Resolving to Write, Spousal Support, and That Slaw

We're having a blizzard again. Life is picturesque.

Last night, sixteen writers gathered in the conference room of the Homer Library for a "Resolve to Write" event, under the aegis of the literary organization 49 Writers and the Friends of the Homer Library.

As usual when a group of writers gets together, there was a feeling of camaraderie and of "being with one's tribe," as well as a sense of bumping up against intense ambitions germane to one's own. Some of us were present for the event last year, and so were able to check in on how successful we had been with our resolutions, and there were new faces too. And we all knew writers not present at the event. I'd say writers are a sustainable resource in Homer!

We were in a space of mutual witnessing, of hearing and being heard. Some of us had books at the publishers' in New York, in their final phase of editing. Some had bold resolutions to get a whole body of work published, or to submit work to publishers every week. Some of us had just applied to MFA programs; some of us had just commenced MFA programs. Some wanted to get better at using social media to promote our work, others sought advice on how to avoid the distractions of the internet. We discussed problems of potential audience--how to choose it, how to allow it to choose you--and of preferring to read a genre other than one's chosen writing genre. We shared suggestions for online sources of inspiration (including, ironically, on how to get off the internet), and recommendations of journals to read and subscribe to. We laughed, often.

As you probably noticed from the picture above, Phil was one of the attendees! He confessed to writing mostly for fun, and mostly letters to friends. He enjoyed copious brownies, and didn't say much else the rest of the evening. He says he came because he's nosy!--really, he was there to be supportive, mostly of me (and to see what kinds of people I get to hang out with), but also of the community and the library.

We haven't been doing that much together lately, because I've been so very busy, and because Phil's regular outdoor adventures are ambitious undertakings demanding more time and energy than I can spare right now. It was an interesting change of pace to spend an evening together, along with a group of variously familiar and unfamiliar people, and to compare notes afterwards about what we thought about what was said.

More troubling to me, though, was Phil's reaction to my own stated "resolution" this year. Funny how when your spouse comes into your "home turf" that's totally separate from the relationship, he feels dismayed at things you think are reasonable and normal.

I noted that although I absolutely regard myself as a writer first and foremost, and feel very "seen" and supported in my various writing groups within the community, there are a few people who regard me as a "wannabe" rather than a bona fide writer. And I stated my desire to banish the possibility of that perception by doing whatever it takes, in terms of submitting and generally putting myself out there.

After the meeting, Phil expressed deep concern at this statement of mine. His worry was that I'd shifted my focus from the internal satisfaction of doing the best I can as a writer to the external badges and trophies of recognition.

I understand his concern, but I don't believe that's what I've done. If there are people who don't recognize me as a writer, then there's something amiss with how I'm projecting my intention out into the world. So to me, getting the whole picture, internal and external, on track, is part and parcel of doing the best job I can. As my inspirational friend Erin pointed out to me last night, submitting our work is another aspect of literary citizenship. And of course, it could also be true, as Phil pointed out, that those who won't acknowledge me as a writer have a problem with their perception. Still, it shows me that I could do more.

I'm grateful to live in a town that fosters this kind of group energy, that features such an inspirational cast of writers to whom I can look up, and I'm honored to help facilitate the creative energy wherever and however I can.

Some more from our picturesque day--snow filigree on a deceased thyme plant...

...and the broom of winter.

Now for that Thai 'slaw recipe I promised in my previous post. It really is so simple, if you have the right ingredients.
Veggies
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced fine (best with a mandolin) 
1 large carrot, grated
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
cilantro--as much as you like, roughly chopped

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons deseeded tamarind, soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand
2 dates, pitted and soaked along with the tamarind
1 teaspoon miso + 1 teaspoon sea salt (if you like tamari, can do 2-3 tablespoons tamari)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar
1 teaspoon red Thai chilli paste (the kind that's an amalgam of lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and garlic. I'd rather make my own, but haven't been able to buy galangal, or, except rarely, lemongrass, in town.)
2 teaspoons lime juice (lemon works also)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil (It really is worth it to use the extra virgin rather than the expeller pressed for this recipe: the coconut fragrance of the extra virgin gives the whole palate of the dish a wonderful lightness.

Enjoy!

Holiday Aftermath, With Two Recipes and a Leftovers Bonus

Christmas was white, after all those weeks of iffy sleet and naked ice.  It is so beautiful and quiet, but the outhouse is not at all inviting with snow drifted all over the seat and unavoidable!

And Christmas was beautiful and festive, with bright lights and colors relieving the white and dark outside.

I shared so many different kinds of home-made goodies! Close family and friends each got a whole box. (And here I am sporting the gorgeous shawl I was given as a gift. I almost can't believe I get to have something so beautiful. I'll show it again in more detail sometime.) I also put out two plates of goodies, one laden only with "Ela-friendly" (i.e. no dairy and low sugar, gf) goodies, the other only with the mainstream confectioners sugar/butter/peanut butter/gluten stuff. Perhaps not surprisingly, the "Ela-friendly" plate had maybe two items taken off it (one of which I took), whereas the other plate I had to go back and refill a couple times.

I may do some family pictures next post, but today I want to focus on sharing a couple recipes that added to the festive cheer, for me at least!

First up: "Rooibiscus!"

This is a combination of rooibos and hibiscus tea plus a cup of pomegranate juice.
Two tablespoons hibiscus flowers and one tablespoon rooibos steeped in three pints of not-quite-boiling water, allowed to cool, and mixed with pure pomegranate juice. I had the idea to make this some time ago, but hadn't gotten around to doing it until just now.

It looks just like red wine in a glass. It functions like iced tea: super refreshing and increasing alertness.

It's also lovely mixed with sparkling water and/or ice. And it's actually also lovely with just a splash of red wine added, if that's your kind of thing. I think I was the only person really hitting it, but I enjoyed it all evening, and made more the next day. I had also brought home-made coconut whiskey and home-made vegan pina colada mix just like I did last year, and those were popular!

I was not the only person hitting the other recipe I want to share: vegan, semi-raw mushroom pate'.

I'm really proud of how this turned out. I had mushrooms and shallots from Full Circle Farm, and had been asked to bring a vegetarian appetizer. I remembered a mushroom pate' I used to make back when I was in college. It was during the period that I had a boyfriend and was eating a little dairy while he ate less meat to try to bring us closer together (neither end of the compromise lasted), and the base for the pate' was regular cream cheese--a concept totally repugnant to me these days.

So, I made a two-day fermented cashew cheese and combined it with gently sauteed shallots, mushrooms, garlic, and a little parsley.

 You can see how the cashew cheese is nice and aerated with good bacteria.

 And it all mixed together so beautifully and was well enjoyed by everyone. I brought two kinds of raw crackers to serve with it. Neither one is my recipe, although of course I tweaked! Both are on this page: one is called "Cheeze its" and the other is "Hot'n'Spicy Tortilla Chips," although I wanted more of a neutral cracker, so I left most of the spice out. I left the bell pepper out in both cases, because it makes me sick and I thought I might want to eat one or two. But I also brought carrots, which I prefer to crackers any day! With the "tortilla chips," I might have finally made a cracker that's crunchy enough that Phil will eat it! So far, I've been disappointed in that quest, and he's a huge cracker lover, so this was a breakthrough.

Now for the vegan Mushroom Pate' recipe:

For the cashew cheese (make two days in advance):
2 cups cashews
1 cup water
1 probiotic capsule

Blend the cashews and water until smooth. Open the probiotic capsule, add it to the blender, and blend again.
Scrape everything out onto a sieve lined with a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and set over a bowl.
Place in a darkish location for two days. (You can leave it for less time, but it won't be quite as tangy or as aerated.)

On the day you're ready to make it, chop:
8-10 cremini mushrooms
2 shallots
2-4 cloves garlic
3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley

and have ready:
salt, pepper, lemon juice

Add just enough (coconut or olive) oil to grease a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and saute' the mushrooms and shallots. When they begin to release some liquid, add the garlic.
When everything smells aromatic and mushroomy, take off the heat and stir in the parsley.

To put it all together:
Remove the cashew cheese from the sieve and place in a large bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon and some salt and black pepper.
Pour in the sauteed mushrooms, shallots, garlic and parsley mixture, and stir together carefully.
Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish with black pepper and a parsley sprig.

The tang of the cashew cheese and the earthiness of the mushrooms and shallots complement each other so beautifully. I was so happy to have plumbed my memory bank and creativity and to end up with such a crowd-pleaser. Note too that this could easily be made raw: you would just need to marinade the mushrooms and shallots in the dehydrator ahead of time, and use less or no garlic. I wanted the texture of cooked mushrooms and really don't enjoy raw onions/garlic, so I went with sauteeing, but if I'd given them two days in the dehydrator, it might have worked all-raw too.

Bonus--what to do with the leftovers!
But wait--there's more!
Yes, even though it was a crowd-pleaser, there were leftovers. They furnished a lovely lunch today.

Here's how:
Shred up some purple cabbage and romaine lettuce (a cup or more of each).
Combine with kelp noodles, previously soaked in warm water to soften.
Add about a quarter cup (or however much you want/have) of the Mushroom Pate' and massage all together by hand.
Serve with sliced grape tomatoes, top with nutritional yeast and spirulina if that's your thing!
Yummy and beautiful--and I made some for Phil with regular pasta and a few other ingredients too.

I'll be back with some more snow pictures and holiday recapping: I leave you with the yin yang dogs and the hope that you had wonderful holidays.