introducing

thecreatives.org

see you there!

first, let me preface this recipe with a bit of a story:

i used to be really, Really against hunting.  i just couldn’t understand it.   i thought it was barbaric.  and then my little brother got his doctorate in wildlife preservation and oh so kindly and patiently explained to me that if we humans didn’t hunt, other creatures like deer would increase in population to the point where they would be starving to death.  slowly, painfully, starving to death because people like me thought we were too good to consider ourselves a part of the food chain.

so.  now, knowing that i am a part of taking care of the Greater Good of the deer world, i enjoy the fruits of my family’s hunting labours.  in fact, i now realize it is a free-range, local, sustainable, and (now here’s something you don’t find often accompanying the previous three) FREE option for protein.

okay, so that’s the back story.  now let’s move on to the two-fold story that then, finally, dear heavens, leads us to the recipe.

the new cut story: i received some cuts of venison from my family at christmas.  i knew how to use quite a bit of it (stew meat, ground sausage-plenty of old standby recipes for these), but there was one long, narrow package that said “loin” that was purportedly from a younger deer.  i knew that meant it would be very tender, and not gamey tasting at all, so i didn’t want to waste it.  i wanted to highlight this special treat.

the new recipes story: i was recently a part of a “recipe swap” of sorts that was run by katiekate.  she gathered a week’s worth of recipes from a bunch of us and then collected it all in a great little cookbook, called “best week ever.” so i was flipping through the recipe book, looking for something new and thinking about that loin that had been waiting for me to figure out what to do with it.  some of the recipes, i am not going to lie, were just not my style because they had things like canned creamofwhatever soups in them, or pre-made meatballs that you then cut into smaller pieces (i thought, hmm, wouldn’t browning ground beef have been easier?).  and no offense to those who have been taught that those are the ways to save time in the kitchen and still have edible meals, but i think these folks have been sorely mislead.

then i found Margie, who had included a large-batch recipe for pesto in her list.  pesto!  from scratch!  that’s Beyond not using canned creamof soups, for sure.  trust had been regained. and the recipe right after it, like kismet, was for a roasted pork loin.  with garlic and rosemary and olive oil, three of my favorite friends. (margie wants you to know that it’s not really her recipe, instead it’s one she got off All Recipes, and modified it according to the comments, and then i took her recipe and adjusted it for venison and other little kitchen idiosyncracies of mine.     anyway.)

i knew this recipe was meant to meet my venison loin.

and so they did.  and people, that loin was amazing.  and the “sauce” was amazing.  and it took me right smack dab back into bistro 17eme, where two years ago i finally -after three failed attempts at eating french food while in france- was introduced to the bliss that is the true french meal.

it was rich, it was like there had to be all that butter that julia childs talked about hiding in real french food.  but people.  THERE WAS NO BUTTER.  you know a recipe is good when it fools you into thinking it’s decadent when it’s really just the alchemy of the right ingredients and the right cooking methods melding into one perfect flavour palate.

and did i mention the whole plate was over 80% local?  ’twas.  thanks to the garden out back, the year-long pseudo-farmer’s market, and a family that hunts:  a sustainable meal that tasted like a fancy night in paris.

so without further ado….

(oh wait!  but first!  did i mention i made two pies and a galette while this was in the oven?  oh yes.  i did.  i’ll tell you about it next week.)

roasted venison loin

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste (i used kosher salt and toasted white pepper, which may very well have made more difference than one would think.)

2 pounds boneless venison loin

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup white wine

preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). whir up the garlic with rosemary, salt, and pepper with a little olive oil, making a paste. (i used the magic bullet, adding the olive oil later.  you could use a morter and pestle, or food processor, or what have you.)  pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and spread the paste over the loin, making sure as much as possible gets into the openings.  (not much of mine did, to be honest, but it didn’t seem to matter.)  put into oven-safe dish, pour the rest of the 1/4 olive oil over the loin.

place loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. (totally forgot to do this.  busy with the aforementioned pies.  again, didn’t seem to matter.)  cook until the loin is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour.  since this will vary Greatly depending on the circumference of the loin, And since every time you slice into meat to check its color you will be releasing its juices and essentially Ruining it, i suggest an instant-read thermometer.   inserted into the center it should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

when it has reached the proper temperature, remove roast to a platter.  cover.

heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. let simmer away for a bit, removing the alcohol taste and letting the flavors meld.

serve loin with your favorite creamy potato option (ours was whipped potatoes, whisked in the kitchenaid with cream cheese, salt + pepper, and a little raw milk), pouring the pan juices over both if you want to get crazy.

light candles.  pour wine.  play french music.

enjoy the fruits of your communal labours.

i just found out about this giveaway over at creature comforts, where you can add a comment and be entered for a drawing to win a fuji instax mini camera or a new design of an slr sloop camera bag from photojojo.

mini polaroids?  polaroids the size of a credit card?  really?  ho man.  i almost don’t want you to know about it, because then you’ll put in a comment too, and then my chances of winning will go down. and I WANT THAT CAMERA.

from michela sorrento‘s blog post, which you should also read.  and while you’re there, take a look at her work.  a.ma.zing.

we are all connected.  my actions do not only affect me, they affect those around me.  and your actions for you affect me, and our actions for us affect people in other countries that we haven’t noticed any connection with….

this weekend i tried a simple recipe for making my own gummi bears.  i have a friend who has celiac disease, and she really misses gummi bears.  so i endeavored to make some that she could enjoy.  this is about the easiest candy recipe i’ve ever seen, and worked like a dream.  however, i want to keep experimenting so that vegans can also have them (this used gelatin, which is i am sorry to say, ground up animal bones people).  i’d also like to do something about all those chemicals and colorings that fill jello.  so i’m looking for more recipes that use agar and fruit juice… and hopefully soon enough i can use Local fruits and make a gummi bear filled with thoughtful-eating ingredients (unprocessed, organic, nutritious, Local!), while opening up to more exciting flavors.

gummies for adults, here we come!

so here’s what i did:

in a small saucepan, sprinkle one package jell-o and two packages gelatin.  (if you are looking for gluten-free, make sure the ingredients don’t include “natural flavors.”)  let sit 5 minutes.

heat over medium heat for 2-5 minutes, stirring, until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

transfer to a small pitcher or pyrex measuring cup (for ease of pouring into tiny little molds).

wait one minute, then start pouring into candy molds, taking your time to not overfill.

in 20 minutes, remove from molds.  don’t be afraid, they’re pretty tough little guys.

one other thing i want to solve:  they’re kind of sticky.  i’ve heard that there are different ways to solve this, so i’ll try things out, though i hate to ruin their shiny jewel appeal.

]]> http://luctoremergo.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/make-your-own-gummi-bears/feed/ 0 bechirih IMG_1020 IMG_1024 IMG_1018 IMG_1019 http://luctoremergo.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/making-art-and-making-food-link-love/ http://luctoremergo.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/making-art-and-making-food-link-love/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:58:34 +0000 bechirih http://luctoremergo.wordpress.com/?p=142 Continue reading →]]> it’s monday.  i’m not a fan of mondays.  monday is the day that follows sunday, after all, the day when you don’t have to feel guilty at all for just lying about and are, in fact, commanded to rest and relax.  but monday… monday is when we get down to it.  only sometimes, we feel a bit uninspired.

so what better day to take in a little inspiration than on mondays!  perhaps i should make this a weekly thing.

this week i just can’t help but focus on just two very important elements of my life:  making art, and making food.

art and design

robert kingston -if i were still a painter, i would hope to paint something like this.

next sunday i’m going to detroit for the day, and am hoping to explore some of the great art i hear going on in the middle of run-down (or perhaps because of) run-down buildings.  i can’t help but watch this animated  graffiti brilliance in preparation.  over and over again.

gorgeous?  yes, indeed:  dinner plates.

which brings us to….

in the kitchen

book recommendations for cooking with kids via the kitchn, who always has good stuff.

like today they show us how to make our own cough drops, and that looks like fun (to me.  i know.  stop.)

insane jellies and other malaysian treats, found after great success making my own gummi bears.  (more on that later!)

i’m back to making my smoothies.  alton brown has his own method, of course.

this lady stole my recipe binder system!  well, she did forget an important element:  each section in My binder also has photo sleeves (for 3 photos in a page) at the back for recipes on good ol’ fashioned recipe cards.

hope that helps you get moving on your monday!

if you know me, you know that one of my favorite ways to re-center and relax is to make stuff…. in the kitchen.  most of my kitchen experimentation goes on during the weekends, so i thought… what better day to kick off the kitchen weekend but with a foodie friday post!

because we can't get ourselves to brooklyn every time we want a good pizza

since i do enjoy playing in my kitchen on the weekends, i’ve learned to have that pay off a bit during the week, when i don’t necessarily have the time (or, honestly, just the energy) to be there much during the week.  i’ve recently started “investment cooking,” otherwise known as once a month cooking.  what has become difficult for me, however, is that most freezer-friendly bulk recipes for things like this are filled with processed foods or they are casseroles and nasty faux mexican nonsense.  (i told you i was a foodie, right?)

i have, however, figured out a few winners that combine quality, real food with bulk cooking-and once in a while i’ll share some new discoveries with you.  the one that massi and i are particularly thrilled with these days is our homemade frozen pizzas.  so easy!  so good!  so what i want when i’m tired and want junk food but don’t want to regret it later.

how it works:

i start with my version of jamie oliver’s pizza crust recipe, then do it again (to end up with 12 pizzas), then spread out all the toppings.  each pizza dough is laid over saran wrap that can then be wrapped up and over the top.  three of these saran’d and then labeled pizzas goes into one gallon size ziploc.

a couple hints before i get to the pizza dough recipe:

1)use sauce other than red:  roasted tomatoes and pesto, both made and put up this summer, were both big winners.

2)don’t put too many toppings on one pizza.  it won’t cook through well, and it will be more difficult to stack your pizzas before they’re frozen.

2)if you want a thin crust recipe, pull the pizza out before you preheat the oven and set it on the oven while it preheats.  if you want a more risen crust, give it time to fully thaw out before preheating-thus giving some rise time to the dough.

3)don’t forget to thaw out On the Cookie Sheet you will be cooking it on!  this dough is pretty limp and becomes unweildy once thawed.

so.  to the dough.  and let me know your favorite toppings!

the recipe:

again, this is a loose adaptation from one of my favorite cookbooks, Jamie Oliver’s Italy.  Jamie got me interested in Italian cooking again when i thought i was burned out for life.  check his cookbook for the original recipe, as this is also great for a build-your-own-pizza dinner party, which i’ll be repeating tonight in fact!

BASIC PIZZA CRUST

7 1/2 c high-gluten flour (you can sub in a cup and a half of semolina or wheat flour if you’d like here)

1 level T kosher salt

3 T yeast

1 T sugar

just over 2 c lukewarm water

in your standing mixer with the dough attachment,, add your yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, mix with a fork and let set for a few minutes (proofing the yeast to make sure it’s working), add 3 cups of the flour.  mix until well blended, then add 1 cup at a time until the dough comes together.  let the mixer continue to knead the dough for 10 more minutes.

flour the top of your dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and let rest or at least 15 min at room temp.  divide the dough into 6 portions.

take one of your pieces of the dough, (leave the rest covered) dust your surface and dough with flour, and roll into a rough circle about 1/3 in thick.  a bit thicker is fine-be sure to not roll it out too large to be able to fit into your freezer bag. tear off a long sheet of saran wrap and place on a cookie sheet, then your pizza base on top. top with sauce and limited toppings, wrap with saran, label so you know what’s in it.

continue doing this with the other pieces, piling them into stacks of three.   freeze for a lazy night.

to bake:

if you’ve had the pizza out to thaw, preheat oven to 500 degrees and bake 7-10 minutes on an olive-oil greased cookie sheet.

if you couldn’t wait, preheat oven to 425 and bake 12-15 minutes-which will give you a thinner crust.

(stolen from an anonymous contributor to the pages project.)

and i’ve read lots of books, followed lots of blogs, went to whole seminars on the thing. and we always start with “what do you like to do.” “what, when you’re in the middle of doing it, do you lose time/find your bliss/insert yoga-y nonsense here.” or, they start with “what, if you could Do anything, would you feel safe to pursue?”

do you notice a trend here?

THEY ALL START WITH DO! (i suppose because we’re trying to answer the question, what do i want to DO with my life.)

this has not worked for me. first, every time i think i find what i want to do with my life, i start doing it and then get distracted by this shiny other winking project, something i also want to do. and then i think That’s what i want to Do. i am a Scanner, i am a Learner, i am a person who likes to go new places and try new things. so this whole “what do i want to do with my life” question is not going to stick for me. no matter how many mind maps and journal-journeys i make.

i was starting to get a bit disgusted.

then-epiphany!-yesterday i realized something. i realized that maybe, Maybe, we’re looking for the wrong answer because we’re asking the wrong question. maybe we should look at how organizations and businesses assess these things.

and, from the Black Days of Office Attire, i did learn a few tricks. one was called an Assessment Track, or some nonsense. basically, it was this whole messy chart to measure whether or not we were being successful. to be able to fill in this chart we had to first know what our vision and mission was. we needed to know the purpose. what were we hoping would be the end result of our organization’s existence?

do you notice something here? there is no DO, and kids, there won’t be for a while.

you see, organizations make these crazy charts, sometimes called logic models, or assessment flowcharts, and if you were reading them, on the left would be these actions/tasks (what do you DO?). but in the process of figuring it out, you start at the other side, you start with the outcome. and even before the outcome, you have an overarching vision/mission/PURPOSE.

i started thinking about this while reading Dan Pink’s fabulous Adventures of Johnny Bunko. in Adventures, Johnny is guided through the six lessons to surviving the work world, by a Japanese manga “genie in a chopstick.” seriously. but stick with me, because the last rule is “leave an imprint.”

my argument, here, folks, is that we’re starting at the wrong end of the chart. we’re Ending with “leave an imprint,” and starting with “what do you want to DO.”

but that’s not how organizations organize themselves, if they want to be effective. they start with the imprint. they start with the purpose. the vision/mission, when done well, is not about the tasks they do or the products they produce. it’s about the change they make in the world.

so let’s go through those nasty little charts.

OUTCOME: the result, the change, the purpose. (at the end of your life, what do you want to have shifted around you?)

OUTPUT: what is produced, the product or object (or career position) obtained. (this would be the “what do you want to Be? question.)

INPUT: the activities, the tasks, the things we DO.

some folks also use “activities” (between input and output, calling the input the resources, the stuff needed) and “impact” (the overall change, beyond the outcome), but for our personal purposes i don’t think we need to break it down as much as an organization or company. three will be plenty for us.

so, we start with the outcome: what do we want to have affected in those around you because you were living on this earth? not just what do you want to do (make stuff!), or what do you want to be (artist! writer! curator! educator! blahblahblah!), but what do you want the outcome of your life to be?

i’m still working on this, still figuring it out. but i know it has something to do with fostering creativity in others. at the end of my life, i want people to say i inspired them to use their creativity. i want other folks to say they actually considered that they might Be creative, after all these adults had made them think they weren’t one of those creative types.

fostering creativity doesn’t (only) mean getting people in touch with their crafty sides, of course. it means opening people up to new ways of problem solving. it means reminding them to find and create beauty in their everyday lives. it means reminding them of their unique contribution to the world. and so much more.

so, i’ll keep working on what my outcome is, how that “fostering creativity” becomes something solid to stand on. and then i’ll be working to see how my outputs (jobs, goals, accomplishments) and inputs (tasks to get there, things i Do) can fit into a logical chart.

it will help me focus, and keep walking in the right direction. it might even help me understand my purpose.

i’ll be working on my chart, over here. i would love it if you tried your own chart, and let me know what you came up with.

remember: don’t start with the DO. or even the BE. start with the SHIFT, the imprint, the change.

start with the effect you want to have on the world around you.

Rob Bell, from January 24′s sermon, Ask Seek Knock

“Individualization means, amongst other things, to break free from the social mold and discovering your true purpose. Very often this runs counter to the pressures imposed by our social environment and hence individualization is very often revolutionary and crisis-laden.”

-Gilbert Ross, on Lifescape Artist

(first, a little note before we get down to business. i encourage you, yes YOU TOO wary-of-christians-person, to listen to the sermon mentioned above. OH MY WORD it is a whole new way of looking at the prosperity gospel nonsense. do it. DO IT! you will be changed forever, and that’s no small proclamation. but i mean it. and i’d tell you why, but i don’t wanna be a spoiler.)

So. two contradictory statements, right? Independence is bad! Individualization is good! Well, kids, I’m here to tell you that the two good things, interdependence and individualization, actually work better when they work hand in hand.

First, let’s get clear on what we mean by individualization. Individualization is just a big mouthful for being who you are. Being what you were meant to be, what you know you are deep down inside you when you’re not listening to what the dominant culture that surrounds you tells you is correct. Individualization is having the courage to discover your true self, to build on your strengths instead of trying to correct what society is telling you should be fixed in your weaknesses. In religiouspeak, this is called “following your calling.”

Second, american reader, you may be wondering what’s so bad about independence. Well, first, may i recommend once again that you listen to the above Ask Seek Knock sermon linked above. Bell explains it much better than I can here. But the core of it is, we get so hellbent on being able to take care of ourselves that we lose the joy of taking care of each other. We were designed for community. We were meant to ask for help (and we were also meant to have healthy boundaries and be able to say we can’t help when we really can’t or perhaps shouldn’t). We were meant to build each other up. We were meant for inter-dependence.

The two work best together, you see, when we are encouraged (by our surrounding community, who is building us up) to be who we are. When I am encouraged to build on my strengths, and willing to be part of an interdependent community, that community gains from my strengths. In a community that is building each other up and encouraging individual strengths, they then together form a whole.

you see where this is leading us folks? EACH SINGLE PERSON NO LONGER HAS TO BE ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING WELL. No one has to “do it all.” We can lend our own gifts to the community, and together we are stronger than any of us could be on our own. We can stop trying to be good at everything, stop trying to do it all, stop trying to fix what’s “wrong” with us and just keep strengthening what is naturally
Right.

Freedom! Actually more freedom to do your thing when you’re doing it with other people doing their thing. So, what we’re saying here, is that being independent could actually be Less free than being inter-dependent.

Wild.

and some of them? some of them are so good i should be sharing them with you! so here we go, my first in a hopefully-weekly list of things you really should check out-either because they’re funny, or insightful, or probably more often something you should see or make.

gwen bell, social media maven. this little post gives you lots of windows into why i enjoy reading her. i’m not a blanket fan or follower of all social media, but i do like to at least explore and see what works and doesn’t for me.

marzipan mushrooms and backyard terrariums from imagine childhood. i admit it, i follow this blog because i get so inspired and attracted to the crafts and activities designed for children.

rex ray. whenever i need some encouraging eye candy, i turn to rex ray’s art work.

not your cardboard can variety crescent roll. first of all, it’s homemade. second, it’s a sweet potato crescent roll with all the lovely winter-day spices you love to see with something like sweet potatoes. from wendy, who is going through the simply in season cookbook to learn even more about cooking with local food. yum.

ok so there you have it- a little technology, a little crafting, a little art and a little food. sounds like a well-rounded life to me!

i’ll just leave you with one quote from gwen bell, before i hop offline to follow her sage advice:

“Write with a pen, capture your thoughts daily.”