Roasted Sunchokes with Carrots

I had never even heard of a sunchoke (or Jerusalem Artichoke) before receiving it in my Full Circle Farm box this past week.  I don't consider myself a picky eater, but this strange-looking vegetable was not doing a good job of looking appetizing to a first timer.  Knobby like a ginger root, sunchokes don't give an immediate "I'm delicious!" vibe.

I read up on them via the handy-dandy internet, and it looks like you can treat them just like a potato.  I also received a bunch of carrots in the box, so I decided to roast them together.

I hardly count this as a recipe...this was so easy.  Some sources suggested peeling sunchokes, but I decided that would take way too long...and was probably less nutritious.  So, I just gave them a good wash with my fruit and veggie scrubber, and chopped them up alongside the carrots.  

Give a drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

Spread out on a foil-covered baking sheet.  Be sure to give them some breathing room!

I had this for dinner alongside some lemon pepper salmon.  Mmmm...I wish I had more leftover!

Roasted Sunchokes and Carrots
sunchokes
carrots
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cube the sunchokes and carrots into equally-sized pieces.  Toss with olive oil (enough to coat, but don't drown them), and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast in a 400 F oven for 30-45 minutes, depending how small you've cut the veggies--check for fork tenderness.

[Reverb10] Party - Baker Ski Trip

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. 


This seems like an appropriate time to bring up the Mt. Baker Ski Trip!  I decided that Thanksgiving Break was too short to merit an expensive plane ticket back to Colorado.  Instead, I organized a ski trip to Mt. Baker for us Aero grad students (plus some alums/friends).  There were 11 of us total, and we had a fantastic time in a pretty posh cabin!


From the lodging website...the outside of the cabin:

There were quite a few amenities.  We took advantage of them all: the grill (nothing like BBQing in the snow), hot tub, game room, fireplace...


We found some childhood favorites in the movie cabinet.  Nothing says "grad students regressing" like watching Kipper over some Alaskan Winter Ales!

The game room was pretty much a roomy converted crawlspace.  It had a tiny hobbit-esque door to get there (and you could only get to it from the outside of the house), and had a ping pong table and foosball/air hockey table.

 Alberto even discovered the hidden putting area for midgets...

We were there for two nights and two days.  The skiing the first day was gorgeous!  We were there for first chair.

Silly snowboarders.  Bumming on the side of the mountain. ;)

First time on downhill skis for Lenny!

 The second day at Baker was far less fortunate.  The fog and poor lighting moved in, and it was near impossible to make it down without stoppint every few feet.

Things were better on the easier side of the mountain, so we all converged there for the day.  Photo from Ian: I gave into peer pressure and tried some ungroomed stuff.  If you look closely, you'll notice how I still haven't mastered the parallel turn...working on it!!

The weekend was a lot of fun, and I was left with a lot of leftover food and drink.  I've been giving most of it away to those who came on the trip, but I think it's going to take me an eon to make a dent on the unclaimed hot chocolate packets and bag of unused marshmallows.  S'mores cookies, anyone?

[Reverb10] Make (Pizza Recipe!)

I think it's obvious that I'm not going to be able to keep up with Reverb10.  However, I -do- enjoy the reflection motivated by the daily prompts, and I'm keen on posting and participating when I can.   


December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Thanks to the recommendation of my sister, I am a happy subscriber of Full Circle Farm's produce delivery.  It works like a CSA, but they collaborate with other farms in a multi-state region.  They even collaborate with local dairies, butchers, bakers, etc.   It's fantastic!

This week's loot was deliciously winter-y.  Included were apples, pears, mandarins, a pomegranate (all pictured behind the box), and others.  There were lots of ideas that came to mind for this week's box.  I think I'll use the cilantro to make some cilantro lime rice, roast the sunchokes and carrots together, and the pomegranate would go nicely with the mixed greens that also graced the box.

For today, however, I decided to use the yellow onion and crimini mushrooms that came this week.  How does a pizza sound?  

I didn't quite have time or resources to make my own dough...but I didn't want to resort to the nasty store-bought, already-baked stuff chock full of preservatives.  Where's the compromise? Trader Joe's to the rescue!

I went with their whole wheat pizza dough.  They also have white flour and garlic herb varieties.  I'm thinking about making breadsticks out of the garlic herb dough sometime...

First step is to caramelize the onions.  Be patient--it's worth it!

Other toppings included the sliced crimini mushrooms, prosciutto, and feta.  

In the oven for 10 minutes to let the dough bake.  It looked like it needed a pop of color, so I sprinkled it with some of the mixed greens as soon as it came out of the oven.

Yum!  Not bad for an impromptu dinner.  In retrospect, it could have used another texture/flavor level...maybe some sliced apples or pears?  Some honey for the crust?  Open to suggestions!

Onion, Mushroom, Prosciutto, and Feta Pizza

pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

1 onion, chopped 

prosciutto

feta cheese

Crimini mushrooms, sliced

arugula or mixed greens

olive oil

salt

garlic, minced

Caramelize onions in a large skillet with olive oil.  Cook until dark brown and sweet.  Set aside.  Prepare pizza dough, and either use a roller or hand stretch onto a baking sheet or pizza stone.  Lightly brush with olive oil, and evenly spread minced garlic.  Follow with the mushrooms, prosciutto, onions, and feta.  Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes (or otherwise specified by pizza dough).  Immediately top with mixed greens/arugula and serve.

[Reverb10] Moment

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). 


I, like most people, would equate the feeling of being alive with the surge of adrenaline in our veins.  Oftentimes, it's a reminder that we straddle a razor-thin line of life and death.  This could be intentional, or completely unexpected--never as much fun when it's the latter, I might note.


An anecdote that comes to mind is when I was in Maui this summer.  We were hiking in the Haleakala National Park, and checking out Oheo Gulch.  We stopped by one of the large pools to take a swim, and noticed some people jumping off one of the rock ledges into the water.  It was maybe a 20-25 feet drop, and sure looked like fun.  Normally, I wouldn't partake in something like jumping off a cliff (even a baby one like this), but I was trying this new "spontaneity" thing out.  Before I had a chance to convince myself it was too scary, I scrambled over to the ledge--now I had no choice but to take the dive.  


My legs were shaking.  My feet slipped on the wet moss--I thought I was very well going to break an ankle in my stumbling.   You see, I've never been a great fan of heights,  but I've been convincing myself this year that life would be more fun if I were brave.  So, I literally took the plunge.

[Reverb10] Writing

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? 


Ironically, doing things that give me reason to blog.  :)

[Reverb10] One Word

"December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?"

Tenacity

I'm thankful for the overabundance of opportunity I've had this past year.  I owe a lot of people for their patience, kindness, humor, and bravery.  As I watched myself and my friends eek towards graduation and starting new lives, I realized I was closing in on a fleeting window in my timeline.  


If I were to pinpoint a turning moment, I might have to give credit to Ignite Boulder.  Ok, ok, it was technically in December 2009, but it was a waterfall effect that began in January 2010 that seemed to kick things off.  I received an interview offer in January from Funovation after their VP of Sales attended Ignite Boulder 7, and then shared the link to my talk to the rest of the office.   Reasons raced through my head as to why I shouldn't have even interviewed: they're looking for someone with an electrical background, you're busy enough as it is, you really need to focus on grad school and not get a job...yet, despite all of this, I knew this was one of those "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunities that every Hallmark Channel movie has waxed poetic about.  I mean, let's be honest...working as an engineering intern for a company called Funovation?  Baller.


Despite my fears, things ended up working out.  Thanks to their flexibility, we were able to compromise on a schedule that allowed me to enjoy time outside of work and school, and contribute to the company as a productive employee.  I ended up staying with the company longer than I intended (pretty much right before I left for Seattle), and I have no regrets.  It was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life, and an honor to hold the title of former Intern Funovator, or Fungineering Intern (depending on the day).  I'm pretty confident that no other job I will ever have will hold as many surprises and smiles as this one did...after all, there's no way you can compete with a lunchtime piñata.


After the "Why not?" attitude carried me through January, I decided to apply it to the rest of the year, ESPECIALLY after graduation.  I had a five-month span to enjoy academic limbo, and that was exactly what I was going to do.  This is where tenacity comes in.  Anything that sounded like a goal, something within reach, I was determined to do it.  I wasn't always successful (never got around to riding my first bike century in 2010), but even the attempts were worth it.


What about 2011?  Hmm.  It seems cheesy to ask for the same word to apply to two consecutive years, so I will choose a different one.  When I think about the things I'd like to have accomplished in one Earth-Sun revolution from now, my mind mostly turns to my research (I believe I will be taking my qualifying exam in 2011), as well as the new hobbies I've picked up this past year.  Thus, I'd like my word for 2011 to be:

Confidence

I'm reminded of a recent conversation I had with a new peer at UW.  I invited someone to come mountain biking with me, but immediately confessed that this was my rookie year.  This was shortly after I agreed to buy a season pass to a ski area with someone else, and confessed my lack of skills on the slopes.  This is when said peer turned to me and said, "wait, so let me get this straight: you're not good at mountain biking or skiing, but you do both as often as you can?"  I smiled and asked, "how else are you supposed to get better?"

[Reverb10] What is Reverb10?

Just heart about Reverb10, the annual, creative blogging effort to "reflect on your year and manifest what’s next."  Since I'm too much of a commitment-phobe to participate in NaNoWriMo, I think this might be broken up into small enough chunks that is feasible.


Looking for their prompts every day, and hoping to address them all.  Seeing that it is December 3rd and my afternoon class is cancelled, it's time to do some catching up!