We have a winner (and a new contest host)

It looks like the random number generator has chosen Jacqueline to receive the pay it forward box. This means the box is going all the way to Scotland! Congratulations Jacqueline, your box will be mailed soon.

Mother's Day brunch | Blog influence | Dental woes

I found this orchid waiting for me in the kitchen on Sunday morning.

My Mother's Day this year was special and — for our family — unusual. We're living in the same city with all three of our children for the first time in ages, and instead of a card and a phone call, our oldest son and d-i-l hosted a Mother's Day brunch. The guest list included my husband and me, our three sons, our d-i-l and granddaughter.

Our oldest son prepared all the food except for a large tray of beautiful stuffed poblano peppers that our youngest son made (based on a recipe from Vegan Brunch).

Noah made his brunch specialties — crispy fried potatoes and tofu scramble. Plus there were lots of extras like bagels and sourdough bread with spreads, orange juice, and strawberries.

This is my (first) plate.

Here's Noah relaxing in the back yard after his workout in the kitchen. It was a gorgeous, sunny day with temperatures in the 70s so we were able to eat outside and lounge the afternoon away.

Not everyone was lazy. Miss E had work to attend to in the garden.

Later in the afternoon, while Miss E napped, Noah went to work and Grandpa babysat, two sons, my d-i-l and I went to Goodwill to see what we could find. I didn't get any kitchen stuff but look at this skirt! I love it.

It was a wonderful day, and I was honored to share it with my beautiful daughter-in-law, a very special mother to a very special little girl!

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Blog influence

I often read blogs very early in the morning before I've had breakfast, and that sometimes leads to my wanting to eat whatever I see popping up on the computer screen. Last week while I was catching up on The Airy Way posts, I saw a besan omelet, and stew with dumplings. The omelet looked like something I could whip up quickly so I did. I used mushrooms, carrots and onions for my omelet and it really looked like an omelet until I removed it from the pan, and it broke apart. I enjoyed it but for some reason my stomach was unhappy with my breakfast. :( The inspiration to make stew came in handy later in the week when things started going wrong.

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Dental woes ... a cautionary tale
About two weeks ago my husband had dental surgery to receive a dental implant and correct a problem with an old implant that was pressing on a nerve and causing pain. This seemed like it would be fairly routine, but last Thursday morning, he awoke to pain in his jaw, and went to see the surgeon, who said he couldn't see anything wrong. He prescribed penicillin as a precaution. My husband wasn't convinced that all was well but he took his drugs and went to work.

He came home early from work saying he felt unwell, and went to lie down. I went to pick up our granddaughter from school, and brought her to our house for the afternoon as previously planned. I kept checking on Ken every half hour or so. When Miss E went home, about 6, I went to check on Ken again, and was freaked out by what I saw. He looked like he had a tennis ball in his cheek, his speech was slurred, and he had a fever. I immediately called the surgeon, who met us at his office at 8 p.m. where he inserted a drainage tube in Ken's abscessed jaw, prescribed two strong drugs, and sent us to urgent care where Ken could receive IV antibiotics. We arrived at urgent care 9:30 p.m.

As if this weren't enough stress for one night, while Ken was receiving his IV, a disturbed man with a gun called 911 and threatened to kill his wife — who was in labor in the birthing center — and their baby. He was seen on a surveillance camera, and the entire medical center was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape and police officers, and put under a lock-down. No one could enter or leave the complex without a police escort. By the time we left at midnight, we were able to exit through a guarded door, and were offered an escort, which we declined. I still don't know how the situation was resolved — everything was hushed up.

Once Ken got a little of his appetite back, I focused on making soft foods. First I made rice pudding by cooking white rice in the rice cooker with LOTS of water, raisins and a bit of maple syrup. When it was cooked, I mixed in enough soymilk to achieve a soft, creamy texture.

Then I remembered the stew, and cooked potatoes and carrots in the pressure cooker for four minutes. I brought the pressure down and added vegetable broth, cauliflower, miso and chickpeas. I mixed up a dumpling dough flavored with fresh dill and cooked the dumplings in the covered stew pot for 15 minutes. Delicious! And soft.

Ken is feeling a lot better but not completely OK. He visits the surgeon again tomorrow to decide if the implant will have to come out, something I don't even want to contemplate. I don't think I ever want to get an implant. Believe me, this experience has not helped me overcome my fear of dentists.

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Pay it forward
There's still one day left to enter the pay it forward contest. Do it.

Pay it forward giveaway | Nori roll-ups | Scallion flatbread | Cappuccino muffins

I recently flirted with the random fairy, and my wish to achieve random selection was happily fulfilled. I won the pay it forward drawing hosted by Mary on her blog, Mitten Machen. This means I received a lovely box of Maine products from Mary, and the obligation to send a box of Washington state goodies to a randomly selected reader of this blog. From my perspective this was a double treat; I received a gift, and now I get to seek out and choose special, locally made items to share with one of you. I've already got a few things picked out, and I'm learning about other local products that would be fun to receive. If you would like to take part in this pay it forward giveaway, mention your intention in a comment on this post. I'll randomly select a winner on May 11 and announce it in a post. (Remember, by entering this contest you're agreeing to hold a giveaway of your own, and award a box of local treats to someone else.)

My box contained a beautiful card with a Maine photo, A soy candle with the scent of the Maine woods, a leaf made of solid maple sugar, a handmade wooden bookmark, and a refrigerator magnet based on a painting by a Maine artist. Thank you so much, Mary!

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Bits and crumbs

I've mentioned many times on this blog that I prefer simple foods. The stuff I often eat doesn't really warrant a blog post, and here is proof of that. I'd been munching practically all day, and wanted a light supper. Above you see wok-grilled local asparagus and canned chickpeas, topped with roasted red pepper spread, and served with a green salad. See what I mean?

Nori makes a convenient and tasty wrap for more than just rice. One of my favorite fast snacks is to cut two thin slices of cold, baked tofu into narrow strips, and lay them along one end of a toasted nori sheet, generously pile baby salad mix on top, and roll up. You can't cut this into pieces — you have to hold it and munch. It tastes so great I usually have to make a second one as soon as I've finished the first.

I saw a post by Zoa on The Airy Way about the scallion pancakes she made with a yeasted dough. It reminded me of the more traditional version of scallion pancakes we learned to make in a Chinese cooking class. Zoa made hers with dough she had stored in her refrigerator, and when I saw her pancake I was immediately attacked by a powerful craving. I've been using my stored bread dough (based on Healthy Bread in Five minutes a Day) to make English muffins and assorted flatbreads, why not scallion pancakes? I flattened a piece of dough, coated it with toasted sesame oil and chopped scallions, and rolled the pancake in the traditional way. I baked it in my wok and enjoyed it with supper. Great idea, Zoa!

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More recipe testing

These are cappuccino muffins from Celene Steen and Joni Marie Newman. What more can I say?

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GiveawayHey. Don't leave without entering the pay it forward giveaway! I'm serious. I've got some fun and tasty items planned for my pay it forward box, and you don't want to be left out. Just mention in your comment that you'd like to be included. (There are some GF products in the box so don't be afraid to enter if you need a GF assortment. You can always share anything that might not be OK.)