30! Years!

Issue #24, Let's Get Lost, September 28, 2024

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On October 7th, Steve and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage.

30! Years!

When we met, I couldn’t imagine being 30 years old let alone being married for that long.

Steve and I met in high school. He was a junior and I was a senior. I was dating someone else at the time, so we became good friends. Then I broke up with my boyfriend because I wanted to be more than friends and that was that.

Here are some crazy facts about those early days:

• Steve proposed 3 months after we started dating. He was 16 years old (I was 17) and a JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL. The absurdity of this is not lost on us.

• We got married in October of 1994 at the tender ages of 18 and 19. We swiped all the envelopes on the gift table at the reception because we suspected some would contain cash and we had none. When I say none, I mean none. Then we drove up to a condo in the Colorado mountains in a car with grinding breaks, happy that we had enough cash to feed ourselves for the week and not a thought in our young heads about what came after that.

• We had our son a year and a half later, a daughter 22 months after that, and another daughter 3 1/2 years after that. By the time we were 25 and 26 we had been married for 7 years and had three children.

Those early years were tough. And also beautiful. We grew up together and we really did have so much fun. But also, holyshit, growing up is hard.

I feel that if you’ve managed to do anything for three decades, you should have some sage advice to offer anyone else who endeavors to do the same thing. So here we go…

What makes a marriage work? I have no fucking idea.

I mean, sure, things like love, commitment, respect, and trust are a given. If you don’t have the essentials, the relationship probably won’t (and probably shouldn’t) last.

But, let’s assume for a moment that the basic ingredients are there and then wonder at the fact that there are SO MANY other variables at play, most of which are completely out of our control.

In the course of 30 years, Steve and I have…

• Quit jobs, gotten fired, been arrested (bet that made you raise your eyebrows), survived a fire, had a car stolen and about a THOUSAND other car related problems, went to college, started careers, started businesses, created and raised three humans, survived for several years as a family of 5 on no more than 2K a month, bought a house, changed jobs, started new businesses, made SO MANY mistakes, enjoyed SO MANY successes, changed our minds, discovered our values, took many chances, devoted a disproportionate amount of our family budget to travel, survived teaching 3 teenagers how to drive, and managed to reconcile after more arguments than I could possibly count.

• We changed our minds about significant, foundational, world-view-shaping things like religion and politics and somehow managed to land on the same side of almost everything.

• Steve bought a motorcycle and survived two crashes (one with me on the back). We then thought it would be cool to ride through every state in the US, so we did, including an epic 28 day ride from Colorado to Alaska. (We rented a motorcycle in Hawaii.)

• We lost our son to suicide.

• We sold our home and moved into an RV.

• We are learning how to be empty nesters and also how to be a family of four.

Forget in sickness and in health… marriage vows should maybe include some mention of the fact that if you’re together long enough your life is probably going to change in every single way it can and especially in all the ways you do not see coming.

And that brings me to the one story that somewhat explains why after 30 years we are not only still married but happily so.

Around the time I turned 30 I had a not-so-insignificant existential crisis. It was like I suddenly realized that I was a married woman with three kids but had never actually contemplated whether or not I WANTED to be a married woman with three kids.

How to explain this more clearly…?

I felt like marriage and children had just happened to me. I couldn’t remember a time where I had thought, “Do I want to be married? Do I want to be a mother?”

I felt trapped inside a life I didn’t remember choosing.

Steve responded with the suggestion that we rent an apartment just for me. It could be my own space and I could go there any time I wanted.

I thought he was crazy. I said, “We can’t do that.”

He said, “This is our marriage. It can be whatever we want it to be.”

We never rented the apartment. I didn’t need to. I just needed to know that I had a choice. And that is the only wisdom I have to offer - how long a relationship lasts is not as important as whether or not the people in it choose to be there.

Successful relationships can last for 6 months or 60 years. The length of time isn’t as important as knowing that you’re there because you still want this person and this life.

30 years baby, and I still choose you. This life has not turned out in any way I could have predicted, but it’s the one I want. No question.

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Six recipes to make this week

For some reason, I’m more eager than normal for cool weather and warm food. This, mind you, will not stop me complaining when the weather turns actually cold and lamenting about how much I long for summer. But we’ll leave that for then. Today, I want warm bowls of soup and all things apple and cinnamon.

1. These apple cinnamon muffins are packed with chunks of fresh apples, contain a gooey apple butter center, and are topped with a generous amount of crunchy, buttery brown sugar streusel.

2. This recipe for beef and barley soup is rich and meaty enough to be called a stew, but ready to eat in just over an hour. Tender sirloin and crispy bacon swim in a garlic red wine broth with chewy pearls of barley, sweet carrots, and earthy roasted mushrooms. I almost always have a bag of frozen buttermilk biscuits in my freezer which are the perfect thing to eat with this soup.

3. This creamy chicken noodle soup is one of those recipes that I'm happy to eat all year round, but it feels especially comforting on evenings when the sun sets early and the air is crisp and cool. It reheats really well, so I like to make enough for at least a lunch or two or to eat again for dinner later in the week.

4. The recipe for this black eyed pea and veggie stew is adapted from The Blue Zones Kitchen Cookbook. I published the recipe in Issue #7 of this newsletter after a trip to Costa Rica and the recipe comes with a fascinating story of how the author got a small town in Minnesota to eat more veggies. Who doesn’t want to eat more veggies when they taste this good?

5. These soft apple oatmeal cookies from Issue #22 are flavored with both applesauce and chunks of apples, iced with maple miso frosting, and positively oozing with fall flavors.

6. I know some of you have already made this, but if you’re new here, this French apple cake is something I hope you’ll try. Like a traditional French apple cake, this cake is packed with more apples than you think the batter will hold. Unlike a traditional French Apple Cake, I added thick, buttery crumb topping reminiscent of the very best New York Crumb Cake. It is one of my favorite cakes of all time and the perfect way to settle into the season.

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The rest of this issue, including new recipes for chocolate chip pistachio shortbread, mushroom quiche, root vegetable salad with wild rice, and a guide for roasting celery root is for supporting members. Get access to the stories, recipes, ideas, and recommendations in this and every issue by becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you! ❤️

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Chocolate chip pistachio shortbread

I am on a chocolate pistachio kick and see no reason to get off. After working on a recipe that will come out later this year for pistachio cake filled with pistachio pastry cream and covered in chocolate ganache, I made these chocolate chip pistachio cookies which made me wonder how the combination would be in a traditional buttery shortbread. I mean, was there every any question?

Shortbread is a simple combination of butter, sugar, and flour. The name comes from the fact that the butter "shorts" the flour in the dough, preventing it from forming strands of gluten. This creates very tender cookies that literally melt in your mouth.

For this recipe, the shortbread is shaped inside the collar of a springform pan, baked quickly at high heat, then slowly at low heat before being allowed to rest in a warm oven to dry out and finish cooking. This method produces shortbread cookies that are crisp, tender, and dry throughout, just as shortbread should be.

• 1 1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachios

• 13 tablespoon (6 ½ oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 3/4 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

• 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet or bittersweet mini chocolate chips

• 3 ounces semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate, for drizzling

1. Put 1 1/4 cup pistachios in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and pulse 4 or 5 times just to break up some of the nuts. You should have some pieces of finely chopped nuts, a few whole ones, and everything in between.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a closed upside down collar (grooved side up) of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan in the center of the baking sheet. (Do not use the bottom of the springform pan.)

3. Add 13 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter and 3/4 cup powdered sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for a few seconds just to mix the sugar in with the butter enough to prevent it from flying all over your kitchen, then on medium-high for about 4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.

4. Add 1 large egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds, until fully incorporated.

5. Add 1 3/4 cup flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to a bowl, stir to combine, then add to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed just until the dough is starting to come together, about 15-20 seconds. Add the chopped pistachios and 1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips and mix on low speed just until everything is mixed together.

6. Dump the dough into the center of the springform pan collar and press it into an even layer. Place a 2-inch biscuit cutter in the middle of the dough and cut out the center. Lay the round shortbread cookie on the baking sheet next to the springform collar.

7. Open the collar, but leave it in place. This will give the cookies some room to expand while baking. Cover the shortbread with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

8. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the shortbread from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap, and bake for 5 minutes.

9. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees (do not open the oven door) and bake for 10 minutes longer.

10. Remove the cookies from the oven and turn the oven off. Use a sharp knife to score the shortbread into 16 wedges, cutting only about halfway through the surface.

11. Return the shortbread cookies to the turned off oven. Let the cookies sit inside the warm oven for 45 minutes.

12. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, place on a rest baking rack, and let sit, uncovered, for 2 hours.

13. Chop the 3 ounces of chocolate into small pieces and add to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 1 minute increments at half power, stirring after each minute, until the chocolate is melted.

14. Remove the springform collar from the cookies. Drizzle the cookies with the melted chocolate. Let sit for 30-60 minutes to allow the chocolate to firm up a bit, then use a sharp knife to cut along the scored lines into 16 wedges.

15. Store the cookies at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

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Mushroom quiche

This is one of my favorite ways to use mushroom ragu. A ragù is traditionally an Italian meat based sauce that's most commonly served with pasta. The mushroom version is something I try to keep in my freezer at all times because there is no end to the list of ways you can use it. For example….

• Use mushroom ragù inside these quick stuffed flatbreads from Issue #2 of this newsletter

• Use it to make this dreamy, creamy mushroom pasta

• Use it to make this three cheese mushroom pizza with truffle oil

• Use it in this deliciously decadent white mushroom lasagna

• Add mushroom ragù to soups or stews, spread over bread or toast, tuck it into homemade ravioli or spread over sandwiches - like these sandwiches from Issue #4 that are spread with arugula pesto and topped with mushroom ragù.

Also, no surprise, mushroom ragù is fantastic in quiche.

This is a deep dish, high rising quiche, prepared inside the ring of a springform pan. It’s rich, hearty, packed with mushrooms, and well worth the amount of time it takes to prepare.

I usually make this quiche for special occasions, but sometimes I make it on a weekend, keeping individually wrapped slices in the refrigerator to enjoy throughout the week.

I also like to make this when we are having house guests. Even though we live in an RV we have guests more often than you might think! Make it in advance and you are moments away from spoiling your guests with an enormously satisfying lunch or dinner, maybe with a crisp salad.

You’ll find make ahead instructions below the recipe.

For the pastry:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons/ 8 ounces) cold unsalted butter

• 3-4 tablespoons ice water

• Canola oil, for brushing

For the quiche:

• 1 recipe (2 cups) mushroom ragu

• 1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) shredded cheese, any kind you like. Good options include Swiss, Gruyère, Parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack.

• 4 cups (1 quart) half and half

• 6 large eggs

• Salt and pepper

Prepare the pastry:

1. In a food processor, briefly pulse together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cut 16 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter into 1-inch cubes and add to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms chickpea-size pieces, about three to five 1-second pulses.

2. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing between each addition until the mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Check the dough after adding 3 tablespoons; if it’s moistened enough to hold together if you squeeze it, you’re good. If it’s not, add the remaining tablespoon of ice water.

3. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly, and place it in the refrigerator. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

4. Set the ring of a 9-inch springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving the hinge open. Brush the inside of the ring with oil.

5. Dust the pastry on both sides with a bit of all-purpose flour. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the pastry to a 16-inch round.

6. Carefully wrap the pastry around the rolling pin and transfer to the prepared ring, pressing it down into the corners. Press the sides of the pastry firmly against the outside of the ring so that the pastry comes all the way to the top of the ring; trim any excess and use the trimmings to fill any cracks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the shell for 20 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line the pastry shell with a 14-inch round of parchment paper or aluminum foil and then fill the shell with dried beans, rice, or pie weights (this will prevent the pastry from puffing up while it bakes).

8. Bake the pastry for about 40 minutes, or until the edge of the dough is lightly browned. Remove the parchment and beans and continue baking the pastry shell for about 15 minutes longer, until the bottom is golden brown. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the pastry cool.

Make the quiche:

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Scatter 1/2 cup of the cheese and half of the mushroom ragu evenly over the bottom of the pre cooked pastry shell.

3. Add 4 cups half and half, 6 eggs,1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a blender. Blend at high speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour half of the custard into the pastry shell. Top with another 1/2 cup of cheese and the remaining mushroom ragu, then pour the rest of the custard into the shell. It will come all the way to the very top of the pastry shell. (If the pastry shell has shrunk while baking, you might have a bit of leftover custard.) Scatter the remaining cheese on top.

4. Bake the quiche for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set in the center but still jiggles a bit if you gently shake the pan. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow the quiche to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the springform pan ring from the quiche. Cut the mushroom quiche into wedges, transfer to plates, and serve warm.

Make Ahead instructions:

• The uncooked pastry dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.

• The baked pastry shell can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature overnight.

• If you’d like to make this quiche in advance, leave it to cool completely inside the springform ring, then cover and place it in the refrigerator. To serve, remove the ring from the quiche, cut it into wedges, and arrange the wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet. Heat the wedges in a preheated 350° oven until warm, about 10 -15 minutes.

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Root vegetable salad with wild rice

The very salad you see here became my lunch on Thursday, immediately after snapping this photo and friends, getting to eat your work is one of the greatest perks of being a recipe developer.

True to the spirit of the No Recipe Required series, this is a throw-it-together salad that can be modified in whatever ways you like to accommodate your personal tastes and the ingredients in your refrigerator.

As with all of the recipes in the No Recipe Required series, I’ve included some ingredient amounts, but they should be seen as guideposts. There’s very little need to measure anything in here.

The dressing for this salad is this super easy basic vinaigrette. Making the vinaigrette only takes a few minutes, so you can make it in advance or make it while the vegetables roast.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Root vegetables such as beets, carrots, parsnips, and turnips. Use all of these (that’s what I did in the salad pictured above) or only the ones you like. Aim for roughly 1 1/2 pounds of raw root vegetables per person.

• 3 medium to large size shallots

• Extra virgin olive oil - about 3 tablespoons for the veggies + 1/4 cup for the vinaigrette

• Salt and pepper

• 1/2 ounce (a couple of tablespoons) chopped sage leaves

• 2 to 4 tablespoons of honey

• Arugula or any kind of leafy greens, about 1 to 2 cups per person

• Cooked wild rice - plan on 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup cooked rice per person (I really love wild rice in this salad, but any kind of rice will do.)

• Basic vinaigrette made with minced shallots, and about a tablespoon each of honey, mustard, and mayo.

• Finely chopped almonds, about 1/4 cup per person. I like to use roasted and salted almonds. Pulse them in a food processor until they are chopped into very small pieces but not so much that they turn into a powder.

• Goat cheese (about 2 ounces per person)

• Roasted pumpkin seeds (about 1/4 cup per person). To roast: add raw pumpkin seeds to a skillet and toss with a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil. Toast over medium heat, stirring, until about half of the seeds are golden brown. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with salt.

• Fresh herbs, any kind you like (about 1 tablespoon per person)

How to make it:

If using beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Tightly wrap the beets in aluminum foil and set them in a baking dish or pie plate. Let the beats roast for 1 1/2 hours, or until they are very tender. If you pierce them with a fork, the tongs should slide in easily. Unwrap the beets and let them cool.

When cool enough to handle, use paper towels to rub off the skins, which should come off easily. Use two forks to break the beets into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. The beets can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

To prepare the rest of the root vegetables: Heat the oven to 400°F. Peel the vegetables if necessary and chop them into pieces that are roughly the same size. I like to cut them into generous 2-inch size chunks. Spread them out in one layer on a baking sheet that you’ve lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Cut the shallots in half and remove the papery outer skin. Set the shallot halves cut side down on the baking sheet next to the root vegetables. Drizzle the vegetables with a couple of tablespoons of oil and use your fingers to toss them around in the oil so they are well coated. (Rub the oil over the shallots rather than tossing them with the root vegetables so you keep them intact.)

Sprinkle the vegetables with a generous amount of salt and pepper and place them in the oven to roast for 40 minutes.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and sprinkle the chopped sage over them. Place them back into the oven to roast until they are tender, about 20 minutes longer.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and use a spatula to scrape them into a bowl. Drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of honey, tossing them around in the honey to coat. Taste and add more salt and/or more honey if you like. Let the veggies cool to room temperature.

To assemble the salads:

1. Pile 1 to 2 cups of greens on the plates and top with 1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked wild rice.

2. Add some of the roasted root vegetables and beets (if using). Drizzle everything with vinaigrette and then sprinkle with about 1/4 cup chopped almonds.

3. Crumble some goat cheese over the salad and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds and some minced fresh herbs.

4. Sit back, relax, and dig in.

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Roasted celery root

The first time I tried roasted celery root I could not believe how delicious it was. Seriously, the transformation that this humble root vegetable goes through when allowed to roast for a couple of hours is kind of magical.

Roasting concentrates the flavor and caramelizes all the natural sugars in celery root, transforming it from a somewhat bland and boring vegetable to a soft, surprisingly flavorful delicacy.

If you think I’m over exaggerating, you’ll have to try it for yourself.

I can easily make an entire meal out of nothing but a whole roasted celery root lightly sprinkled with some salt and ground black pepper. But it’s also a blank canvas for whatever other flavors you want to throw at it.

Here are 3 ideas:

1. Roast celery root, slice it into “steaks” and drizzle it with one of these 12 back pocket sauce recipes.

2. Use it to make these caramelized celery root wonton cups.

3. After roasting celery root, puree it as a delicious alternative to mashed potatoes. Like my favorite recipe for mashed potatoes, I like to add a healthy amount of butter and cream cheese. 😋

How to roast celery root:

1. Thoroughly scrub the outside of the celery root. Fill a large bowl with water and set it inside the sink. Plop in your celery root and start scrubbing. You can either use the rough side of a clean kitchen sponge or a vegetable scrubber. You’ll be surprised at how dirty your water gets – it is a root vegetable after all. Pat the celeriac dry with paper towels.

2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

3. Set the celery root on a piece of aluminum foil that’s big enough to enclose it.

4. Drizzle some olive oil over the celery root, turning it around in the oil to coat. Then, sprinkle with salt.

5. Wrap the foil up and around the celery root, enclosing it completely. Set it on the baking sheet and pop it in the oven.

6. Roast celery root for 2 – 3 hours, until extremely soft, creamy and caramelized.

7. Allow the roasted celery root to rest until cool enough to handle then trim the ends and cut into thick slices. At this point, it's ready to be used in any recipe, or simply sprinkled with salt and pepper and eaten as is.

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A couple of listening recommendations

Steve and I have been having a great time listening through most of the episodes of the What It’s Like To Be podcast, where Dan Heath interviews a variety of people to find out what it’s like to do the job that they do. Some of our favorites include an ocean lifeguard, a welder, a long haul truck driver, a defense lawyer, and an ice cream truck driver.

We also just finished listening to Upgrade by Blake Crouch, a fascinating novel that explores difficult moral and ethical questions in the context of a world where human existence hangs in the balance and genetic engineering has taken over the plot.

I need some recommendations from you! As the days get shorter, Steve and I tend to watch more shows and movies… do you have any good recommendations for us? Please let me know in the comments if you’ve watched anything good lately!

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