Online dating

Internet dating has become an extremely popular way to meet people, and has indeed brought a lot of lonely souls together. But not every date turns out like a Match.com ad. Catfish, lonely people, broken hearts, false claims, failed expectations, doctored photos,  no-shows, and even frauds --it's all part of the online dating experience. I gathered a few observations from my own experience and stories I heard from people around me.

On some online dating sites, if a member wants to express attraction for another member after reading their profile, but without going to the extreme of sending them an e-mail, they can send an electronic wink. I was overloaded with winks and messages in my inbox, Over 2000 members viewed my profile. Of those, at least half were winks.Usually, though, what the winks actually mean is: "I saw your picture and I think you're hot, but I'm too lazy to read your profile and it costs me nothing to just shoot you a wink on the off chance that you think my overweight body is sexy, or that you're a nymphomaniac."

You'd think the anonymity of online interaction would make it easier for guys to come off as smooth and in control. But the opposite is often the case. That same anonymity seems to give some men a license to be rude perverts. One guy came right out in the subject line of his message and let me know he wanted to meet me and do "bad things" to me. Another claimed he was a real cowboy, and wanted to have sex with me bareback on his horse. Oy.

A few tips from my male friend to girls trying too hard to be cool online. “First of all, the screen name. Stop putting 'sassy' into your screen name. Stop putting 'city girl' into your screen name. When registering, if you tried to use 'giantfan' as your screen name and it came back telling you that you'd have to settle for 'giantfan57836,' that should have been your first clue that you have picked a disgustingly unoriginal name.. Speaking of Giant fans, stop saying you love sports and that you 'act just like a guy.'”

And the same is true of the men. I started to whittle the list down by deleting those with eyebrow-raising or just plain sad screen names, such as variations on "loverboy," "mr. romantic," "lonely guy," "lonely one," "kiss me," "true love MD," "huggy bear," "party man," "sexy upndown", “ladies man “, etc.--I am not making these up--and subject lines such as "Hi Beautiful", "Wow!", "Hi Baby Pretty", "Hey there, sexy", and "Me wink; you reply".

I guess pictures of guys posing with a cat or fresh-caught barracuda are not so bad compared to few sparks that I have found. Just to name a few : a picture of a guy holding a small cup of what looked to be urine and a headline saying “I am drug free and I can prove it". Another one half my age kissing a beer bottle, his caption read “ hey cougar looking for a cub meow”, guy dressed like a Zorro,  a store trooper figure – no face, just a toy- how can I know this is not a 10 year old? I already have one son, don’t need another one. Left and left.

The Onion's Online Dating Tips offer this suggestion: Set yourself apart by choosing a descriptive user name like SocialRetard321, CuteFaceFatAss, or WhiteRihno

The worst part of online dating is the first awkward face-to-face hello. Your preconception of the person you have been speaking to is always very oddly different from the person you meet. And I also seem to make my mind up very quickly on how the night will go.

I once heard a story about a man who turns up to dates early and buys himself a drink, so that when the girl arrives, he can send her up to the bar to get a drink and do a runner if he thinks they aren’t up to his exacting standards. That’s almost a reason to give up.

Many, many people agree to a drink and then never reply. I’m almost not sure how to deal with any response to “Do you want to discuss this over a drink?” that isn’t silence. One guy asked me which person I was in one of my profile pictures; he said my friend looked like a much hotter version of me. I replied, “Oh, really?” He said, “You’re an angry woman, you would fall in love with me but also hate me a little bit. I bet you would slap me during sex.”

Bumble is rumored to be an app that has a hotter population of men. But it doesn’t actually put the female in control: it simply means vain men can read and smugly ignore your overthought openers. Happn is trying to add the cute “fate” dimension to app dating, but it just means you find your flatmate’s boyfriend on it as he is upstairs and the location tracker lands you in a dubious situation.

A friend of mine commented that no one hooks up with anyone on a night out any more. I reckon this is due to everyone prearranging their hook-ups on apps. Spontaneity can be overrated.

Probably the best online profile I read was from a guy with   one arm  “Not the best at juggling (fought a shark, lost an arm)”. I think he may have lost it in an actual shark attack.

The trick is to assume that the ugliest photo he sends is the truest representation. After all, we all try to present the most attractive profiles of ourselves. From experience, it’s also a good idea to avoid freelance models.

I think people are a bit more dismissive on online dates than they would be if they were with a friend of a friend or someone they had met in a bar – although seriously, does that ever happen? If there isn’t a spark you don’t feel any obligation to immediately say, “I had a really nice time but I didn’t think we quite clicked.” Whereas you might if you thought you would see them again. Online dating becomes a numbers game; the more people you meet the more likely you think you are to find “the one”.

Online dating has delivered some very random and entertaining evenings. I have gone on dates that have led to flirtations and friendships, and that have introduced me to new parts of New York, and places to go out. The highlight so far was definitely sharing a boozy evening with a pretty famous and rather attractive tv anchor. That’s one of the real, sincere joys of online dating – it can open your world up to people who you would never ordinarily get the chance to meet. 

Some people are truly looking for a relationship, for others online dating becomes an addiction. One of my friends started on craigslist. At times she would try to stop the madness. Would take down her ads, tell people she was taking a "break" from dating, she would arrange to see the same guy several times just to keep herself from going on new dates. But always, inevitably, she would log in just to see who were out there, what new ads were posted in her absence ... and she would get reeled back in. 

Soon, Match.com wasn't enough. She branched out to Nerve and Yahoo, even Jdate (not that she is Jewish). As a result, she started having more dates than free evenings. She became an expert stacker. Her performance at work started to suffer. Between arranging dates and answering e-mails, she rarely finished her projects on time. And she started taking long date lunches, because her evenings were already chock-full. At that point, her dating itself started to suffer. She started losing track of which one was the human rights lawyer and which one hiked Mt. Everest. Her ability to combine witty banter with piercing intellectual observations and shy but come-hither glances (the ingredients, she knew, of a successful date) was plummeting. Slack-jawed, bleary-eyed, she could only listen with faux enthusiasm and nod at appropriate intervals to their monologues....There were times she woke up and couldn't remember whom she had gone out with the previous night, nor whom she was supposed to meet that night. And she could no longer rely on just first names--there were scores of Robs, and Daves, and Mikes. She had to make up nicknames for all of them, and designed a spreadsheet with relevant details of each to keep track of it all. 

Sometimes when you think you’ve met the perfect partner through an online dating website or app, the other person is using a fake profile to form a relationship with you. They’re using the site to gain your trust and ask you for money or enough personal information to steal your identity. This is an extreme scenario but it happens. It happened to my best friend. A guy she met online and soon started to date would tell her how wonderful and beautiful she was, how much he loved her (after a month of dating)he  would cook her dinners, do shopping,  paint her apartment, etc. Very soon he won her heart, who wouldn't ? he seemed like a perfect guy, almost too perfect. The fact that he was wearing the same shirt over and over, getting gas only for 5$ at a time or rarely buying her a drink or paying for dinner or didn't have a Facebook account weren’t good enough reasons to raise her suspicion.  But when all of the sudden both of his parents died within one month and he was trying to keep her away from meeting the rest of the family or friends something clicked. She called his work place; nobody knew his name,  his mom’s funeral was never scheduled at the cemetery he gave her. Although he kept insisting he was there during the ceremony. She had to hire a private detective to find out if he was only after her money or maybe a psychopath or a former convict. 

Despite some setbacks, online dating has generally delivered a pleasing source of distraction and periodic amusement for me.  Nonetheless, I do wonder if having constant access to so many potential partners is such a good thing. Such opportunity seems to mean that there are fewer incentives to see what happens when you do meet someone you like, and to stick with it when it gets hard. I confess I have been guilty of thinking, “Well, he is  nice, but New Jersey is a bit far away,” from time to time. I do have a few friends who have found lasting relationships online, so keep on swiping people I believe you can find your true love and online dating is as good as any other way of meeting the only one for you.    

Everything tuna salad was introduced to me on one of my online dates by a very nice guy, who apparently can cook. We went out a few times but there wasn’t enough sparks to continue it. I hope he will forgive me for using his recipe without asking. 

Recipe

2 cans of tuna in water or olive oil

bunch of crunchy lettuce ( romaine works well )

10 baby carrots , chopped in 1 inch cubes

small radicchio

1 pear chopped

bunch of scallion, dill  and parsley

juice of 5 lemons

1/3 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper

chop everything and mix well. Serve with nice French bread.

 

 

 

 

The Goddess in me

“You may not know yourself as a Goddess; your feminine energy is out of balance and your divine essence has yet to awaken. But the time has come, right now, for you to know that being a woman is special, sacred, and divine. Every woman deserves to know herself in this way. Return to your ancient roots, learn the timeless wisdom of your mythic history, and discover how you are the embodiment of the highest feminine Essence of the world—The Divine Feminine. Understand why over many centuries, a woman’s relationship with Her has become increasingly lost to us, and why now is the right time to bring Her back into your life. Remember yourself into wholeness, reawaken to the sacredness of your Goddess body and begin to see it as beautiful in every way. Reacquaint yourself with the cyclical seasons of a woman’s life and with the Great Mother Moon who guides your lunar nature and your moontime blood.”

This is a summary of a book “You are a woman you are divine” my dearest friend gave me some time ago. Before I got this book, my friend created a safe space to show me and celebrate the Goddess in me. This experience has changed my life, I have become a different person, more aware of the gift everyone one of us- women is carrying inside, waiting to be discovered and cherished. Thank you for giving me this incredible gift of self-love!! “ You are woman: your body is sacred, and your essence is Divine. You are the embodiment of the divine feminine “ I spent a lot of time thinking how to discover the divine feminine in me. Sometimes I think of the Goddess as my real self, she’s the real me becoming balanced and whole. At times she’s all of nature. And then at times she’s just what I need when I don’t feel I’ve got a lot inside. I want to think of a symbol outside myself, and so I think of a Goddess outside of myself. So she’s outside and within and through the whole creation. That’s really how I see the Goddess.

There is no judgment, no reproach. There’s nobody telling you off and saying you haven’t done the right thing. I can feel silly and disappointed about what I’ve done or not done, but I don’t feel that I’m reproached. She’s always loving and caring and supportive and helping me to get back to a center of balance. Every woman is a spectacular creature and we are all beautifully built. We are specifically designed to be a creatress, the bearer of our species, and to be powerful in the most feminine of ways. We carry within the space of our womb the Light of the world. Our very existence makes the world lovelier. I definitely think of the Goddess as being within myself, within every woman whether she accesses that or not. But I also see the Goddess very much in the elements – they give me a physical, tangible sense of her being in the earth, air, water, and fire. I also get her spirit sense from the feeling I have of and “Other”, other than myself, and other than what I can see. I do very much feel her presence in this spirit sense, something that’s much bigger than me and than any of us, and yet something that resides in all of us. It’s that feeling very much that the Goddess ‘She’ is everywhere. I connect with her, and sometimes that will be getting in touch with the Goddess in myself, and sometimes she will be the inner child, and sometimes she will be my inner guide or wise woman or my mothering self. At other times I’ll be very much talking to her “out there”. Sometimes that will be in praise and delight, and other times it might be sheer desperation and despair. And then I feel very much like I’m talking to her when I go for walks on the beach or bike through Central Park, or go for a sail in a boat, or sit around a big fire, or any of those situations where I feel very much connected.

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For me, the Goddess is in me and in each one of us and in everything, in the sea and in the elements.  I pray to her a lot and meditate, and she’s like a friend to me or she’s whatever I happen to be needing, I know she’s not going to be anything other than exactly what I need. So if I need a friend, she’s a friend. If I’m desperate, she’s there then.  At times I can feel like getting in touch with different parts of myself. Sometimes I can feel like the Goddess resides in me. I don’t have a sense that I invited her to enter me, when I think about my feminine side I get the feeling that I am just acknowledging her, because her presence is already there. It’s just focusing that energy and increasing my awareness of something that already exists. 

When I recognized the power of the divine feminine in me and the joy of seeing myself as a Goddess fully restored to my spirit, I was released and discovered how to live a better, happier, more fulfilled life as a woman, I have been more confident (although I was never a shy person ), I have been more creative, more inspired and have had more energy, I love deeper and more authentically, I have been able to open up and share my life stories with my partners. The acceptance and integration of the feminine existence within me brought me back harmony and healing. Not to mention joy, power and success on the dating scene. 

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I hope my Goddess dressing will be a good beginning to start looking for the release of the feminine power and beauty within you.

Goddess dressing. 

1 cup canola mayo 

1 cup chopped scallions 

3/4 cup fresh basil 

1/4 lemon juice add more if needed. 

2 cloves garlic 

1 tsp anchovy paste 

21/2tsp salt 

1tsp black pepper 

1 cup sour cream 

2tbs chives 

1/4 tsp lemon zest

Blend everything together and enjoy. 

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Goddess dressing. 

1 szklanka majonezu ( ja dodaje wiecej jogurtu niz majonezu ) 

1 szklanka pokrojonego szczypiorku 

3/4 szklanka swiezej bazylii 

1/4 soku z cytryny , lub wiecej do smaku

2 zabki czasnku

1 lyzka pasty z anchois 

21/2 lyzeczki soli  

1 lyzeczka pieprzu 

1 szklanka smietany lub jogurtu 

1/4 lyzeczki startej skorki z cytryny 

wszystkie skladniki zmikoswac w mikserze na gladka mase. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love beets

I love beets; I can eat every part of it, roots, leaves, and stems. We can prepare them in many ways, whether roasted or boiled, pickled or grated raw, add a distinctively sugary shock of color to any meal. We can also make juice out of them or add to a smoothie. They are a wonderful main ingredient in salads and baked dishes or taste great in combination with other foods. Some great pairings include: mint, feta, hazelnuts, orange, ricotta salata and even tomato. 

They are a lot of obvious health benefits to beets.  They are a great source of folic acid and are rich in anthocyanin, which may reduce the risk of cancer. Additionally, the greens are rich in calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and iron. There are also a few lesser known facts; one of the earliest known benefits of the red beet was its use as an aphrodisiac during Roman times. Beets nitrates are naturally converted into nitric oxide in the body. This widens blood vessels and increases circulation. 90% of male sexual dysfunction is caused by poor circulation. Also, beets may increase the production of sex hormones in both genders. Beets contain betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan (also found in chocolate), which contributes to a sense of well being. Beet juice has been used on city streets to remove the ice because it doesn’t damage cars like sand or salt.

A lot of nutritionists use beets and beet juice to test levels of stomach acid. If you consume beets and your urine turns pink, you have low stomach acid (which is typically a good thing!). If your urine is still clear, it means that you have high levels of stomach acid. Since the 16th century, beet juice has been used as a natural red dye. In 19th century England the Victorians used beets to dye their hair. Beets can be made into a wine that tastes similar to port. In Australia, a true Oz-style burger must have a slice or two of pickled beets. Even McDonalds and Burger King have had to adjust the line and include it in their menus!

Beets range in color from familiar dark red to light gold and creamy white; for a real beauty, try the Italian Chioggia beet, which reveals its pink and white stripes when sliced. But most nutrition experts recommend the red beet and suggest you ingest the entire beet so you don't lose the value of the beet fiber. White, yellow, and striped beets may be nice to look at and taste juicy but only the red beet has been shown to have both nutritional and healing powers.

While buying beets look for the ones with smooth, unwrinkled skin and a firm, hard feel. Select the tiny "babies" or the smaller adult variety when you can; anything over two inches or so in diameter can have a hard texture. If you can, choose beet bunches with the green tops still attached: They should be bright and not wilted. You can store greens separately in plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to one week. The greens can be steamed or sautéed in a similar fashion to spinach. Or you can chopped them up and make a beet soup 

To get the most nutrition, flavor and color, cook beets with their skin on. Scrub carefully and steam in a covered pot, or wrap in foil and bake at 350° F, for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on size. Try to choose beets of approximately the same size to keep cooking times even. When they're easily pierced with a fork, they're done.It will be easy to remove the skin off once they cool off. 

Recipe

4 - 5 small beets u used Chioggia beets

1 bunch of small carrots

2 cups whole Greek yogurt

8 leaves tarragon

1/4 cup pistachios

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and dry beets. Cut off and discard greens.

Transfer the vegetables to a deep baking dish or pie plate, in a single layer. Add enough water so that the beets are half covered, but not fully submerged. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. 

Roast beets for 50 minutes to an hour, or until fork tender. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Remove the skin by rubbing the beets with a paper towel.

Peel the grapefruit, cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit, creating a flat surface on which to balance it. Place the edge of a sharp knife just inside the border where the pith meets the pulp, and slice down with a firm, clean stroke, following the curve of the fruit. Repeat, until the entire fruit has been peeled. Slice the fruit into 3/4” segments. 

Give the pistachios a rough chop with a good knife, using a cutting board.

To serve, spread yogurt onto plates, as much as is desired. Arrange sliced beets and grapefruit on top and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and torn tarragon leaves. Drizzle with good olive oil and sea salt to taste.

 

 

 

fennel- apple salad

Once again, I would like pay tribute to Aran Goyoaga and her food photography workshop I attended in October. This was my dream come true.  Since I started my journey with food photography I wanted to meet Aran. I wanted to see her thought process as she prepared to take pictures. How she arranges food and props on the set, what angles and light she prefers and how she processes her pictures.  I wanted to take a step forward. 

Aran began the workshop telling us more about herself, her move from Florida to Seattle, her new studio and new approach to light (which Seattle has way less than Florida). Then she moved to explaining what equipment she uses, how she points the camera, what’s important for her on the set, and many more technical details. At any time we were able to interrupt her and ask questions. She told us where she buys her props, and what’s important when buying ingredients for recipes. She shared with us how she promotes herself on social media, and advertising techniques she uses. 

 During lunch we were able to move around the studio and take pictures of anything we liked. Sunday Suppers staff made great soup and salad for lunch. They also had a lot of dishes and food items for us to photograph.  

The second part was a little more “hands on photography”. Aran showed us the way she takes pictures and it was eye opening for me. It comes so naturally to her and her pictures look absolutely effortless. At the end, she showed us her photo processing work flow on Lightroom.  I was surprised how little she has to improve in the post- processing; just a few details here and there.  Each of us had one on one time with Aran, asking questions and sharing concerns. 


I learned that although we paid to learn some new techniques, what we really experienced was meeting new people, cooking with them, talking, and exchanging experiences.  I love watching people meet each other for the first time, approaching each other, starting conversations, eating together and at the end exchanging business cards and phone numbers.  

 

This was an unforgettable experience for me, and I hope to do it again in the future.  As a memory, I was left with pictures I took and this salad recipe we had for lunch.

Recipe 

2 seasonal apples 

1 fennel bulb with fronds 

1 small red onion  

1/2 toasted hazelnuts cup capers, 2  cups chopped watercress

 2 TB chopped chives 

orange zest 

Goddess dressing:

amount for several salads, you can refrigerate up to 2-3 weeks.

1 cup mayo ( i used canola) 

1 cup yogurt ( i used goat, but greek is good as well) 

1 cup chopped scallions

3/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup of lemon, add more if needed

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of anchovy paste ( or chopped anchovies ) 

1/2 tsp of salt

1tsp of black pepper 

2 tbs of chives 

1/4 tsp lemon zest 

Peel and core apples. Pull a quantity of fronds from fennel, then clean bulbs. Peel onions and slice very thin. Slice apples and fennel bulbs on hand plane or mandoline. Toss with remaining ingredients and refrigerate.  Combine all the dressing ingredients and blend for few minutes until dressing is smooth and creamy. Before serving mix it with dressing 

Przepis: 

 2 Jablka

1 koper wloski 

1 mala czerwona cebula

1/2 szklanki tostowanych orzechow laskowych

2 szklanki salaty ( rukiew wodna lub rukola) 

2 lyzki posiekanego szczypiorku 

otarta skorka z jednej cytryny 

Obrac i pokroic jablka

oczyscic koper wloski

obrac cebule i pokroic bardzo cienko

poszatkowac jablka i koper wloski

wymieszac z pozostalymi skladnikami i wstawic do lodowki

Boski dressing :

Ilosc na kilka salatek, mozna przechowywac w lodowce przez kilka tygodni

1 szklanka majonezu ( ja uzylam z rzepaku) 

1 szklanka jogurt ( kozi lub grecki) 

1 szklanka posiekanej zielonej cebuli

3/4 szklanki posiekanej bazili  ( swiezej ) 

1/4szklanki soku z cytryny

2 zabki czosnku

1 lyzeczka pasty z anchovies lub posiekane anchovies 

1/2 lyzczki salt

1lyzeczka pieprzu 

2lyzki posiekanego szczypiorku

1/4 lyzeczki skorki z cytryny 

wszystkiego skladniki polaczyc i zblendowac w blenderze na kremowy dressing. dodac do salatki zaraz przed podaniem.

 

chilled lobster salad

Summer time is always great time to make salad, fruit salad in the morning, green for lunch, and something heartier for dinner. There are so many options to mix and match vegetables with each other or with protein…the possibilities are endless.

Last summer while I  was hosting some friends and their families, one of my friends made an incredible lobster salad, and every since I keep recreating it and passing it along to other friends. And it is a hit every single time we make it.

I got very lucky that weekend because the other friend was a great cook -originally from Italy- he grilled the best veggies and steaks. He also cleaned my grill for the first time, it was never cleaner, except when I bought it, and never thereafter. I am pretty bad with taking care of my outside cooking devices, so bad in fact, that after one year of using my grill I now need to replace it. But back to the lobster salad… You can modify the ingredients depending on your taste and what you have in the fridge. This salad is very delicious, refreshing and light. You can serve it alone or as a lobster roll. 

Recipe

1 large (2lbs or more) lobster or 2 smaller ones

2 ribs of celery chopped

1 ripe mango- diced

½ small red onions – diced

1 tbsp. of mayonnaise

I tsp. of vinegar (I used yuzu)

Salt, pepper

Boil or steam lobster, 7,5 minutes per lb. In the meantime mix all the vegetables, chill and de-shell the lobster, chop accordingly to your test.  Mix all together and serve chilled.

 

salmon tartar

My family’s favorite food is sushi, but I don't dare to make it at home… I have tried and tried and it never comes out the way the restaurants make it. Sushi is pretty much the only food we go out to a restaurant for. I really like how most of the sushi places have an open kitchen and you can watch the chefs make the food. This for me is a big bonus… to see how my food is being prepared. Once in a while I make raw fish tartars and ceviche…this is not as challenging as making rolls. I have tried many different versions, and every time I look for new recipes. A few weeks ago I decided to have a raw fish feast.  I picked up some sushi rolls on my way to the hospital and bought raw tuna and salmon for tartare. I made way too much this time I got stuck with 2 different fish tartars. As much as I was craving it… I think I am fished out for a while.

The key to a good tartar is fresh good quality fish. Usually they recommend buying sushi grade, I wanted to test if there is a difference in taste… or just a way to make me spend more money.  I bought both sushi and none sushi grade salmon and tuna. After mixing the fish with all the ingredients you can hardly tell which one is the  better….as long as the fish is fresh and wild caught it will taste as good.

I buy all my seafood at Lobster Place at Chelsea market, absolutely love this place. Any seafood you can imagine- they have it, including my favorite Hamachi collar, which is the most delicious and easiest fish to cook. I will buy it soon and " sell "you my recipe although is more like tip than a recipe. I have tried different stores including Whole Foods, Citarella, Fairway Market and the fish is never as fresh and tasty as the Lobster Place seafood.

This time I made salmon tartar with cabbage and snap pea salad and tuna tartar with goat cheese feta. By the time I finished with both dishes the sun was down and I wasn't able to take pictures. Tomorrow is another day I thought… but fresh seafood is not a cake… and can’t wait for me to finally get to the pictures. As much as salmon looked still semi presentable. Tuna turned brown and not appealing at all. This recipe will have to wait for the next time.

Recipe :

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon palm sugar or light brown sugar

1 cilantro stem, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro    leaves

½  teaspoon soy sauce

½  small garlic clove

¼  pound snap peas, trimmed

½  cup shredded green cabbage

Salt

¾  pound skinless sushi-quality salmon fillet, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small shallot, minced

1 scallion, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint

1 tablespoon roasted rice powder (optional; see Note)                                               

In a blender, combine the lime juice with the fish sauce, sugar, cilantro stem, soy sauce, garlic, Puree until the dressing is smooth. In a medium pot of salted boiling water, blanch the snap peas until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool under running water; pat dry. Thinly slice the peas on the diagonal. In a medium bowl, toss the sliced beans with the cabbage and 1 teaspoon of the dressing; season with salt.

In another medium bowl, toss the salmon with the shallot, scallion, cilantro leaves, mint, rice powder. Stir in the remaining dressing and season with salt. Spoon the salmon tartare onto plates and serve the snap peas and cabbage alongside.

NOTES

Roasted rice powder - In a skillet, toast raw white sticky (glutinous) rice over moderately low heat, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and let cool completely, then grind to a powder. The rice powder can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

 

Przepis :

1 lyzka swiezego soku z limonki

1lyzka sosu rybnego

1 lyzka cukru

1 galazka swiezej kolendry plus 1 lyzka posiekanych lisci

½ lyzeczki sosu sojowego

½ zabka czosnku

150gr zielonego groszku

200gr posiekanej zielonej kapusty

sol

350gr lososia dobrej jakosci (ktorego mozna spozywac na surowo) pokrojonego w kostke

1 mala cebulka dymka posiekana

1 galazka szczypiorku (tylko biale I jasno zielone czesci) drobno posiekana

1 lyzka drobno posiekanej miety

1 lyzka uprazonego proszku ryzowego (opcjonalnie- patrz ponizej)

 

W blenderze polaczyc sok z limonki, sos rybny, cukier, galazke kolendry, sos sojowy, czosnek, zmiksowac do kremowej konsystencji

 

W srednim garnku ugotowac groszek w osolnej wodzie 4 minuty. Odsaczyc i schlodzic pod zimna woda, osuszyc I pokroic wzdluz. W sredniej misce polaczyc groszek z kapusta I jedna lyzka sosu, posolic do smaku.

W osobnej misce polaczyc lososia , cebule dymke, szczypiorek, kolendre, miete, proszek ryzowy, polac reszta sosu I posolic do smaku. Podawac z salatka z groszku i kapusty.

 

* Prazony proszek ryzowy:

Na sredniej wielkosci patelni usmazyc ryz , mieszajac aby sie nie przypalil az bedzie ladnie zarumieniony okolo 15 minut. Zmielic w mlynku do przypraw . mozna przechowywac w pojemniku do 6 miesiecy 

Quinoa salad with greens

Memorial day weekend…. long weekend and beginning of beach season. I know we all called Mother Nature nasty names this winter, but its time to kiss and make up and enjoy the glorious Hamptons summer season. I have been coming out to the house every weekend, so it’s no difference for me, but other people will start driving every weekend to escape the steamy, sticky and dusty city. I love summers out here and just wish other people didn’t like it as much as I do. I also enjoy the off-season time when towns are not so busy, beaches are empty and quiet and I have the ocean to ourselves. 

Warm season is also time for me to get out and plant the garden, decorate with farm stand flowers and grow some vegetables. As a child I never like to work in the garden, endless hours of turning the soil, planting seeds (that part I liked a little bit) and weeding brrrr. Now I don’t mind it as much. I can even say I like it. I have a small garden behind the shed, protected from each side by walls, a fence and bushes that help keep out our best friends… the deer and rabbits. As much as I admire these beautiful and graceful animals, I don’t like to see my flowers and plants eaten by them. It’s frustrating to work hard all weekend, and come back the next day to see everything shredded to the ground. That was last year, this year I got smarter, and built more obstacles around the garden I also use some deer and rabbit repellent spray, which smells horribly, but it works quite well. I can finally enjoy my vegetables. 


This long weekend I spent between socializing with friends and working in my garden. I went a little bit over board with seeding vegetables that grew so thick, that I had to thin them out. Growing up we threw out the extra plants, but this year I decided to make use of them. They are excellent source of vitamins, nutrition etc.   You can use whatever grows in your garden. I had kale, broccoli rabe, beets, carrots, radishes, arugula and other lettuces. The little plants need to be washed really well, otherwise the sand and dirt will spoil your dish.  The best way to get rid of dirt is to cut the roots and submerge the stems in water, after while pick them up on a strainer. Repeat this few times until the water is clear.  You can use the greens as if you use lettuce, as a base, or add them to your salad. I made a quinoa salad with greens and still have full bag leftovers for another salad. I will have to use them quick because they don't preserve well.

On this special Memorial Day Weekend a not of thanks to all those who have bravely served this proud country. With gratitude and appreciation for the great life we have here in one of the most beautiful places in America. 

Recipe 

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of water

1 cup of English peas

1 cup of garden greens or any other greens (arugula, watercress, freeze) 

1/4 cup of olive oil (I used pistachio, but you can use hazelnut or any other nut oil) 

1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup of crumble feta cheese

2 spoons of lemon juice 

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup of fiddleheads fern or asparagus 

salt and pepper to taste 

Rinse quinoa in cold water. Heat a drizzle of oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add drained quinoa, cook stirring for about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to rolling boil, turn heat down, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with fork. 

Preheat oven to 425 F and spread nuts on the baking sheet.  toast them for about 6 minutes. Watch the nuts during roasting, because they can go from almost done to overdone in less than a minute. It is important to check them frequently and stir them often. Peeled off the dry skin. 

In a meantime boil some water and cook English peas with 1/4 teaspoon of salt for about 1 minute, drain and put it in an ice bath for few minutes, this will stop the cooking process and the peas will have nice green color. 

Clean fiddleheads, wash them and drain. Boil water and add fiddleheads, cook until tender about 3 minutes. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, add fiddleheads and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until golden. season with salt and pepper.  

Add all the ingredients together, toss and serve. 

 Przepis 

1 szklanka komosy ryzowej 

2 szklanki wody 

1 szklanka zielonego groszku

1 szklanka zieleniny z ogrodu ( ja uzylam warzywa ktore przerywalam na grzadkach, - marchewka, jarmuz, buraki, roszponka, rzodkiewka, mozna zastapic innymi salatami) 

1/4 szklanki oleju z oliwek , mozna uzyc oleju z orzechow

1/4 orzechow laskowych 

2 lyzki soku z cytryny

2 lyzeczki tartej skorki z cytryny

1/2 szklanki zarodnikow paproci (mozna uzyc szparagi) 

sol, pieprz

Przeplukac komose pod zimna woda, ugotowac wedlug instrukcji na opakowaniu lub podgrzac odrobine oleju w sredniej wilelkosci rondlu, dodac komose i gotowac ciagle mieszajac przez 1 minute. Dodac 2 szklanki wody, zagotowac i zmniejszyc ogien do minimum, gotowac okolo 15 min. Zdjac z ognia, przykryc przykrywka i odczekac okolo 5 min. 

W piekarniku rozgrzanym do 200C upiec orzechy laskowe, okolo 6 minut, sprawdzajac i mieszajac aby sie nie przypalily.

W miedzyczasie ugotowac wode w srednim garnku i dodac groszek, gotowac okolo 1 minuty, odcedzic i zanurzyc w zimnej wodzie z lodem, aby zatrzymac proces gotowania i zachowac ladny zielony kolor. 

Oczyscic zarodniki ( mozna nazbierac w lesie ) lub szparagi , ugotowac w osolonej wodzie okolo 4 min. odcedzic i podsmazyc na masle okolo 2 minut na kazdej stronie na zloty kolor, wymieszac wszystkie skladniki dodac sol, pieprz i podawac w temperaturze pokojowej lub schlodzona.