call it a hobby, or an obsession, perhaps a fervor –
at any rate, I squinted, craned, and probably drooled a little.
I marveled at both old & new,
the art of making is just … remarkable.
But there is something particularly special about handmade works.
These works come from another world, a world of calloused hands,
a world that is now fixed in rust, 
a slower world – resting in the sunshine, sipping coffee slowly, & reading a hardcover book.
For today, as summer is fading into fall, I am going to slow down,
enjoy the final light of August
& appreciate the art of hand-making with
old world homemade pasta 

the STUFF

for the ravioli… (makes about 30 ravioli)
1-1/2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water

for the filling…
1 lb chopped spinach
olive oil
garlic
1 egg
¼ cup (ish) parmesan cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
fresh parsley, salt, pepper

for the sauce…
garlic
butter
parsley

what TO DO

first for the ravioli…
dump the flour onto a working surface
form a “volcano”
crack the egg into the volcano, beat with a fork (this is the “lava”)
add olive oil & water, beat with a fork
keep beating & slowly shove the walls of the volcano into the lava pit
work the flour into the lava mixture until you have a ball of dough
kneed the ball of dough for about 3 mins (add more water if need be)
divide the dough into two parts
wrap one in plastic wrap
roll the other out on a floured surface
(this will be a workout)
keep rolling … until the dough is paper thin … thin enough to see the text of a newspaper through … keep rolling …
cut the dough into ravioli sized squares, about 2.5” works well
repeat with the second ball of dough (yes more rolling)

now for the filling…
heat olive oil and freshly chopped garlic in a frying pan
chop the spinach & sauté in the olive oil/garlic
when the spinach is cooked, remove from heat
add beaten egg, cheese, bread crumbs & seasonings
place back on heat, stirring for a few minutes

and then the assembly…
spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling into the first half of ravioli squares 
cover each with the second squares 
using a fork, press the edges together 

now just the cooking…
bring a pot of water to a boil, salt generously 
add the ravioli, cook for 3-5 minutes 
remove from water & let drain on a paper towel 

finally the sauce…
in a pan sauté butter, freshly chopped garlic & parsley 
spoon this on top of the ravioli 

manja! 

take a look at some summer snapshots on the Discoveries page
enjoy !

went running today
out in the woods of the ancient sages,
their backs straight as arrows despite their age.
they tower over me, murmuring back and forth the secrets of the universe,
cackling at my artlessness.
their comportment is always stately, and justly so,
their wisdom far exceeds my own.
they gather in groups to discuss,
they must journey from another world above,
spears thrown down by the gods, piercing the ground,
and I amble into their mystic space,
light falling from a distance above,
it feels ethereal.
and it makes me wonder why I worry,
why those trivial things that shouldn’t matter, just do.
like the chip of paint missing from the wall or the toast that is too toasted
or the less than perfect mark or the silent phone with no messages.
my worries seem less worrisome out in the woods.

I wish I could spend all day wandering the woods,
listening to the elders whisper the story of the worlds.

_ _ _

I baked some toasted almond biscotti, again.
This time I added some miniCHOCOLATEchips.
(3/4 cup toasted almonds + 3/4 cup chocolate)
Special thanks to Tog (the German baking Italian) for all his help!

Oops.  I “forgot” to eat the bananas, and they are VERY freckled.  Guess this means I just have to bake some banana bread. (!)

This recipe is my mom’s.  It is mouth-watering, lip-smacking good.  It is luscious and rich, so much so, that it should properly be referred to as banana cake.  But the name banana bread justifies breakfast consumption.  Enjoy it warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven with a fork.  Banana Bread:

the STUFF

3-4 brown speckled bananas
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ cup chopped walnuts (or chocolate chips)

2 large eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup milk
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

what TO DO

in a small bowl…
mash the bananas with a fork
the browner the bananas, the sweeter (and the better!)

in another small bowl…
mix: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg & orange zest
add chopped walnuts … or chocolate chips … or both

in a large bowl …
whisk the eggs
stir in the melted butter, milk & brown sugar
add the dry ingredients in 3 parts & the bananas in 3 parts, alternating between the two, stir after each addition 
(do not over stir)

in a bread pan…
line the bread pan with parchment paper
this allows for easy removal & prevents the bottom from burning (especially when you have an old, temperamental oven)
if you’d prefer, you can butter the bread pan instead
pour the batter into the pan
sprinkle some more walnuts/chocolate chips on top

preheat oven to 350F
bake for 50-60 mins.
remove from oven, let sit for a few mins, consume immediately!

2 people, 1 sitting, 0 banana bread leftover  (really)

mid August.
already.
and the sands of summer are seemingly slipping faster down the hourglass.
if only summer’s magic could pause time.
then more books would be read, more picnics would be enjoyed & more (tandem) bicycles would be ridden.    
but if the world was paused
then the crickets would be silent, the fireflies would be suspended, the waves would be frozen, & the fireworks would be hushed.
and summer would be … not summer.
I have a tendency to mourn summer before she’s gone.
it is a preemptive tactic.     
but there is still more summer to come.
so here is to the finale of summer.
to the last of short shorts, the last of ice pops, the last of tan lines, the last of summer reads, the last of cherries on the front porch, the last of no shoes, the last of sand, the last of sleeping in the green grass & the last of summer late night bonfires with guitar playing and smores!


the STUFF

for the graham cracker crust …
2 cups flour
¾ cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter, cold
¼ cup honey
4 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract  

for the filling…
2 packets instant chocolate pudding
3-3/4 cup milk
1 cup (ishh) mini marshmallows 

what TO DO

in a large bowl…
sift together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
cut butter into small cubes
work the butter into the dry mixture with your hands (or a food processor)
keep working until you have a coarse meal 

in a small bowl…
stir together honey, milk & vanilla 
add this to the dry mixture
stir

on a floured surface…
roll out the dough 
place the dough into a pie dish 
(I wanted the crust to be thick so I used most of the dough.  I made graham crackers with the rest!)

in the oven…
preheat to 350 F
depending upon how thick you made the crust bake for 10-25 mins.
remove from oven & let cool

on the stovetop…
prepare the instant pudding as directed
let cool for about 5 mins.
pour into the pie crust 
top with marshmallows
place back in the oven for about 5 mins or until the marshmallows are golden
remove from oven
let stand 

serve warm or place covered in the fridge for at least 3 hours & serve cold  
enjoy outside at night with friends/family

happy mid August!