Vegan Matzoh Ball Soup

     It’s that time of year.  When the Jews and Jewesses* of the world cast away some of the luxuries of food yet somehow still make even more amazing, symbolic and delicious meals.  Passover.  Out here in SLC I have yet to meet a single Jew or Jewess, and I have been missing the company, traditions and of course the foods of their rich culture.  So I created a little taste of the tradition for myself.  
     I’ve been making this soup for several years.  Traditionally the soup is made with chicken broth and a dumpling like balls made from matzoh meal and eggs.  Somewhere in my vegan interpretation I mixed up matzoh meal (the flour used to make matzoh) with matzoh farfle (broken pieces of matzoh) .  So in my version of this classic dish I use crushed whole wheat matzoh, which makes for a slightly more texturized and dense ball that I really enjoy..

the balls:
dry ingredients: (mix in a large bowl)
1 package whole wheat matzoh, crumbled
salt and peppa to taste

wet ingredients: (blend together in food processor)
12oz Package silken tofu
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 c vegetable stock

Mix together wet and dry ingredients and let dough chill for about an hour. 
(In the mean time prepare the broth)  when dough is chilled form into hand sized balls. 

broth ingredients:
4 c vegetable stock, water as needed
1 carrot finely shredded
2 celery spears finely shredded
1 1/2 onion thinly sliced
fresh dill
salt, peeper, brags to taste

Add thinly shredded carrots and celery and thinly sliced onion and chopped fresh dill to vegetable broth on medium heat.  (again this differs from tradition but I like veggies.  by prepping the vegies so thin and delicate they blend with the broth.)  When broth is bubbly and tasty add balls and cook until they are thoroughly warmed.  Serve hot to friends and family.

one year

a few things I have learned and observed in the year I have resided in this beautifully strange City by the Salty Lake..

- This is the place. 
- The seagull is the state bird of this land-locked state.
- School teachers are legally allowed to carry guns, to work if they so choose..
- The great salt lake is the second saltiest lake on earth and spans millions of acres while it is only 34ft deep at it’s deepest.
- The grid here seem strange at first (1645s, 200e) but the city’s system of coordinate-like addresses means I never consult google maps before venturing to a new location.
- In addition to SLC Punk; Dumb and Dumber (which I still have never watched in it’s entirety), High School Musical (I used to live down the street from the real ‘East High’) and Touched by an Angel were filmed here
- If you go to the Beehive House, historically identified as Brigham Young’s ‘ideal polygamist dwelling’ the guides stand firm that he lived there with one wife.  Most people don’t talk much about polygamy except to say it was only practiced a long time ago.
- on that note I have yet to watch either Big Love or Sister Wives, both have been recommended to me since I arrived.
-  the Sundance film festival was started here and still happens every year here, with some of the films having showings at movie theaters in Salt Lake, while most of the showings, and parties and hoopla happens up in Park City
- To marvel at the organizational prowess of the LDS (Mormon) church I recommend 8 a Mormon Proposition, but to enjoy the benefits of having a close-knit, industrious and welcoming society I recommend going to LDS family events. 
- Sometimes people say SLC has more gays per/capita than San Fran, but I can’t find any evidence to correlate with that, although this research from UCLA-Law suggests we’re not even in the top 10, SLC has a respectable (estimated) 7.6% gay population (which IS greater than New York’s 4.5% but not San Fran’s whooping 15.4%) and a Pride celebration that is nothing to snuff at.
- I love how often I see live music here.  The local music scene is happening and affordable.  I especially like Hip White People and The Awful Truth
-  Each time I put in my address online and it has a list of states to select your state from, I always think it’s fitting that Utah is nestled between Texas and Vermont.  Utah is somewhere between the outdoorsy-homespun-environmentally-aware Vermont, and the rugged-largerthanlife-industrial-sometimes less than accepting Texas..

and so here I am. I never would have thought I’d stay here a year, but I find that I like it here, and I expect to be here for a little while so I might as well embrace and enjoy.  to Utah.

me and morning

we’re old friends, me and the morning.  I can rely on the morning to be there for me.  to offer me solace.  to let me quietly reflect on things.  to help me accomplish things big and small.  I know I’ll always have the morning when I need it.  a fresh start.  before the day has swept away into bustle and chaos.  when reality still remains so close to intention..

And I take care of morning too.  I notice it when others would just as soon ignore it.  Sleep in, I believe it’s called.  I enjoy the morning light, the softness of it.  the time for half-formed thoughts.  a time for small projects and preparations.  a treasure trove of time when the night before ended too soon.  I take joy in it and spread joy about it.  never badmouthing it for being “too early” or for robbing me of sleep.  morning gives me so much more than it takes.  clarity. thoughtfulness.  solitude.  preservation.  forethought. morning lets me exist in my own context.

Homemade pita bread is easier than you think

I get it.  not everyone is a baker.  for some (even seasoned cooks) yeast breads are a scary and mysterious beast, but this whole wheat pita bread is surprisingly easy to make and so deliciously simple you’ll soon want to master the art just so you can keep up with demand.  I once brought this pita, along with a homemade hummus and homegrown vegetables to a potluck and the crowd was amazed at each unveiling.  You grew the vegetables made the humus and the pita!?!  (incidentally I had also made the bowl the humus was in but that was just too much..)  This pita also freezes well and can be toasted and spiced to make pita chips!

2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon (or one packet) dried yeast
1 teaspoon salt (always optional in my opinion)
5-6 cups whole wheat flour

the plan:
1. dissolve maple syrup/honey in boiling water then let cool to hand hot. sprinkle yeast on top of the water (do not stir!), leave until frothy
2. add flour and salt slowly stopping adding when the dough forms a sticky ball. dust the surface with flour, knead well to form a soft ball.(don’t over flour!)
3. cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour***
4. punch down dough and divide into about ten small balls, roll each ball out on a floured surface, keeping the round shape until approx. 1/4 inch. let rise on ungreased, lightly floured sheet pans. cover with cloth.
5. after 20 minutes, turn carefully and rise another 25 min.(preheat oven to just over 400°F)
6. bake for about 5-8 min until they seem to pop!
7. remove from oven and wrap in a clean towel and let cool.


***My rising secret is to set bowl over pan of boiled water, letting the steam warm the area for optimal rising***

movement

for too long it has been stagnant. no appreciable change, no breath of fresh air. waiting... waiting... waiting....

and then, a minor miracle happened, we made a decision that only hinged on us--not the bank or the status of our vehicle--we decided the cats could be settled in their new situation: my parent's house in western mass. a minor movement west, car filled with our cats and all their wordy possessions, driving into the sunset was all we needed to break the monotony of limbo. movement. suddenly the greater trip west is all possible, real, present and immanent. driving into the sunset, close, so close, and achievable. as we left our house with the cats we got word on an offer from the bank, one we are willing to accept, especially because it is the offer that is on the table right now. things seem to be falling into place. if our cats can adapt to change and so can we.

preparation

it seems like this whole summer has been spent with an eye towards departure. not that I haven't taken in moments for their own sake, just that imminent travel has been a focusing point. still after all that, the thought I have put into it, the intention with which I have selected things to bring, to leave behind, to give away, I have this feeling that I have been preparing to be unprepared. in many ways I am hoping to be caught off guard, to be surprised by the environments and the people I meet. there is no way I can encompass all potential scenarios, I am preparing for the unknown, the spirit of adventure and with the confidence that I can work it out. what is the single most valuable thing I am taking on this trip? the most useful tool? the thing I plan to utilize in all sorts of situations? myself.

I finally made it . . .

. . . I made a clean get away. these lyrics from a beautiful and haunting song by Maria Taylor have been a bit of a mantra of mine for a while now. in moments, hours, days when I've wanted to disappear and start anew somewhere else, this song has sat with me. I've been waiting for the day it will be true. it's passed tense "I made a clean get away" yet I've been using it to look forward for months.

for what feels like ages, I've been in a state of not knowing what exactly is coming next, just forming things as I go along, and knowing that I'll find a way to make some or all of it happen. my plans have been perpetually evolving--a creature of my own creation--I've applied a rolling admission policy for life plans/goals/adventures. it is at once romantic and untethered in the "anything's possible" sort of way and crushingly complex. unfortunately, with this approach there is room for the persistently pesky doubt that often accompanies uncertainty, but for the most part, I have managed to resist or delay that negative trap.

it's not as though I'm in a bad place here and now, and the soulful sadness of the song sometimes reminds me of my relative peace and happiness. I enjoy and have been enjoying my present, it's just time to cash in on some of those post-college dreams. I need a change and there is a lot I am looking forward to that only change can bring me.

"all that you touch
you change.
all that you change
changes you.
the only lasting truth
is change."
and here I add--life is change.
-O. Butler

and the song is misleading..."a clean get away", I'm not sure that exists. life is messy. craft center becomes crap pile. cozy turns crass. there is no perfect goodybye. but I'm ok with that.