Like a Silent Earthquake
When everything changes + How to make Blueberry Pie Cookies + Steak with Cherry Sauce, Roasted Corn, and Elderflower Lemon Cake.
To everyone new here, welcome. I’m Rebecca and this is the Let’s Get Lost newsletter. Many of you know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot. This newsletter comes out every Saturday morning and includes stories and photos from our life on the road plus a weekly menu of new recipes inspired by the places we visit and the people we meet.
There are certain moments that are more impactful than others, and I’m not referring to life-altering moments of birth and death and major life decisions.
I’m taking about those moments of clarity where something important comes into focus and suddenly you are not the same. Just a moment ago you were one thing and now you are something else. Yesterday, the world was business as usual and today it’s brand new.
Perhaps no one else sees it. Nothing looks different about you from the outside, but inside the entire landscape has changed. Like a silent earthquake.
Years ago, while on a walk listening to an audiobook, I made the decision to become a traveler. It’s not that I decided to travel. I decided I was a traveler. I claimed it as a part of my identity.
That subtle, quiet realization that travel could be a noun not a verb, was one of those silent earthquake moments.
At the time, Steve and I had no means for travel. It wasn’t something we did. It wasn’t something we planned for. We were young, with young children, a young marriage, young careers, and young ideas. We didn’t take vacations. We didn’t go anywhere.
But after that walk, we did.
I read somewhere that people who want to start running are more successful if they think of themselves as a runner.
What do runners do? They run.
What does a traveler do? They travel.
In last month’s Mastermind for Food Writers meeting,
shared about going to a writing retreat where he realized he IS a food writer. A noun, not a verb. A truth, not an aspiration. He wrote about it here…“But, something changed at Cadhay. Something quiet, and yet - roaring.
Hello, I’m Mark - a food writer.”
I can look back over many times in my life where this quiet earthquake happened. I do not remember all the many, tiny thoughts and decisions and events that led to that moment. But I do remember the moment because the moment was huge.
It happened again last week, sitting on the back of our motorcycle, early on a Wednesday morning as we sped towards our third day of sailing classes. For a split second, time warped and the beginning and the end were the same thing. I was learning to sail and also, I was a sailer.
Our plan, when we signed up for sailing classes this summer was simply to learn how to sail. After that, we thought that we might charter a boat from time to time and then at some point in the distant future, we might buy a sailboat. It was a fuzzy picture of someday, maybe, who knows when.
Last week, the idea of owning a sailboat was a distant, hopeful, idea. This week we started making it a reality.
What does a sailer do? They sail.
All of us, you and I, can point to times in our lives when we’ve faced difficult challenges. The proverbial mountain we had to climb. We know we have it in us to do hard things. We’ve done things we didn’t think we were capable of. We’ve traversed impassable roads.
When we have to do something, we do it.
I think that’s what I’m speaking to here: When our thinking shifts away from something that’s an option to something that’s essential, we figure out a way to make it happen.
We don’t wait for the perfect timing. We don’t hope that everything comes together just so. We don’t expect the universe to roll out the red carpet and present the opportunity on a silver platter.
We make it happen because it’s who we are. It’s not magic. We just start doing what we need to do.
This is who I am and this is what I do. It will not be easy or without problems or downsides. No matter. It’s who I am.
I have done this with travel (I am a traveler), and food writing (I am a food writer), and living in an RV (I am a nomad), and now sailing (I am a sailer).
And so have you.
Tell me: When have you experienced that silent earthquake?
How to make Blueberry Pie Cookies
I taught a live class this week about how to make Blueberry Pie Cookies and friends, they are chewy, crunchy, blueberry-filled bites of bliss. Think chewy oatmeal cookie meets blueberry crumb pie, with a granola crunch for good measure. If you missed it, here’s the replay…
Blueberry Pie Cookies
If you’re into things like buttery cookie dough, jammy fruit centers, and a snack that doubles as breakfast (and c'mon, who isn't?), these might just become your new favorite cookie. And in this class, I show you how to make them.
Join me this week for a conversation about preserving family recipes!
Preserving Family Recipes: A conversation with Lori Olson White
Family recipes are a record of traditions and memories. The are a way to bring the past to life by recreating the sights, smells, taste and experience of our family history in a real and tangible way.
If preserving family recipes is something that calls to you, join myself and Lori Olson White on Thursday, July 10 for a discussion about all the ways to accomplish it.
This week’s menu
Cast Iron Steak with Cherry Sauce (recipe follows) + Roasted Corn + Crispy Fried Potatoes + Elderflower Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cast Iron Steak with Cherry Sauce
*Lost Supper Club Members (paid subscribers): Download the pdf of this recipe in the recipe index!
Two things I want to tell you about this recipe:
I have never been good at cooking steak. I almost always overcook it. But all that changed when I learned this cast iron reverse sear method. The first time I tried it, our steaks came out so perfectly that Steve kept asking me if I'd really cooked it. 😂
Savory cherry sauce on meat is the BOMB. Roast pork tenderloin with red wine cherry sauce is one of our favorite meals. And I might like this recipe for steak with cherry sauce even more.
Ingredients:
Steak, any cut you like. In these photos, I used ribeye.
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 medium shallot - about ⅓ cup diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½ cups dry or semi-dry white wine
½ cup broth, beef or vegetable
2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups (10 ounces) pitted sweet cherries, fresh or frozen
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt the steak in advance: Generously sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt. Set the salted steak on a plate and let it rest in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. This draws the seasoning into the meat, resulting in a more flavorful and juicy steak.
To make the cherry sauce, add 2 tablespoons of butter to a skillet, saucepan, or braiser. Set the pan over medium heat and add the diced shallot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is soft and beginning to look translucent. Add the cumin, coriander, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for another minute to toast the spices.
Pour in the wine, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half (about half the water content of the wine has evaporated).
Add the broth, mustard, and honey to the pan, stirring to blend. Then, stir in the cherries and rosemary.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a moderate simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid in the sauce has thickened to the consistency of syrup. This will take about 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. At this point, the cherry sauce can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
30 minutes before you plan to cook the steak, heat the oven to 300°F. Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it rest, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature. Set the steak on a rack inside a broiler pan or on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the steak is 10 degrees lower than the desired temperature (see the list of internal temperatures for beef below).
Set a cast iron pan on the stovetop over high heat. When the pan is really hot, add no more than a tablespoon of canola, vegetable, or grape seed oil to the pan. Add the steak. Sear the steak in the hot pan for about 2 minutes, flipping it over every 20 to 30 seconds. The steak is done when it's reached the internal temperature you prefer and has formed a gorgeous crust on the outside.
Set the steak on a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, slice and serve it with the cherry sauce.
Internal temperatures for steak
Rare: 120–125°F (52–54°C) Cool red center
Medium rare: 130–135°F (54–57°C) Warm red center
Medium: 140–145°F (60–63°C) Warm pink center
Medium well: 150–155°F (66°C) Slightly pink center
Well done: 160–165°F (71°C) Little or no pink
Easy roasted corn
Oven roasting corn concentrates the flavor and gives the kernels a firm but juicy and tender texture that is about as far away from mushy as you can get.
This recipe works just as well with fresh corn cut as it does with frozen corn. It's wonderful in the summer when fresh corn is at its peak. But, it's just as good with frozen corn so you can make it all year long. And, roasted corn only takes minutes to prepare.
Here’s where to get the recipe —> Roasted Corn
Crispy Fried Potatoes
I've never met a potato I didn't like, but these crispy fried potatoes just might be my favorite way to eat them. And the combination of steak with cherry sauce, roasted corn, and crispy fried potatoes is heaven on a plate.
Here’s where to get the recipe —> Crispy Fried Potatoes
Elderflower and Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake is quite possibly the lightest, softest cake I’ve ever eaten and is bursting at the seams with citrus flavor. The cake includes whole lemons that are blended right into the batter for a fresh lemon flavor like nothing you've ever experienced.
This is a very juicy cake.
Including the fruit and zest from 4-6 lemons in the batter allowed me to use less sugar because the fruit is helping to do sugar’s job: all that fresh lemon adds flavor, locks in moisture, and creates a soft and tender texture.
Less sugar means the cake is not overly sweet, so you can drench it in elderflower syrup with abandon, with no concern that it will become cloying.
Covered in a thick layer of lemon cream cheese buttercream and decorated with candied lemon slices, this cake is sassy and elegant with every creamy lemon and elderflower drenched bite.
Here’s where to get the recipe —> Elderflower and Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
NEW! Create your next masterpiece with this free ebook!
This free downloadable book includes 63 pages, 35 recipes, full color photos + a mix and match cake and frosting chart!
What’s happening in the Lost Supper Club
Exclusive content for paid subscribers
NEW recipe: Fried Summer Veggies with Burrata and Jalapeño Basil Oil
This super simple technique for crispy fried veggies produces a light, lacy golden fry that makes for an addictive appetizer or summer meal.
The key to a light, tender, crispy breading is buttermilk. The viscosity of buttermilk grabs and binds the ideal amount of flour to whatever kind of vegetable or fruit you like giving you the perfect amount of golden, crispy breading in every bite.
Wait… did I say fruit? Why yes I did. I recently learned how delicious it is to fry slices of citrus and prunes and am now obsessed. Try it and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Here’s where you’ll find the recipe —> Fried Summer Fruit & Veggies with Burrata and Jalapeño Basil Oil
New subscriber chat for members of the Lost Supper Club!
I'll be using this chat to share tips and tricks and recommendations throughout the week. YOU can also use this chat to connect with other Lost Supper Club members and share your own recommendations and ideas!
To get us started, click the “join chat” button below and introduce yourself! What is your name? Where are you located? What drew you to join the Lost Supper Club?
The Cookbook
The Let’s Get Lost Cookbook is the culmination of many of the recipes and stories I published in this newsletter in 2024. It includes 143 recipes with full page color photos of every dish and, scattered amongst the recipes, a handful of the stories from our life on the road.
Lost Supper Club members receive a discount on the hard cover print version and can download the digital version for just .99 cents!
Michigan Meet Up!
If you are in Southern Michigan, we’d love to have you join us for a Lost Supper Club Meetup in South Haven later this month! Here are all the details…
Recipe Index: Get Every Single Recipe
This index + downloadable recipe cards for every single recipe (over 200 and counting!) is a perk of being a member of The Lost Supper Club (a paid subscriber.)
—> Class replays: LIVE classes are free for anyone to attend, but the replay library is a perk of being a paid subscriber. Click here to access all the class replays!
Limited time offer
For a limited time, receive 20% off your first year’s membership in The Lost Supper Club
❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?
This is so beautifully put. That ‘silent earthquake’ feeling, when something shifts and you just *are* the thing. Reading this made me think that those moments are like sewing on another badge to the tapestry of who we are. We feel it in our bones. We recognise it. And then we stitch it on ourselves.
So, Rebecca - Traveler. Food writer. Nomad. Sailer… Thank you for sharing this, and for including my little moment in your big, beautiful one.
Internal talk is so important - and the words we use, those labels, are power! They determine what we are, but also what we are not. Thanks for a wonderful reminder to watch our words, and dream bigger.