Days Go By

Where do months go? I know time is arbitrary blah, blah, blah, but it feels like days, weeks, and months have accidentally fallen out of my pockets like the numerous tubes of lipgloss I've unintentionally scattered around the world.

There are those times when hours or days seems to evaporate as you're laying on the couch in a Frito-Lays induced stupor with nothing to show for the time that has past, but a disgustingly thorough knowledge of Tyra Banks' modeling tips.

Then there are those times when the past stretches out behind you and you almost can't recognize the events along the way. Maybe you became a tenured professor and got promoted and can't really understand how you arrived at the position you're at at present and why people are looking at you like you are a responsible human.

I've fallen into the swallowing couch category before, but this time, the latter is my excuse for a very, very long absence from my gluttonous writing. Though to be honest, I wish more couch and Fritos had been involved..though rest assured there have been lots of tacos dorados, mangos, chilaquiles...ok, I guess I don't miss the Fritos.

Today, my second anniversay of moving to Oaxaca, I've been trying to remember all of the things that brought me to this point--the experiences and flavors I've tasted along the way--including this blog where I've tried to record and recreate them.

So I had to come back, shamefully recipeless, but back at least, to say: I love you OAXACA! Happy anniversary.

Mwah.

Spring Cleaning

Spring!!!
It's here! Ok, my excitement probably isn't what yours in the norte is what with improving weather, that smell, the muddyness and that fresh chill...ok, I promise I won't do this again for a long time, but I'm taking a spring-inspired poetry moment...

in Just-
spring       when the world is mud-
luscious the little lame baloonman


whistles       far       and wee


and eddyandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring


when the world is puddle-wonderful


the queer
old baloonman whistles
far       and       wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing


from hop-scotch and jump-rope and


it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed


baloonMan       whistles
far
and
wee

...Whew, thanks, e.e. cummings, lovely as always. Ok, I think poetry is out of my system for the day. Speaking of getting things out of the system(winkwinknudgenudge), in a rash of self-projecting spring-mania not only did I do a thorough cleaning of my apartment (down to organizing my jumbled heap of hippie jewelry), but I've decided to do a raw juice fast. Which means for three days I will eat nothing but blended fruits and vegetables. No processing! No animal elements! No booze! No caffeine! Oh god, that last one gave me the shakes and a phantom headache just writing it. I'm shooting for three days, but I have several large bars of 75% cacao swiss chocolate at my apartment and a decent bottle of cabernet sauvignon, so if I make it through tomorrow, I will be damn proud. And to make sure there's plenty of work for that juice to do, I've had three cafe con leches, half a bar of 75% cacao swiss chocolate, half a block of queso fresco, a tamal, a big-ass eggplant sandwich (does anyone know what "nightshades" mean? I read something about them being "bad" somewhere, and that eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes are these, but apparently didn't care enough to follow up on that one.), a pile of sweet potato fries, and a coconut paleta--which is something I'll make sure you become acquainted with at a later date.

You may wonder, with my obvious relish of eschewing limitations, why I would choose to do something like this, but it's like the beauty of spring following winter. Or for me these last two year, that googly-eyed feeling I get for Mexico in the post-Christmas-visit-to-Iowa days. I'll have a fresh gluttonous love for that chocolate bar accompanied by a cup of coffee after a couple of days of not having it. Plus, I've got a trip to the Yucatán coming up! It's like cleaning just before a party, it's nice to have the floor sparkle, even if your friend is going to vomit all over it.

Lapsadaisacal

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! If I was a celebrator of Valentine's day I'd probably throw that one out there too, because I could possibly have another lapse and not be heard of for months.

Let me assure you, the lack of writing in no way correlates to a lapse of eating and cooking. Since my last post I've eaten my ass off...which in the hilariously illogical English language means that my ass is now HUGE.

Ok, not really, but as I try to happily accept my January plumpness (which I apparently did better last year), a result of many happy family meals and gatherings, I'm dealing with a minute culture shock. The other day someone asked me "Engordaste?" (Did you gain weight?/Did you fatten?). I'm not sure if it's that I'm just not used to people saying direct things to me about my weight, my midwest experience that only family members in the 60-plus category made negative weight comments to you, or the cognate ring in my ear of the word "engorge" that bothered me, but as a result I've tried to eschew more delicious baddies in a post-Christmas penance than normal.

That being said, I will never be a strict regimen person, in any form, but especially not food. I'm an ineffectual self-motivator, because I already know all my convincing tricks and that I make up facts and statistics 97% of the time.

So my "restricting myself" entailed turning down a cookie yesterday, and still eating 3 avocados before dinner. I'm going for minimum self-denial and avoidance of people that speak openly and honestly, and I should feel good and conceited again shortly.

No matter how many questions I may get or how squishy I may feel, one thing I will never restrict from my diet is the almighty sandwich (honestly, it's one of many, but this is a segue and I've already established that nobody likes or wants honesty, so callate).

During Christmas my sister introduced me to a fantastic cookbook, 'Wichcraft, which has less jinxes and curses than I initially hoped, but an ample amount of delicious sandwich recipes. We used it as inspiration for our "Fancy Sandwich New Year's Eve."

There was a roast turkey, bacon, avocado, and balsamic onion marmalade sandwich that caught my eye, not only because it sounds ridiculously delicious, but because a year ago, after making balsamic glazed onions for Christmas and then eating onion and eggplant marmalade at an incredible Italian restaurant in San Jose del Pacifico--I too developed a balsamic onion marmalade for sandwiches. But did not publish it in a book. And it made me angry, because I was hoping for intellectual property of this delicious condiment and had no curses to ragingly give people hiccups or nosebleeds...well, I had a certain kind of curse at my disposal, but my nephew is nearing a speaking age and I'm trying to refrain.

Once I made the marmalade and ate a pile of sandwiches, the urge to curse was out of satisfaction rather than hostility. So here, I present you, from a place at peace with having an idea that someone has already had and chubby thighs:

Balsamic Onion Marmalade
2 Tblsp Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 C Sugar
1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender and translucent. Turn heat to low. Add sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook for about 35-40 minutes stirring occasionally and until thick and marmalady. So easy!

Enjoy on all kinds of sandwiches. I did a roasted yellow pepper and zucchini sandwich with manchego and topped with the marmalade just the other day and it was fantastic. You could even use it in an appetizer: melba toast with goat cheese and balsamic onion marmalade--sounds good to me. Maybe I'll get some other recipes going so I don't lapse and see more ideas in a cookbook by someone else. Or maybe I'll just eat.