Spontaneous Musings

Feeling a bit depressed, a bit lonely, a bit frustrated and a bit anxious. Is this post election day depression or just November uglies? It's cool, brisk, rainy half-the-time and darker at night and in the morning, with fewer hours of sunlight. Plus the economy is in the toiled and flirting with being flushed. Eh. Maybe it's past that stage now and on it's way to the sewage dump? While I'm thankful that I've managed after six years of flitting about to have found what appears to be a relatively safe and stable occupation - about as stable as one can get in these uncertain times, I worry if I will ever be able to get ahead. And by just how much my rent will go up to pay for my landlord's mortage, property taxes and heating bills.

I remain somewhat obsessed with the economy and politics, although less so now that I know things are going to shift, hopefully for the better. Obama's stance on community organizing as the solver of all ills does admittedly concern me a bit. I'm not sure this is as true as people may think. From what I've read and heard, the man is a realist and incredibly pragmatic.

Got bored with my cooking - so on Sunday whipped up the following: Scallops in white wine and ginger vinagrette with quinoa/corn pasta (lighter and better for you than wheat pasta by the way, has less cholestrol.)

Here's my recipe, which I sort of took from Bobby Flay in US Magazine this Sunday and changed to fit my own purposes.

*two slices chopped of fresh italian red pepper (to replace watercress which I could not find)
*deli mustard (dijion in the original)
*white wine (didn't have lobster stock)
* shallot (one half)
*garlic (two cloves chopped not pressed - don't have a press)
*ginger (chopped not pressed)
*fresh from the farmer's market scallops
* lemon juice, some lemon zest.
*orange juice, some orange zest.
(the original recipe called for an entire orange and an entire lemon, plus zest and orange slices - but this was for a vinagrette to go over salad, which I didn't do.)

The recipe calls for frying the scallops lightly salted in olive oil, setting aside, and then doing the sauce. I did the opposite. I sauteed the olive oil, garlic, shallot, white wine, deli mustard, and pepper. Added the scallops, then the lemon juice and orange juice when it was needed.

Once I was done I threw this over the quinoa pasta, cooked in water and a dash of olive oil. (I only use extra virgin - Newman's Own). And a handful of shaved parmesene cheese. With a glass of white wine - it's quite yummy. Or without as the case may be. I'm not usually a fan of scallops - find them tasteless and tough. But these melted like butter in your mouth and with the vinagrett were delicious. They weren't cheap. I managed to get a quarter pound for $7, which was fine for me and a one time treat.

I can't really cook with recipes well - there's always an ingredient, an utenisle or process that I just can't do, so I have to alter the recipe or innovate a step - which makes it in a way far more fun. For chocolat chip cookies - I used to mix the butter and crisco, also used less flour, and baking soda,while more brown sugar than white and more vanilla (often two to three tablespoons, was quite liberal with the vanilla - usually it was Mexican Vanilla, not the stuff you get from the store - due to my grandparents frequent trips south of the border to get celebrex and zantac while they were visiting the RV parks out in Yuma and Y, Arizona.) and a touch of coffee. I was extraordinarily good at making chocolat chip cookies - no one has come close to what I did. (Of course, I can't eat them or at least not the ones with wheat flour anymore, so I've no idea. Sometimes, I really miss those chocolat chip cookies, there's nothing more comforting than whipping up a batch and changing the nestle toll house recipe in the process.)

The news mentioned tonight that studies had shown listening to music lifted spirits and calmed nerves. So turned on the ipod speakers and off the telly. Wouldn't you know? It worked.