Level & Plumb: Tooling With Life's Imperfections

Catching My Breath

Level & Plumb — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:42:00 +0000

I was told once, and not by a paramedic, that it didn’t seem as if I was breathing. I hadn’t noticed, since I was indeed alive. I think I developed shallow breathing as a defense against the olfactory assault that can be New York City. Hot, steamy subway stations that reek of bleach and urine, fellow commuters–body odor, halitosis, stinky pits and moth-ball-y coats, someone passing gas in an elevator (for the Love of God!), hot tar, restaurant fans belching, the rancid smelling fruit of the female gingko tree, etc… You get the picture. So I learned to hold my breath and take in only as much air as I need to survive.

I’ve been conscious of my breathing lately, and am breathing more deeply, through yoga, cooking classes and taking the ferry rather than the subway when possible. I’m also more aware because my great friend Ingrid’s younger sister, Rebecca, is on a lung transplant list out west. Breathing is a GIFT, and one that we take for granted!

Today, Sunday November 8, was a great day for deep, cleansing breaths! It was 69 unseasonably warm degrees and sunny. I raked the yard and the sidewalk out front. The fresh scent of dirt and leaves was wonderful. After brunch, Jill and I hung out at Gantry Plaza State Park and I noticed that the East River breeze was decidedly briny and refreshing.

Back at home, I thought about making a hearty and comforting autumn soup. My veggie bowl was literally staring back at me–and I thought I better cook sumpin’ because the taters were sprouting eyes. I had most of what I needed at hand, just made a quick trip to the store to pick up some leeks and heavy cream. I set about filling the house with lovely aromas.

What you’ll need:

6-8 medium sized potatoes (I had 2 russets and about 10 small yukon golds–so I guessitmated)

1 medium onion

3-4 leeks

3 tablespoons of butter

4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)

1 cup heavy cream

Cut the root end and tough green leaves the off the leeks, til you are left with about 7″- 8″
Rinse leeks under running water to get any sand out
Dry the leeks (squeeze gently in a paper towel) and slice them very thinly
Peel and dice the onion
In a dutch oven, or other lidded pot…melt the butter and add the leeks and onion.
Cook down for about 10 minutes, til they are very soft and fragrant, but not brown.

Peel the potatoes, remove all eyes and bruises and slice them thinly. Leave some bits of skin, for texture. I already cheated by using boxed broth, so I cut the veggies by hand rather than using the food processor. This is not a race, it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I wanted to enjoy making the soup and to have the aromas surround me! Plenty of good veggie ends and peelings for the compost heap!

Add the sliced potatoes to the pot, and pour in 4 cups of broth…just til the potatoes are treading, not fully submerged.

Bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid off a bit to let steam escape…for about 20 minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness.

Use a potato masher (or an immersion/stick blender) and mash or blend the soup to the consistency you like. I like it a tad lumpy and rustic.

Add 1 cup of cream, stir in. C’mon it’s comfort food! Season with freshly ground sea salt + pepper to taste.

Breathe!

Invisible Fences

Level & Plumb — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Today I was reminded of Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall”

“…He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’…
…Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down…”

Living in a row of 12 or so houses (I always forget the # of houses though I’ve counted them over these 20 years), we neighbors live in close proximity. Long Island City is just 5 minutes out of midtown Manhattan, but we may as well be in some far flung suburb. I have neighbors to the right and to the left, yet life here is very quiet. I’m typing this at 10:30pm with the window to my office open to the yard(s), and all I can hear is the sporadic whoosh of a passing car, the far off whistle of the train and a windchime moving in the slight breeze. It’s November…so no more crickets! Through the walls that connect our homes, I might hear a stray phone ringing, J.R. my neighbor’s dog running all clickity on the wooden steps down to the basement, some music, a random raised voice, the sound of a crowd gathered for a party.

Frankly, I have only heard screaming, once. It was very alarming. I leaned out the window and called out to find out who it was. I couldn’t see anyone, and no one answered me. It stopped before I would have called the police. I found out later that it was Sheila next door–a storm window had slammed shut on her fingers and she was yelling from inside that she could not open the window. Brian wasn’t in the house, her dog was no help, nor was I. I couldn’t make out any words, or tell where the muffled screams were coming from. I felt terrible when she told me afterwards!!!

The walls are not “thin” but the sounds of life being lived creates a gentle hum (99% of the time!)

I tacked some stockade fencing on to the chain link to warm it up a tad.

The yards are about 15 feet wide and 40 feet deep, and separated for the most part by old and rusty 4′ high chain link fencing. It’s more of an invisible fence than a wall that keeps in or keeps out. The ivy and morning glory vines have made it kind of a living fence, so I’m not bothered by the chain link.

Sheila and I have talked about the “someday soon” when we’ll confer about a common replacement–probably wood, definitely NOT that shiny white plastic fencing. And we’d have a doorway…so we can access one another’s yards, sharing the space for gatherings, either together or independently. We’ve both strung white bulbs around the perimeters and we turn the lights on if we know the other has guests. It feels like Napa or Tuscany…in Queens.

Sheila can reach over and snip herbs anytime!

We pass little tastes of food over the fence, and share in each other’s gardens. Rosemary, sage and mint from my side… dahlias and basil from Sheila and Brian, grilled pizza from Franny and Bobby on the other side. For my birthday one year, Sheila passed a pineapple to me. The symbol of hospitality. I whipped up some pineapple smoothies and handed two back over the fence. Loved that!

We miss Francesca terribly–our sweet neighbor who was widowed and passed away in her 80′s last year. We all pitched in to sweep or shovel the snow when it was too much for her. She’d look for me when I’d get back from a business trip and say in her heavy Italian accent,” I worry, I no see you! You worka too hard.”

A few weeks ago, Sheila was grilling and shared some freshly made kielbasa from Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I passed over some of my killer potato salad and I think some brownies. The other day, I was the happy recipient of ratatouille–a perfect blend of zucchini, eggplant, red peppers and some winning spices.

I warmed the ratatouille up tonight and it was the perfect accompaniment to sauteed spinach and baked halibut.

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

We don’t seem to need 10 foot privet hedges, “Keep Out” and “No Trespassing” signs here in our little row.

Falling into Winter

Level & Plumb — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:24:00 +0000

It’s early November, and the weather is crisp and sunny, but not cold. Time to do the first pass on winterizing the yard. I’ve taken the mango wood table apart and stored it with the chairs in a den closet. I didn’t realize I had that kind of room in there! I purged a lot of stuff this Fall, had a tag sale or two and I’m happy to say that I don’t need to pay for a storage unit any more

I’ll make room in the cedar shed for all the garden guys.

I took the last tomatoes off the vine. They’ve stopped growing, so I’m letting them ripen indoors. They’re so good to roast, to pop into a salad, to slice on a sammie or toss into an omelet.

I raked the leaves, put them in the compost bin, and pruned the weeping cherry tree–there were some crossing branches and some dead limbs.

I loosened the dirt to plant bulbs, and had to switch to the other side of the yard, pronto. I dug up some fat, fuzzy, drowsy bumblebees completely by accident. I covered them back up and hope that I didn’t ruin their nest.

Bulbs need a cold period to develop roots and to flower well in the Spring. Plant them 6 weeks before the ground hardens and there is a steady frost.

I plant some in bunches like this for a profusion of color, and some are more spread out…in a single layer. One wrinkle to this lovely autumn tradition, bulbs are very attractive to squirrels and chipmunks. They rely on their sense of smell and they discover newly planted bulbs when they are burying their food stores for the winter. Chipmunks store food in one place, and squirrels are more scattered…forgetting where they dug, so they have many areas with nuts buried. They both love crocuses and tulips, but find daffodils distasteful. A cat or a dog can chase them away from the yard. I have no pets and I learned the hard way not to leave bulbs unprotected!

There are lots of ‘remedies’ for keeping these curious critters away…ranging from rolling out, cutting and anchoring chicken wire or mesh hardware cloth, to sprinkling cayenne pepper in the bulb hole and on top of the dirt, to spreading feline-urine soaked cat litter on top (yuck!) or placing a layer of human hair. That’s even more yucky! I cannot see going to a salon to request a bag o’ hair. And in NYC I think you’d have more than just squirrels digging up the yard—it might attract cops!

I have a simple solution. I buy a roll of fiberglass screening, and cut it to fit over the areas where I’ve planted bulbs. It’s soft and easy to cut.

I weigh the edges down with bricks or firewood, and I take the screening up in March…when I can see the teeny beginnings of sprouts coming up.

Spread a layer of leaves on top to keep warm, and your bulbs will be disguised and safe from predators!

Fall Clean-Up Indoors

Level & Plumb — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Have you ever opened an old can of paint, and rust fell into the paint once you pried the lid off? Fished out the big pieces, gave it a stir and used it anyway? I admit that I have, in a pinch!

Now when there’s paint left over from a job, I consolidate it into smaller, clean containers, and clean the paint out of the rim before I tamp down the lid. For touch ups I find that it’s handy to have paint colors from each room and hallway, extra ceiling paint and a spare pint of ultra pure white semi gloss. I like to freshen up the window sills once a year…they get a little grubby with the dust in our city air.

Beyond usable!

You can buy spare quart, half gallon and gallon-sized paint cans and lids at a home improvement store. Like Tupperware for your leftover paint! You’ll keep the paint fresher and you’ll save on space. Write the room and color on each can and lid with a Sharpie.

I have a Home file where I save the ”paint chips” from the paint store, so it’s a snap to have more made up. Simply jot down the finish at the time you first buy the paint–eggshell, satin, flat, semi gloss or high gloss–so you don’t have to guess.

Drywall Repair: Taping, Floating, Sanding and Re-Painting

Level & Plumb — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:47:00 +0000

This is Post #2 of 2, of the Nor’Easter rain damage repair. My roofer determined that water came in from a crack in the base of the fireplace chimney flue on the roof, which is situated over my bed. It was crucial that we identify the problem and address it asap, before more autumn rains and winter snow! The rainwater that dripped in onto my pillows was brown, after running along the rafters. Nasty!! Once he found and fixed the source of the leak, it had to dry thoroughly inside, to make sure no mold grows in the wood rafters or the insulation between the ceiling and the roof.

The water ran along the drywall seam on the ceiling. It doesn’t look too bad in the photo, but I’ll be repairing 3 feet of drywall (also called sheetrock.)

Tools needed:

Ladder

Dropcloth

Taping knife if you have one, or use a wide joint/putty knife. I re-use a disposable plastic taping knife.

Sandpaper, fine grade (so you don’t leave gouge marks)

Safety Glasses (wear while sanding, so airborne dust does not get in your eyes)

Disposable Paper Face Mask (wear while sanding, so you don’t breathe in airborne dust)

Premixed Joint Compound (pros call it “mud”)

Drywall tape (there is classic paper tape, but adhesive backed mesh drywall tape is easier to use)

Mud pan (it’s long and narrow, and gives you the room you need to work the mud and load up the knife)

1. Move furniture (in this case the bed) cover it and the floor with a dropcloth and use a ladder for this repair. Solid footing is essential. No sense in getting hurt or making a mess!

2. Dig under the open seam with the putty knife to remove the paint around the damaged seam…go about 3″ in each direction to create a repair area. Luckily, the damage wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I only removed 2″ on either side of the seam.

3. Sand lightly to smooth any rough bits. Adhere the tape and press it along the length of the seam.

4. If you can frost a cake, you can do this! Spread a layer of mud over the tape, and feather the mud out an inch or 2 past the repair area–let the joint dry for 24 hours. It dries light gray. Sand down any ridges. (You can buy yellow tape, and pink mud that dries white—foolproof signals to sand and paint when it’s fully white…but I go with the standard white adhesive mesh tape and gray mud.)

5. Be patient–you still have to “float” or spread enough mud to cover the entire repair area, and the tape… so it’s flush with the ceiling around it. Apply a 2nd coat of mud at this point.

6. Let it dry for 24hrs, then sand. If it is transitioned smoothly, you will not see shadows and imperfections when a flashlight is shone. It’s worth the extra effort.

7. With a paint roller, apply two coats of Kilz primer, and let dry 30 mins. It covers very well and has a mildew inhibitor.

8. Apply 2 coats of ceiling paint…and feather the paint out for full blending with the original job. Good as new. Let it rain, let it snow!

9. With the $ you saved by not hiring a “handyman,” treat yourself to some fluffy new pillows and bed linens!

Raindrops Sound So Soothing, Until They Land On Your Pillows.

Level & Plumb — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:21:00 +0000

My heart jumped into my throat, then sank deeply when I walked into my top floor bedroom after the last big Nor’Easter. I’d had the roof re-done and the brick re-pointed, so W-H-Y was there a 2 foot wide sage green water balloon hanging off my wall? Though it looked kind of cool for a weird second, I didn’t stop to take “before” pix—I was too busy getting a straight edge razor blade and some old towels. For the wall, not my wrists.

The wall, where it meets the molding/ceiling.

As if that was not enough, there was also a slow drip coming from a drywall seam, in the ceiling above my bed. My BED! There was brown water dripping onto my PILLOWS. The drywall/ceiling repair (damage pictured below) will be covered in my next blog post, “Drywall Repair: Taping, Floating, Sanding and Re-Painting.”

The ceiling, with split drywall seam

The wall repair:
When the room was renovated in ’03, I painted the newly sheetrocked walls with 2 coats of “Kilz’ mildew inhibiting primer and 3 coats of water based latex…in a very soothing sage. Those five coats saved me from water cascading down the wall and wrecking the carpet as well. I was not overwrought, just alarmed when I saw the water balloon…so maybe there is something to the calming qualities of sage green!

If you think things through, these kinds of repairs are very straighforward. You CAN do it yourself!!

1. Drain out the water and let the wall/damaged paint dry out.

2. For this you’ll need a straight edge razor blade and some towels. Lay one towel down at the floor level to catch any spills. Hold the other towel to the bottom of the ‘water balloon’ and make a SMALL slit with the razor blade. Press the towel against it until the water is absorbed. With firm pressure, blot the wall and the now-wrinkly paint ‘dry’ then let the air do it’s job. You don’t want to gouge or rip the sheetrock. (If the water sits for too long, it can cause the soaked sheetrock to bulge, and then it needs to be replaced.)

3. Have a glass of wine and gather your thoughts. You need to find and fix the source of the water before your repair the wall!

I called my roofer and after he carefully inspected the roof, he confirmed that his roofing and repointing jobs were holding up fine. Water can travel, so he had to look carefully at my roof as well as the roofs on the two adjoining houses for any split seams.

He found the problem—a crack in the mortar near the base of the living room chimney flue—that is situated on the roof, above my bed. He filled in the crack and while he was up there, he ran some caulk around a skylight, for good measure.

4. Now the repair can be done inside.

Tools needed:
Ladder
Wide putty (or joint) knife
Sandpaper, fine grade
Quick drying lightweight spackling
Paint + roller and a brush (I always keep a pint of leftover paint, for each room. It’s handy for touch ups)

1. Scrape the dry, wrinkled paint off with the putty knife
2. Sand the area, including the undamaged paint edges…to make a smooth repair area

3. Apply an even layer of quick drying spackling to level the repair area. Let it dry for at least 20-30 minutes.

4. Sand the spackling til the area is smooth and there are no shadows cast–test this with a flashlight

5. Paint 2 coats of the room color. Feather the paint out a bit to fully blend the wall color

Like new!

Leaf Peeping in Long Island City…

Level & Plumb — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:41:00 +0000

In our own rough and tumble kind of way.

A Rainy Night Out in NYC

Level & Plumb — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:33:00 +0000

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to an event tonight for http://www.food52.com/

food52 is a beta site that crowd-sources recipes, celebrating the serious home cook, with weekly recipe contests (52 of them, get it?!) The end game will be a compilation cookbook to be published in 2010 by HarperStudio. The site is a treasure trove of original recipes and having met the catalysts tonight, Amanda Hesser, Merrill Stubbs and staff…I commend them for spearheading what is becoming a real community.

Amanda Hesser is the former food editor for the New York Times, and has authored a book, The New York Times Cookbook. Merrill Stubbs is a freelance food writer, recipe tester and collaborator.

Tonight, I was an interested, casual observer. I’m more of a baker than an original cook..so I am in awe of the folks I met tonight. They think outside the box, where I follow recipes and might add a minor flourish. I wing some dishes on my own and I’m getting more comfortable, having fun and trying new things like jicama and celery root, slow roasting and braising, but I still rely on a meat thermometer, rather than knowing “doneness” by pressing the meat.

My former housemate Jennifer Hess, who’s blog I follow http://www.lastnightsdinner.net/ invited me, as her hubby Mike stayed home in Rhode Island with their ailing cat, Kali. Jen was a food52 contest winner this summer for a pork recipe that was featured with photos in no less a publication than the NY Times. Jen was asked to come down from Providence to demo her very cool summer cocktail, the Tom & Ginger, in front of a crowd tonight in a wonderful apartment in Chelsea, NYC. Who else would think to take some leftover liquid from pico de gallo and turn it into an insanely good DRINK?

Check out http://www.lastnightsdinner.net/ and http://www.food52.com/

Bonus for me…the Home Depot in Chelsea was a few blocks from the event..so I did a quick spin through and picked up a taping knife, mud pan and self adhesive drywall tape… stay tuned for my wall repair post in a day or so.

Simple Goodness

Level & Plumb — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:23:00 +0000

I bought some beets at the farmer’s market last Saturday. Root vegetables say “autumn” to me. I’ve been in a cocoon-y mood on evenings and weekends as autumn kicks off. I’m all about reading, writing, DIY’ing, gardening, Netflix-ing, cooking, baking, 100 mile radius for travel, and having very low key get togethers.

Sauteeing red cabbage with apples, butter and a little brown sugar. Dressing up locally made kielbasa with fennel seeds, mustard and cardamon. Roasting pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and pine nuts. Baking cookies and breads. Braising short ribs. Mashing yukon golds with the wonderful, vintage potato masher that my cousins offered with a cookbook from my Aunt Kate’s kitchen, after she passed away unexpectedly in September.

Tonight I felt like roasting a veggie, so I scrubbed the beets, sprinked them with kosher salt and splashed them with a little olive oil.

Appealing, before roasting

A-peeling, after roasting!

After 30 minutes in a 375F oven, the aroma in the house let me know they were ready. I could have let them cool for longer, but I’m trying to train my fingers to be a bit more chef-like by holding hot foods. I swear I’m not a fugitive trying to burn off my fingerprints. (Too much CSI and Food Network) I’m not even close, so I was saying “ow, ow, ow, ow” as I peeled off the skins. The beets were so deep-purply and roasty. They put canned beets to complete and utter shame. Promise me you will not eat canned beets!

I might have quartered them and had beets with blood orange sections and greens with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil….but I did not have the 2 latter ingredients. Instead I sliced them, crumbled some goat cheese on top, gave the sel et poivre grinders a turn, and drizzled a bit of olive oil. So simple and so good.

What’s In a Name?

Level & Plumb — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:39:00 +0000

What’s in a name? That which we call a tag sale, would smell as sweet… Apologies to the Bard.

Well, maybe not smell as sweet, but whether it’s an estate sale, stoop sale, garage sale, swap meet, yard sale, rummage sale, street market, flea market, moving sale, lawn sale, white elephant, curb sale, bazaar, bric-a-brac sale, or the tres fancy sounding marche aux puces (the famous Paris flea market) I’m probably going to veer off to check it out.

Quite simply, it’s an organized effort to sell unwanted items. I don’t haul a crazy amount of other people’s stuff into my home, and I never buy used clothing. If you’ve been reading this blog you’ll know from previous posts that I am not opposed to carting home an interesting piece of furniture.

I pay full price for things that catch my eye in my impetuous moments…cars, Hermes enamel bracelets, the mango wood table and chairs (ooops, not at all suited for NY weather) etc…but I do like a bargain. I poke around for certain things I like…Victorian era watch fobs to wear as pendants, sterling silver napkin rings–I love to mix and match them, postcards of old New York, unusual cookie cutters, etc…

I picked up the sterling silver fobs (at left) in 2007 on Portobello Road in London for about 10 pounds ($15) each. The bronze medal and the charm (2 sided with portraits of someone’s ancestors) were found this summer for 5 euro ($7.50) each at a flea market I happened upon, on the outskirts of Cortona, Italy.

I wear them frequently and I get to have interesting conversations about them. The bronze medal was very dark, and when I shined it up, I saw that the back is inscribed “Il Touring Club Italiano Al Benemeriti Dellacarta D’Italia MCMVII” How neat is that? It’s a commemorative medal from 1907. The Cortona flea market, to me, is a wonderful memory of a really sweet Italian town that’s gotten a bit too popular, since “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed there. (See throngs thronging in Cortona, left.) My cooking class (about 10 of us) was part of the tourist crush…

Aside from finding the flea on the edge of town, another good memory will be the fist-sized fig with mascarpone and honey that I had for lunch in the town square. It was crazy good, and it puts regular figs to shame!

Early this summer I spent a weekend out East with some like-minded pals. We were driving along and we passed a sign tacked to a tree. At the same time, we all yelled “Tag Sale!!” I turned down a dusty road and there was a massive barn, crammed with all kinds of stuff. Lots of junk, but I guess that’s my opinion. I don’t “need” anything, I just like to look for the odd tidbit. This was not a store, and there was no attempt to organize things into categories. Pots and pans were stacked up next to books and baby toys, next to dusty raccoon hats, framed concert posters, boxes of old shoes and scratched furniture. We poked around for about an hour and the only thing that caught my eye was a red enamel, 4 quart oval casserole. It was very retro, with white handles. I cook with a round blue Le Creuset dutch oven, and this oval one would be a great size for soups, chili and stews for less than a crowd. The price sticker said $50. I flipped it over and saw Le Creuset…so I knew it was the real deal. There was a little ding in the enamel on the right side handle—my bargaining chip!

I had my ‘totally disinterested in this dirty, old, chipped casserole’ look on my face when I asked the guy what he’d take for it. He didn’t even look to see the $50.00 sticker and he said, $25.00 I guess.” I happily forked over the dough and looked to see how Sandy and Shelley were doing. They haggled for a set of 3 pieces of unrelated art, and they were happy with that! We got into the car and I was laughing out loud at my find! I felt like I should peel out in a cloud of dust, yelling whoooo hoooo. But, I didn’t. I wanted to, though!

Sooooo—

The other day I was reading the latest Williams Sonoma catalog–I have lots of kitchen stuff from there. I like their colors, tablescapes and recipes and also to compare retail prices to what I’ve paid at a wholesale supply store. I read a description for a flame red casserole that was “a heritage oval 4 quart cocotte inspired by a drawing in the Le Creuset archives.”

Suggested price $290.00, on sale for $150.00. Here it is—looks a lot like mine, doesn’t it? Life can be so dang rewarding.