Issue #7, The most beautiful birthday gift

Let's Get Lost, April 6, 2024

In this issue

+The BEST birthday gift and the last couple of weeks in pictures

+ What to Make This Week

+ Two New Recipes! Fettuccine with chicken and tomato cream sauce and Honey cornbread muffins

+ No Recipe Required: Chickpea and harissa soup

+ One Useful Thing: Cooking beans

+ Featured Cookbook: A recipe for Black eyed pea and veggie stew from The Blue Zones Cookbook

+ April Bake Club Challenge: Raspberry Muffins!

+ Reading, Watching, and Listening Recommendations

A quick note before we get to it, the length of this post means it might be truncated in your inbox – just click to expand and read the whole thing or read it directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

→ Read more about me what this newsletter is all about

I turned 49 last month and our daughters flew to Oregon to celebrate with me. They gave me the most beautiful birthday gift - a book of photos from the past 4 years.

The first pages of the book include a message they wrote to me about why they decided to only include photos from the last 4 years. This is an excerpt of that message:

“In the last 4 years since Corey died a lot of things have become very clear to us. How easily families can be devastated and hurt by one person, how important family is, how precious time spent with one another is, and how important it is to say I love you when you have the chance to say it.

But the loss of Corey shook all of our foundations and colored our lives in a way that would only be understood by someone who lost what we lost. And it should have been something that broke us. Splintered the family in a way that shouldn’t have been put back together.

Except you and dad held onto us tightly and we knew it would be ok.

In this book, Annie and I put all the pictures we have of trips we have taken and family events we have gone to in the past 4 years, not because we want to forget Corey or ignore the past, but because of the happiness we have managed to reclaim and hold onto and thrive in.”

Since our son died, I have often thought of our family as broken. But what our girls reminded me of is this: We are still a family. We are still whole. We’ve just been formed into a different shape.

Also, check out the book’s title. When I was turning 44, I told the girls I was forty fucking four and it stuck. They say, in their minds, I will be forty fucking four forever. 😂

The last couple of weeks in photos

Our campsite in Winchester Bay, Oregon.

After 4 weeks on the coast of Oregon and 9 months in the Pacific Northwest, we said goodbye to the Pacific Ocean and started making our way to Zion National Park in Utah. To break up the 16 hour drive, we spent this week at Washoe Lake State Park in Nevada.

Washoe Lake State Park, Carson City, Nevada

We arrived in Nevada late in the day in a snowstorm. Rather than try to remove the motorcycle from the RV and get parked and set up in the dark in a snowstorm, we found a Hampton Inn in Reno with enough parking for our rig and spent the night in a warm, dry hotel room. The next day it was still cold but bright and sunny - much better conditions in which to get situated.

Our time at Washoe Lake State Park has been mostly cold, windy, sometimes rainy and snowy, but we did have one warm-ish, beautiful day so we got out to walk around and explore. In the middle of a field next to the lake is a wooden maze. I have no idea why it’s there, but we were enamored with the odd whimsy of it. The maze mostly just goes around in circles, but there are a few fun little obstacles like the swinging plank Steve’s walking across in the photo above.

I am still obsessed with the Arugula Pesto from Issue #4, and making it on a weekly basis. Earlier this week we ate it over roasted cauliflower and couscous and tonight (Friday), we’ll polish off the rest of it with a pot of Arugula Pesto Pasta made with homemade fettuccini noodles I hung to dry a couple of days ago.

I spent quite a bit of time this week shooting photos for recipes that will be in upcoming issues of this newsletter and thought I’d give you a peak behind the scenes of what it looks like to take photos inside an RV. Every surface is occupied. You can’t see the sofa, but it is also being utilized to its fullest extent. 😂

And this poor little snail hitched the wrong ride. We found him in the bed of the truck after driving from the wet Oregon coast to the Nevada desert. I plopped him in the dirt at our campground and wished him luck.

Today we are traveling from Nevada to Utah to spend a few weeks boondocking around Zion National Park. (What’s Boondocking? Here are some FAQs about camping off the grid.) We’ve spent time in the rest of Utah’s state parks but have not yet visited Zion and are super excited. I’ll have some hopefully sunny pics from there in next week’s newsletter.

Until then, I hope you find some new recipes to try from this week’s issue. Wishing you a fantastic week, friends. ❤️

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What to make this week

Happy April! 🌸

I am writing this on our one warm afternoon here in Nevada. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and all the windows are open. I LOVE having all the windows open. I am in the mood for light, fresh flavors and recipes that are quick and easy. If that’s you too, add these recipes to this week’s meal plan.

New Recipe: Loaded Vegan Nachos

These vegan nachos are meaty-without-the-meat and cheesy-without-the-cheese and piled high with so many good things that every single bite is like a little party.

Salty, crispy tortilla chips are loaded up with vegan taco meat, black beans, vegan nacho cheese, crunchy diced veggies and jalapeños, salsa, and creamy vegan sour cream. Best nachos ever.

Recipe: Loaded Vegan Nachos

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you have some pre-cooked chicken, these will only take about 15 minutes to make. I always make enough for us to have them again later in the week because they are so good we don’t mind eating them twice. Two meals in roughly 15 minutes? Yes, please.

If you have leftover chicken in the refrigerator, use that. Or, pick up a rotisserie chicken. Or follow this super simple method in Issue #1 for poaching chicken.

Recipe: Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

These chicken enchiladas also rely on pre-cooked chicken and take about 15 minutes of prep time before you put them in the oven to bake. They also reheat well, so you know what I’m going to say here, do yourself a favor and make enough for leftovers.

Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Spaghetti Puttanesca

Rumor has it that spaghetti puttanesca originated in brothels as a way to lure in customers with its rich aroma. All I can say is that I hope the ladies saved some for themselves. Goodness knows they probably needed it more than their customers. 😉

Origins aside, spaghetti puttanesca is one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes. It’s the kind of thing you can whip up in 30 minutes or less with ingredients entirely from your pantry.

Recipe: Spaghetti puttanesca

This is especially delish with homemade spaghetti noodles, of course. I generally make the dough a couple of days earlier (10 minutes), roll it out into noodles a day or two later (15 minutes) and hang them to dry. When the noodles are dry, I pack them into a ziplock bag and they are ready to cook when I am.

For the bakers

Even if you’re not a big fan of white chocolate, these white chocolate chip cookies are hard to resist. They are made with brown butter which makes them soft and chewy with a rich toffee flavor that just melts in your mouth. Add some dried cranberries and/ or macadamia nuts if you like for white chocolate-cranberry-macadamia cookies.

Or go a different direction and make these giant white chocolate raspberry cookies instead. If you’d rather, they are just as delicious with dark chocolate chips.

And speaking of raspberries, have you tried these raspberry muffins yet??? They are soft and tender, and covered in butter crumbs, so you really can’t go wrong here. Also, they can be made with frozen raspberries because I know it’s a little early in most places for sweet fresh raspberries.

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Fettuccine with chicken and tomato cream sauce

I am typing up this recipe having just eaten a plate of the very pasta you see in the photo below and filled to bursting with that warm, happy satisfaction that comes after having eaten something that you really, truly love. And I do really, truly love this recipe.

It’s relatively quick and easy (about 30 minutes) and is one of those creamy, saucy, comforting, flavor-packed meals that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy. I’m into it and I hope you make this soon and that it also leaves you bursting with warm and fuzzy vibes.

 3-4 servings

• 6-8 ounces fettuccini noodles (I used homemade fresh pasta that I allowed to dry overnight)

• Salt

• 1 pound asparagus

• 2-3 tablespoons canola oil or extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces total), cut crosswise into slices that are about 2 inches thick

• 3-5 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and chopped

• One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

• One 8-12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts

• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you want it

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, half and half, or full-fat coconut milk

• Grated parmesan and ground black pepper, for serving

1. Add just enough water to a large saucepan or stock pot to comfortably cover the pasta. Add enough salt to make the water taste salty. Cook pasta until it’s slightly underdone then drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Rinse the noodles under cold water to stop their cooking and set aside.

2. Break the asparagus spears in half, allowing them to snap wherever they naturally want to. Discard the bottom half of the spears. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet, saucepan, dutch oven, or cast iron braiser (this is what I used) and set the pan over high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the asparagus. Cook, tossing them around in the pan every now and then, until they are partially blackened. Sprinkle them with salt and remove them from the pan.

3. Lower the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add the chicken. Spread the chicken out into an even layer so that each piece is laying on the bottom of the pan. (Do this in two batches if necessary.) Allow the chicken to cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip the pieces over and allow them to brown on the other side.

4. Add the chopped garlic, diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, chopped fresh parsley, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Stir everything around to mix and bring the liquid to a simmer. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through. This will only take a few minutes.

5. Pour in the cream, stirring it to mix, then add the pasta. Toss the pasta around in the sauce and let simmer until the pasta is cooked through. This will only take a couple of minutes. If the pan looks dry at all, add more of the reserved pasta water. You want it to be quite saucy.

6. Stir in the asparagus. Taste the sauce and add more salt if desired.

7. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and plenty of ground black pepper.

Recipe notes:

• Add just enough water to the pot to cook the pasta - just enough to cover the noodles and give them some room to move. This will ensure that plenty of starch from the pasta makes it into the reserved pasta water. The starch in pasta water helps thicken the sauce.

• My preference is always for homemade fresh pasta. If you’ve never tried your hand at pasta making, perhaps this recipe will give you the excuse to give it a go. To easily fit pasta making into a busy week I usually make the dough on the weekend, when I’m doing other meal prep stuff for the week. Then I wrap it up and keep it in the fridge until I’m ready to use it. The night before I want to cook the pasta, I use my pasta machine to roll out the dough, cut it into noodles, and hang them on a pasta drying rack. The pasta is now ready to cook whenever I am.

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Honey Cornbread Muffins

I made these specifically to eat with steaming bowls of black eyed pea and potato stew (recipe below) and they were the perfect sweet and tender compliment to the savory stew. Both recipes are warm and homey, and will reheat well for lunch the next day if you have leftovers. And I hope you do have leftovers because the only thing better than a good meal is getting to eat it again the next day.

Makes 12 muffins

• 1 cup (156 grams) cornmeal- I like consistency of medium ground in these, but if you want a softer texture, choose fine ground

• 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) melted butter - I used salted butter but if your sensitive to salt, use unsalted

• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) olive oil - or vegetable or canola oil)

• 1/4 cup (84 grams) honey

• 1/4 cup (54 grams) packed brown sugar

• 2 large eggs (100 grams) 

• 1 cup (227 grams) buttermilk 

• Honey butter, for serving (optional): 1 stick of salted butter, softened + 2 tablespoons honey

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease the inside of each muffin cup with vegetable shortening or softened butter, or spray them with non-stick baking spray. If the top of your muffin pan is not non-stick, grease it lightly with vegetable shortening, softened butter, or non-stick baking spray. This will prevent the tops of the muffins from sticking to the top of the pan.

2. Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir with a wire whisk to blend.

3. Add all the wet ingredients to a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until everything is blended together.

5. Divide the batter between the muffin cups (the muffin cups will be very full) and place in the center of the oven. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out without any evidence of raw batter.

6. Serve with honey butter if you like. To make, stir the honey into the softened butter; taste and add more honey if you like.

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No Recipe Required is a collection of quick and easy dishes that are more of an idea than a recipe. Each dish in this series is meant to inspire delicious, quick, and easy meals that can be adapted to what you like, what you have on hand, and how many people you're cooking for.

Chickpea and Harissa Soup

Harissa is a North African chili paste made primarily from red bell peppers and baklouti peppers. It can range from mild to fairly spicy depending on the peppers that were used to make it. When presented with the choice, I usually use mild harissa so that I can add quite a lot without worry that it will be too spicy.

I can’t always find harissa in local supermarkets but have always been able to find it at Whole Foods. It’s also an ingredient that’s easy to order. If you’ve never tried it, it’s worth seeking out. It’s peppery, garlicky, smoky flavor adds instant depth and complexity to the broth for this soup. The soup comes together quickly, but tastes like its been cooking for hours.

• Crusty white bread

• Chickpeas - a can or two, depending on how much soup you want to make, or a few cups of cooked dried chickpeas

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• A few cloves of garlic - skin removed and minced

• about 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• about 2 tablespoons ground cumin

• A jar of harissa (about 10 ounces)

• Chicken broth or vegetable broth (I use Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water)

• Lemon juice

• Toppings (optional): Capers, olives, chopped parsley and cilantro, soft cooked eggs

1. Tear or cut the bread into crouton size pieces. Add it to a skillet and drizzle with olive oil. You want enough oil for the bread to be moistened with it, but not so much that the bread is literally dripping with oil. Sprinkle with salt and cook over medium heat, stirring every once in a while, until golden and crispy. Dump out onto a plate or into a bowl.

2. Add some oil to a large saucepan (I used my favorite cast iron braiser) and add the chopped onion. Sprinkle with salt and cook over medium heat until soft and translucent.

3. Add however much garlic you like along with the tomato paste and cumin. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two. 

4. Add the harissa and cook, stirring for another minute or two.

5. Add about 2 cups of broth and the chickpeas. From here you can decide how much more broth you want to add depending on how soupy you want your soup.

6. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if you like. 

To serve, add croutons to your bowl then top with soup and whatever toppings you want.

*To make soft cooked eggs, add eggs to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Water should be at a gentle simmer while the eggs cook.

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How to Cook Dried Beans

I cook at least one pot of beans every single week because there are few things that get dinner on the table faster than a pot of beans in the fridge.

Take 5 minutes to toss some dried beans into the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or saucepan and then use them all week long to make quick, delicious meals that are inexpensive and nutritious. For example, this recipe for Costa Rican Beans and Rice from the last issue.

Also, most importantly, cooking dried beans allows you to infuse them with flavor. Add some chopped onion, garlic, salt, herbs, and spices to the pot along with the beans and the beans will soak up all that flavor as they cook. Beans that have been cooked from dried have better texture than canned beans and even if all you do is add some salt to the cooking liquid, they will have better flavor.

—> ​How to cook beans in the Instant Pot​ (If I only used my instant pot to cook dried beans, I would still consider the purchase 100% worth it.)

—> ​How to cook beans in the Slow Cooker​

—> ​How to cook black beans on the stovetop​

When done cooking, store the beans in some of their cooking liquid in a covered container in the refrigerator then use them to all week long to make quick work of dinner.

If you’d like to know how to create a week’s worth of meals from a pot of beans, sign up to receive this free guide, delivered straight to your email in-box: How to Turn a Pot of Beans Into a Week' of Dinners

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This month’s featured cookbook is The Blue Zones Kitchen Cookbook by Dan Buettner. This book is a collection of recipes from the regions covered in The Blue Zones: Lessons From the Healthiest Places on Earth.

I purchased this cookbook in Costa Rica after being reminded that a community in Costa Rica is one of the blue zones. I’ve since read it cover to cover and it’s changing the way we eat around here.

One of the recipes in the book, Ikarian Longevity Stew, comes with a fascinating story about the author’s quest to get a small town in Minnesota to eat more vegetables. The initiative began with an invitation to dinner. More than 2000 of the town’s residents showed up to eat bowls of stew made from black eyed peas and veggies, the dinner marking the kickoff of the pilot for what is now the Blue Zones Project.

This is my version of that recipe.

Black Eye Pea and Potato Stew

This recipe is adapted from the Icarian Longevity Stew recipe in the Blue Zones cookbook. We like to eat it with cornbread muffins (recipe above).

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 4-5 star anise or 2 teaspoons ground anise seed

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 medium potatoes - about 2 cups of 1-inch cubes (I like to use Yukon gold potatoes)

• 4 -6 cups water or broth (I used Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water).

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes, I used cherry tomatoes

• 2 red bell peppers, seeds and stem removed and cut into pieces about the same size as the potatoes

• About 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (less or more to taste)

• 2-3 cups black eyed peas - canned or cooked from dried. (See note.)

• Rice, for serving (optional)

Note: I used black eyed peas that I had cooked from dried and flavored with paprika, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. I used about a third of the beans for this recipe, another third to make this recipe for Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage, and put the remaining third in the freezer for another day. Scroll up for several guides and resources about cooking dried beans.

1. Add a couple tablespoons of oil to a large stockpot and add the chopped onion onion and garlic. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and the onion looks translucent. Add the star anise or ground anise and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another minute. (*If you’re using canned beans, consider also adding a bit of cumin, paprika, and chili powder or Aleppo pepper.)

2. Add the chopped potato and stir it around in the pan for a minute or two. Pour in 4 cups of water or broth. If the potatoes are not completely submerged, add a bit more broth. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender enough to poke with a fork but still underdone.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, red bell pepper, dill, and the beans. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

4. Remove the pieces of star anise which should float to the top.

5. Taste and add salt if desired. (I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base which contains a decent amount of salt, so I didn’t need to add much more. If you’re using water or a low sodium broth, you’ll want to add more salt.)

6. We like to eat this over cooked rice. Serve drizzled with additional olive oil. 

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The bake club is a monthly baking challenge with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. There is no need to sign-up for the bake club, simply bake the challenge recipe and then leave a comment on the recipe telling me what you thought of it. By commenting on the recipe, you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Important: When you comment on the recipe, use the same email address that you use to subscribe to this newsletter. This is how I’ll contact you if you win.

The March bake club winner is Helen Maes, who has already been notified. Congratulations Helen!

The April challenge recipe is Raspberry Muffins!

Raspberry muffins are rich, decadent, and buttery little breakfast pastries packed with berries. The crumb is exceptionally soft and tender, a perfect match for delicate, sweet raspberries. And the butter crumb topping literally melts in your mouth.

To participate in the Bake Club Challenge: bake this month's challenge recipe and then leave a comment on the recipe telling me what you thought of it! By commenting on the recipe, you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Bake the challenge recipe and leave your comment before May 1st, 2024.

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What I’m reading, watching, and listening to

I mentioned last month that I had just started reading Lessons in Chemistry and after finishing the book I can say with certainly that it’s one of my all-time favorite books. I loved it even more than the television series.

I downloaded the audiobook and Steve and I are listening to it together on travel days. The audiobook reader is doing a good job but I don’t feel she quite captures the main character’s quirky personality and the author’s sense of humor. Still, if you’re more of a listener than reader, I recommend it.

Last month, Steve and I spent a day in Portland with our daughters and visited Powell’s City of Books where I left with an armful of new books plus this book bag, which is now hanging in our kitchen as a general PSA and friendly reminder. 🙂

One of the books I purchased at Powell’s is The Creative Act by Rick Rubin and I’ve taken to reading it a few pages at a time first thing in the morning, snuggled under a quilt with my first cup of coffee. It’s a delightful way to start the day and taking the book in slowly is helping me digest it.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from it so far: “To live as an artist is a way of being in the world. A way of perceiving. A practice of paying attention. Refining our sensitivity to tune into the more subtle notes. Looking for what draws us in and what pushes us away. Noticing what feeling tones arise and where they lead. Attuned choice by attuned choice, your entire life is a form of self expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.”- The Creative Act

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