Julie & Julia Movie

Only a week til Julie and Julia opens!

At a theatre near me!

I plan to be there, laughing loudly but trying to keep book comparison commentary to myself.

Now that I've read both the Julie/Julia book and My Life in France, I can't wait to see how Nora Ephron and crew chose to weave the two into one feature-film length story. The memoirs themselves are full of intrinsically funny moments and endearing drama (not pathos, just the impulse you feel when you can relate to the narrator's ups and downs). The juxtaposition should work very well. If the film is anywhere near as good as the trailers, two hours will fly by.

And then we'll go out for supper. Possibly to The Left Bank.

The French Chef

Mastering the Art of French Cooking may have established Julia Child as the American expert on French cuisine; but I believe it was Julia Child herself that made trying the recipes out into an approachable idea.

Reading My Life in France brought home to me for the first time that the funny, endearing woman on our TV screen during my formative years was not a character but an actual, simply genuine person. She worked very had to make cooking the food she loved understandable; and she revelled in that pursuit. During her half-hour segments, it is clear that she took the technique seriously, but was always also having fun. American cooks who had no idea they wanted to master any art in the kitchen could relate to the joy she conveyed with her voice, expressions, and gestures.

As a community TV producer, it tickled me pink to read her description of her home station, WGBH, when The French Chef piloted in 1962. "WGBH, Channel 2, was Boston's fledgling public TV station. It didn't have much mazuma and was mostly run by volunteers, but they had managed to cobbled together a few hundred dollars to buy some videotape." Fewer resources than my local access station; but so much of the same spirit. And they bought a television set for the first time, in order to watch it (pulled out from its hiding spot).

So much has changed in the last few decades. But people still need to witness a person they can relate to enjoying the pursuit of something worthwhile. In that light, perhaps there is a chance for Bite-size Green to make a difference. Angelina's enthusiasm certainly shines through, as does the dedication of the guests. And the core messages of starting with fresh, local ingredients in season is well-founded in the principles Julia Child herself passed along to us from the farmers and chefs she learned from.

Cloggity Blob

One of the nice things about having a plumber in the extended family is demystifying how water travels through our pipes. It's not always pretty; but it's reassuring to know what counts as normal.

We've been carefully scraping plates into the countertop compost and wiping any grease or oil off them before washing, to avoid the wrath of Cloggity Blob. On occasion, we'll use our non-toxic drain clearing recipe; but I'd rather keep a clog out in the first place than move it further down the pipes.

Recently, our water pressure increased, and the sink started gurgling and slowing down when I let the post-wash water out. On kvetching to Michael, he assured me Cloggity Blob was not on the rise. Instead, we needed to install a vent - the pipes need some air when volume is high. Such a relief. Now the gurgling seems more endearing than threatening.

Countertop Compost

I grew up with compost by the kitchen sink, ready to take out to my mother's garden and dig under at a bare spot.

So naturally I keep a compost pot on the counter, too. I know we're eating well when I have to take it out and tip it into the big black compost bin in the garden once a day (or more).

Lately, everywhere I go the trend seems to be catching on (not my doing). While visiting Seattle, I learned the city has banned food waste from the municipal trash, providing pick-up for kitchen scraps along with the yard "clean green" trimmings, instead. And voila, my friends without gardens are composting now! They like that their trash bags are lighter, drier, and smaller.

Even in my office building, the hot new 'tenant service' is composting. Lunchrooms and the coffee kiosk all have tall, narrow (Slim Jim) bins; and they go to the garage in a dumpster next to the trash and recycling units. Surprisingly large volume of paper towels, which I never thought much about before, using them so sparingly at home. The commercial hauler provides a financial incentive, which appeals to building management as much as the green cache.

Always having a handy, beneficial place for my food scraps makes me feel inordinately happy, instilled with a pervasive sense of optimism. As if a tide has changed, and lifted my boat with it.

Fish Tacos

Thanks to our friend who fishes in and around the San Francisco Bay, we are enjoying fresh halibut. He's even kind enough to fillet it for us.
A light marinade, a few minutes in the skillet or on the grill, and lovely light, flaky meaty chunks are ready to plate.
With halibut leftovers, fish tacos are my new favorite summer dish. To make:

• Warm a couple little white-corn tortillas in a skillet.
• Add a slice of cheese in the middle of each.
• Lay in an ounce or two of halibut chunks.
• Top with salsa and shredded cabbage, or
• Corn, black bean and red pepper salad.
• Add a dash of ranch dressing or sour cream, or yogurt, to taste.
• Roll the sides in and eat over a plate for the drips.

Leftover Oatmeal Pancakes

Sunday mornings were made for a pot of tea and experiments with pancakes.
Today's tea was an Earl Grey - Darjeeling blend. OK, not great. I followed it with a pot of Peet's Yunan Fancy - completely satisfying.

Leftover steel cut oats were the inspiration for the pancakes. Basha mixed them with some buckwheat flour, two eggs, a little non-fat yogurt, water, half-and-half, baking powder, sugar, salt, and diced fresh local peaches. In short, what we had on hand that might work.

Results? Strong buckwheat flavor, wonderful texture, and an excellent vehicle for real maple syrup. Next time we'll mix some lighter gluten-free flours in with the buckwheat, for a milder flavor overall. And maybe more peaches. And next time I'll probably eat one more than I can really hold, again.