Sweet memories of Lopez

Poem for a friend:

Back at the cabin
a blue butterfly
sat on my paper
as I prepared to write

Monica likes to serve her homemade granola with vanilla yogurt and raisins, "craisins" or bananas. I believe it would also be very good with plain yogurt, especially if you are able to find Greek yogurt, which seems richer and smoother to my palate. I plan to taste test this very soon. She grinds the roasted soybeans with a mortar and pestle unless she's in a hurry, in which case she uses a small food processor. I've heard that to get the most benefit from flax it's important to grind them, too. (But if you buy them already ground, be sure to refrigerate or even freeze them. )

MONICA'S CRUNCHY GRANOLA

Mix (in a big bowl )
4 cups rolled oats
2 cups coconut
2 cups wheat germ
3 cups chopped nuts
2 cups sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup sesame seed
1 cup pumpkin seed
1/2 cup bran
1 cup ground roasted
soybeans

Heat
1/2 cup oil (I usually use butter)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla ( I use a little more )

Add
Honey/oil mixture to dry ingredients (will be dry )

Spread mixture on oiled sheet with sides
(does best if not too deep an 1" or so)
bake at 325 15 min. turning once, until mixture is light brown.
Makes a gallon

Switching gears, and cooks, I am about to share Jane's wonderful pie recipe - with the caveat that the making of "killer pies" requires more than a recipe. It's an art.

And if I didn't already know Jane has an artist's soul, I learned today that one of her other recently demonstrated talents (which I thought was a talent for stacking rocks) is, in fact, an ancient artform called "Obos". Please take a look; you will see what I mean. Jack and I went to the opening of the Wing Luke Asian Museum today. It's not a new museum, but it has a new home in a beautifully renovated Chinatown building that housed Chinese, Japanese and other Asian men at the turn of the (last) century. In a gallery section, featuring the work of George Tsutekawa, I saw a stack of polished wood orbs and read about the Himalayan tradition of travelers creating obos.

No wonder you sounded so much like Confucious, Jane! You are indeed an ancient Asian soul. And one who can cook, too.

Killer Lemon Meringue Pie

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups cold water
4 large egg yolks (add another if eggs are small)
1 tablespoon lemon zest from lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice from 3-4 lemons (fresh squeezed lemons is a killer ingredient)
2 tablespoons butter

Separate egg yolks from whites; set whites aside for meringue. Beat yolks slightly in a small bowl. Set aside.

For Filling: In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir constantly over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot filling into yolks; return all to saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon peel. Gradually stir in lemon juice, gently mixing well. Pour hot filling into a baked pastry shell. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling to keep hot and prevent skin from forming until meringue is ready.

For Meringue: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the 4 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer about 1 minute or until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed about 4 minutes more or until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks and sugar dissolves.

Evenly spread meringue around edge then center of pie; seal to edge to prevent shrinking. Use spoon to create peaks all over meringue. Bake in 325* oven until meringue is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Note: Another killer ingredient is the homemade pastry shell. Find a good recipe, say a prayer to San Pascual patron saint of cooks and kitchens, and try it. It's not that hard.