Yes, indeed. It’s not over. Squash is dominating the terrain of my brain. Well, mostly. If you walked into my kitchen you would understand why. First, now that CleanUp time has arrived in the garden, I found two or three baby pumpkins that had been hiding and were not ripened at all, but were so cute, I brought them in in hopes that perhaps they still had a chance. It’s working for the green tomatoes; why not the pumpkins? I followed the instructions I got from that kind blogger, Mr. David Perry. The key, I think, was not letting them touch each other. So I have various pumpkins in various stages of ripening on a cutting board, and sure enough, they are turning orange! OK, then there is this little green orphan I found dangling up in the quince bush that I am currently in love with, and staged his own photo. How cute is he??
Cuteness!
So, I’d been pouring over recipes for my kuri post and, later, for Antonia, after mailing her down that kuri I found for her in the Santa Rosa farmer’s market. What I first discovered was that red kuri was on Everybody’s Gourmet Restaurant Thanksgiving list! (Who knew?) The best one was a dessert list in a D.C. restaurant called Vidalia. Look at this!
squash, maple and walnut
maple chiboust with kuri squash chips; walnut tort with
amber maple syrup ice cream; kuri squash custard with
walnut brittle and five spice marshmallow 10.50
with standing stone vineyards, vidal ice, finger lakes, ny 14.00
Eventually, all this talk of pumpkins and kuri squashes inevitably bled over to an overwhelming curiosity about a very dark, (I thought) uninviting squash called kabocha, or blue kuri. If you saw this in a store, would it be the first squash you’d grab?
I thought not.
It looks slightly better upside down!
What tipped the scales for me was unexpectedly finding a recipe for a Thai coconut custard made inside a kabocha! They call it Sangkaya Phak Tong. It just sounded too delicious not to try. So try I did, and here is the result! Kabocha coconut custard
How cool is that??
Now, what did I do? It was ridiculously easy. I whisked four eggs. I opened a can of coconut milk and heated it just a teeny tiny bit in a saucepan so it smoothed out. I added a cup of sugar to the coconut milk. (You are supposed to use date sugar, though.) I made sure it was cool, and added to the whisked eggs. I put a teeny bit of vanilla in it and a pinch of salt and a pinch of cinnamon. I poured into the kabocha, which I’d already cut open and pulled its seeds out (which I will dry and keep for next spring). Now. You are supposed to put the kabocha in a steaming basket and steam for 45 minutes. But did I? Of course not. I put it in a 350 degree oven for an hour and a half instead. I like to bake. What can I say? And I almost always mess with recipes. I was pleased with my first result. And here’s the proof in the pudding!
Here’s a really interesting sidebar on the custard: you could make this custard in a heartbeat and just pour into pyrex dishes and have an almost instant, very satisfying dessert! I had more custard than my kabocha would hold, and poured that last bit in one of Grandma’s little pyrex pudding dishes and waterbathed it and placed that next to the kabocha in the oven. It was done in 30 minutes and of course I had to try it. It was really good! So that’s a nifty trick to have in your back pocket! I was thinking how much children would like it, you busy mothers and grandmothers. They could even help! I do have to say, however, I want to try this recipe with REAL coconut milk. (I’m not a big can fan, ever.)
I am now utterly enchanted with the idea of Stuffing Squashes and baking them. I want to try some kind of rice and chicken sausage thingie next. If anyone has any experience in this realm, will you please let me know?? Thank you!
Thanksgiving wreathe is hung on the front door and the kitchen is bustling with activities! And, you are going to kiss my toes. Yes, you are, because I’m going to part with a family recipe. Yes, I am. Grandma’s Chess Pie. A scant few of you will know about Chess pie, and I’m wagering those few readers will be Southerners. Grandma is not with us as you know, so I’m not going to ever know where and when she started making chess pie, but it’s a family tradition and today I’m passing her recipe along to all of you. Why not? [“There are no secrets,” my friend Suzette told me once in the woods of Sonoma County many many years ago. What ensued was an epiphany, upon which I could not fully elaborate, but trust me and ponder at your leisure.] What is wonderful about chess pie is not only how delicious it is, but also how easy it is. And I think in the face of the overwhelming culinary expectations that have been built into this particular holiday it’s very very handy to have an easy recipe to rely on. (We need all the breaks we can get, right?) So here goes.
Gram’s Chess Pie
Make a single pie crust and put in a pie pan and bake it for about ten minutes max. in a 425 F. oven.
You can cheat and buy a crust at Trader Joe’s or whatever, but be sure to partially bake.
In a medium sized saucepan cream 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter.
Turn on low heat and begin adding the following:
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon of white flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup nutmeats (That’s what Grandma said. Nutmeats. Quaint, right? I use pecans.)
1 cup raisins (I use currents. More fun.)
1 teaspoon vanilla (Puleeze only use the real thing.)
You’re almost done. Really.
Heat it up over low heat, stirring until it thickens. It will thicken. It’s magic! It does not take long.
Beat the egg whites. Fold them into the above mixture in that same saucepan. (See why it can’t be a small saucepan??)
Pour into the partially baked pie shell. It will look like this.
Then put in a 350 F. oven for half an hour. Nicely browned, it will now look like this.
I particularly love how good this pie smells! Enjoy, dear readers! I hope this serves those of you who were still wrestling with what to make for dessert tomorrow!
I know how incredibly busy you are today and tomorrow and I barely know how you found time to read any blogs (and am honored) so I am going to simply offer you a very special blessing that Antonia always said before eating our meals when she was a little girl. When we lived in Holland she said it in Dutch. When we came back to the States she said it in English. Here it is in English.
Dear Earth who gave to us this food,
Dear Sun who made it ripe and good,
Dear Earth, dear Sun by you we live,
Our loving thanks to you we give.
St Francis
From our house to yours–Happy Thanksgiving!
Love and blessings, and deep gratitude for all your kindnesses, seen and unseen.
Kathryn xoxo
Yesterday morning I was nervous as a hen, feeling the responsibility of showcasing your beautiful creations for the local community! I met Nicole, owner of Tierra, at noon and she ushered me onto the lovely back patio and garden. She had graciously gotten the cords up for the hanging early in the morning so it was ready to rock ‘n roll. My turn! Once again I found myself weeping (oh, my) as I arranged the scarves in what I found to be optimal display.
I had sorted all the scarves in piles according to colors the night before, so it was a far easier task, using the scarves as a palette as I chose which scarves to juxtapose. Very fun!
But why am I weeping? Nicole wonders. How do I possibly explain that she’s looking at scarves, but I’m looking at stories, at hearts, at spirits, at love woven from far away and now come together in this incredible collaborative exhibition? Oh, I felt you all so, I can’t begin to explain. So, thank you, is all I can say.
Nicole kindly snapped the photo at top after I’d gotten half the show up (see the relief on my face?). I relaxed into knowing it was all going to be fine, it would work, and I hung the remaining scarves in short order. Can you even begin to imagine the energy emanating from this outstanding collection?
OK, with the show up, it is time to get home, prepare Afghani food (close enough), which I’d tracked down with help from friend Brenda and had picked up last weekend at the Farmer’s Market. A contribution box was created, just in case, and some phone calls and email from inquiring folks were returned. What was most exciting to me was that one of our California knitters, Radiance, was planning on passing through town yesterday, so she was going to attempt to come to the show. Right on time they rang me from Tierra that she had arrived. I scrambled into my chosen outfit for the evening and rushed down excitedly to meet her. One of US! Here! And what a dear person, something I’d already ascertained by her two beautiful scarves, and her accompanying emails. Here’s dear Radiance with me at the start of the event.
Do we look happy? We are.
Radiance and her husband continued their journey, then, out to the coast, and other interesting people began to arrive. A man who had served in Peace Corps in Afghanistan. A friend of his who had done same. I was thrilled to meet folks who knew not only Greg’s work but also Rory Stewart’s and who had had experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Then arrived a very dear older couple who had lived in Pakistan in the early 60’s! “We went to Gilgit! We didn’t even need oxygen!” Having just finished Thin Air, I could follow his thinking. And so it went throughout the evening. A woman named Melodee arrived with her precious granddaughter, Emma, from up north with an armload of scarves! “I knitted these last year,” was her explanation. I added them to the growing alternative pile of smaller scarves begun by Kusum’s schoolchildren and by JoAnn, the weaver in Ashland. Why not? Dave and wife Jean came by, whom some of you know as my dear next door neighbors. They were on their way to Thursday night squaredancing, but came to see the show on the way. So sweet. A schoolteacher came who told me she had read about the Korphe village schoolchildren in Three Cups of Tea to her own classroom of children.
We ate grapes. (Yes, they grow grapes in Pakistan!) We sipped wine. We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. It was never too busy. It was a perfect flow of small groups of interested and interesting people the entire evening, which allowed for being fully present, never distracted, a perfect sendoff for our wonderful mutual creation.
I have Nicole to thank for her gracious and ever-so-willing and kind hospitality to welcome the Scarf Initiative into Tierra. What a fabulous, rich environment in which to display the scarves. Thank you, Nicole!
(Isn’t she adorable?)
Now, two things I must share. First, it had been my intention to share with people at last night’s event a video I had discovered in my ever present research of Pakistan. It had been created by a group of Pakistani popular singers and reminded me very much of our video “We Are the World.” Only, poignantly, the Pakistani version is “We are Pakistanis, and we are not who modern media would have you believe.” Indeed, the name of the video is “Yeh Hum Naheen” translated as “This Is Not Us.” Though I was able to contact the producer in the UK and he graciously tried to get a dvd to me to show last night, it was not in the cards, most likely because of busy lives and timing. I am therefore going to include here. The very beginning of this will have you thinking,”What is this??” but bear with the beginning, please, and see it through to the end. I was personally very touched, and both surprised and disappointed that while this vid is known in Europe, it has not made its way fully into America. Perhaps you will be seeing it here first.
(If you are unable to see here, please go tolink.)
It is clear to me that every single one of you who has participated in this project, whether in thought, word or stitch by loving stitch, is reaching across the miles with a resounding, “We hear you, and here is our response.” Plant whatever brings you joy, my dears.
Lastly, I would also be remiss if I did not share a note I received from Mariassunta Lenotti, who is an Italian doctor who oversees the small clinic established in Askole village, erected as a tribute to a young Italian boy who scaled K2, only to fall to his death in his descent. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it has been to secure data about Askole, so it was a very welcomed Godsend when Mariassunta, who was an expedition doctor, wrote back to me from Italy. She will return in spring, and I hope to keep a conversation going with her in future.
Dear Kathryn,
…I have been going to Askole since 1997 and before in 1996 as the doctor of an expedition to K2.
In the valley they don’t use to make a census of population, but I began to do this at Askole since about 3 years.
There are at the moment 630 people, seventy houses and about 230 children.
There is a big school with about 110 students, about 20 are girls. There is also a Koranic school.
They usually speak Balti’, but many people speak and read in Urdu and some also in English, so that they can understand if you write in one of these languages.
If you want to read some information about our dispensary at Askole and about our association, you can visit Amici di Lorenzo Association . During winter we are always present at Askole.
My best greetings,
Mariassunta
Thank you again, everyone, from the bottom of my heart.
With love and humble gratitude,
Kathryn xoxo
Footnote: please check in to this post for any last minute updates or photos! The next full post on this project will be photos of our girls with their scarves. We do not yet know how long that will take. Blessings on their passage! Askole Dispensary
The above photo was just emailed to me by Mariassunta Lenotti, the doctor at Askole Dispensary, the first and only medical facility in Askole. Marissunta has provided me with the names of two of the teachers at the local small school whom she trusts. Hallelujah!
Radiance has sent two wonderful photos from the event! Great job, Radiance! Thank you! Scarves at Tierra w/ grapevines in background Scarves, other half, for full panorama!
Last scarves to arrive, just in the nick of time. Christy’s scarf from NC; Dee’s scarf from OK
And here is what Melodee brought to the show and surprised me. Thanks,Melodee!
December 2, 2008: Dear Readers, This morning I received word from Nazir Sabir’s office that the scarves have all safely arrived in Islamabad! I will keep you posted on delivery to Askole! Kathryn xoxo
December 14, 2008: Scarf Update: I have advised Nazir Sabir not to attempt anything resembling heroism in delivering the scarves to Askole village, but to wait until it is safe to traverse the Karakoram Hwy. The Fed.Ex. bill was paid and there were enough funds left over to purchase more caps and mittens, and one yellow knitted baby blanket ($4.99) which I could not resist. I am sending a second much smaller package this week to Islamabad with these items plus a few scarves that were brought to me at the last minute by a local woman, for which there was absolutely no room in the first box. I will create a new post when the scarves have all safely arrived. xoxo
January 12, 2009 The second package is being picked up by Fed. Ex. today. (I guess Christmas intervened!) There are 23 smaller scarves, ten caps, nine pairs of gloves and two baby blankets. I also sent a headscarf I purchased for the village woman who helps runs the Askole Medical Clinic with her husband, as a gift. Synchronistically awaiting me this morning was a note from Nazir Sabir’s asst. saying they think they will soon send someone up the Karakoram Hwy. to deliver everything. They are now awaiting the second box, which will probably arrive by this weekend. EXCITING! xoxoo
January 26, 2009 I received word that the second pkg. arrived safely in Islamabad and both boxes are being transported towards Askole now. I await word of safe passage. KH
February 9, 2009 The road is buried in snow. Delay expected. KH
April 16, 2009 The road now has mudslides and is still impassable. Have no fear! They will arrive!
We knew that winter would be a challenge. It always is. Love, Kathryn xoxo
