17 months and 59 years later

It has been 17 months between blogs and I have a lot to say. No excuses for not writing. I miss it more than my two followers did! So, I am back. I will catch you up, post a new recipe and write more often.
I had a great run in 2013, my 6th year competing at the California State Fair. Competing is not for the faint of heart and I took my share of criticism from the judges. I learn from it and make changes to entries and compositions. I took 1st place in the Fleischmann's Yeast Best Baking Contest for my Mom's Sweet Cardamom Bread and 3rd place in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship for my Après Dinner Mints. I had my 15 minutes of fame on the local channels, Sacramento Bee and at work! It was a Splendid experience, a shameless plug for the clothes I wore on camera. 

In November, I wrote my first book titled for now, This Bird Does, a memoir about growing up with grandparents, divorce, love, death, and God.  Woven throughout the narrative is the connection I have with food. I signed up for Nanowrimo at the suggestion of a friend who knew how much I love to write. The contest is a challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. The prize is finishing. It wasn't as hard as I imagined because I wrote about my life and I am the expert. It was fun and I will do it again. Now I am editing and rewriting before I even consider publishing it myself. It gave me a huge sense of accomplishment and I felt the encouragement from friends and family that I will always remember. 

I signed up for Twitter, I tweet, and I follow and I am followed.  I don't do Facebook or instagram.  I added my twitter feed at the top so you can read my tweets or follow if you would like. The challenge of twitter is to get your message across in only 140 characters. I'm learning and enjoying following.

    Pyrex bowls, circa 1954

 I received this email from a dear friend last summer:

 Move over Paula Deen! (love her, by the way)
OK, first I noticed the green Pyrex bowl - the bread bowl as my mom called it.
"Heads up", I said. "This lady is the real thing. She has my mom's green bowl. Something good is coming from this lady."
AND IT WAS YOU. ON LIVE TV!!!!! And, on your BIRTHDAY!!!
What a way to celebrate! You go girl!
Congrats on your First Prize win. Couldn't be happier for you. I hope all of your family and friends saw you Saturday am. A moment that I will never forget.........love u

The green bowl. I decided to take it on TV because I knew it would show up well on camera. It came from the stacked primary colors Pyrex set my mom received as a wedding present in 1954. When she downsized to move, she gave them to me. The only problem was there were only three; yellow meant potato salad growing up, green; I know now as my friend's mother's bread bowl and blue the best cereal bowl ever.
But no red bowl. Broken years ago.

At work a month ago, at a potluck, there was the red bowl sitting on the conference room table filled with veggie straws. I tried to hold back my excitement. I couldn't stop looking at it. I picked it up and held it thinking what it would mean to complete the set. I offered the owner $20 on the spot. I knew they existed on EBay but mostly in sets. I expected to find the red one at a yard sale or thrift store. He said he had to check with his wife. The next day he brought it in and gave it to me, refusing money for it.  I couldn't believe it!  An act of kindness that I will never forget. Completed set 59 years later.

I promised a recipe. This is my new favorite. I found a recipe for green tea cured salmon. I made it and liked it. My BFWF, Best Friend at Whole Foods, Drew, sent me some LapSang souchong tea for Christmas.  It is black tea smoked over a pine fire.  I thought if I used it, the salmon would taste smoked and it does.  It is incredibly easy, looks beautiful and tastes amazing. I reciprocated by sending him my homemade mulberry leaf tea, a natural zombie repellent.  I read it on the internet so it must be true.  

  

Smoked Tea Cured Salmon

One salmon fillet (I use wild caught from WF, about pound)

½ cup kosher salt

½ cup LapSang souchong tea

½ cup organic brown sugar

Mix the salt, tea and sugar together.  I use a Pyrex dish, 9 x 11, place plastic wrap on the bottom, enough so you can wrap the fish up. Place the fish skin side down on the plastic wrap and cover with mixture so that no fish is exposed.  Wrap it up and place a heavy object on top to flatten.  I use a cast iron Dutch oven.  Put it in the refrigerator for 48 hours.  Remove from dish and plastic wrap.  Rinse under water to remove the salt, tea and sugar.  Dry with paper towels and slice thin.  I don’t cut all the way to the skin.  Serve with capers, crème fraiche and water crackers.