• the quotidian (8.20.18)

    August 20, 2018
    Quotidian: daily, usual or customary; 
    everyday; ordinary; commonplace



    Coming right up: pepperoni rolls.
    Same lunch, different arrangement.

    On fear: an effective episode of Brain Games.

    Well, hello there, sweetie.

    Team Paint.

    Rolling right along (sorry).

    The Look: I get it (and give it) all the time. 
    A full day of work and proud of it.

    In the right light, drywall dust and concrete almost look like snow.

    Visitors are fun.
    This week, so many meetings.
    Pop goes the tire.

    This same time, years previous: miracle cat, kale tabbouleh with cucumbers and tomatoes, the quotidian (8.19.13), the quotidian (8.20.12), what crazy looks like, how to get your refrigerator clean in two hours, tomato and red wine sauce.

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  • a little house tour

    August 18, 2018

    My mother pointed out that my photos of the house often only show bits and pieces of the construction, so here are a few big-picture shots to give you a better sense of the house in its entirety.

    The north side of the house. The porch door leads into the living room. 

    This is the back, east side of the house, butting up against the neighbor’s house. The dining/living room is on the end closest to me. The first door leads to the kitchen, and the second “doorway” is actually a little open-air alcove where the washing machine will go.

    Here, I’m standing in the alley kitchen, looking into the dining/living room. The main room has four double sets of windows spread over three walls, plus a door, so the ocean air breezes right through.

    The bathroom: Smile! We’ve got tile!

    Nilda wants the entire inside of the house white and we wholeheartedly agree. 
    The white paint brightens up the place, making everything feel light and breezy.

    The photographer (my younger daughter, I think) is taking the photo from the living room. The hall divides the house down in the middle, from north to south: the alley kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom to the left; a larger bedroom and a smaller bedroom on the right; a linen closet at the end.

    The west and south sides of the house. Currently, all that remains to be plastered is the south side, and the subcontractors should be able to complete the work on Monday.

    Next up: finishing the electrical and installing the floor tile. Two weeks to go, wheee!

    This same time, years previous: a new room, in progress, the quotidian (8.18.14). garlicky spaghetti sauce.

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  • passion fruit juice

    August 17, 2018

    Have you ever tried fresh passion fruit? I never had until a few weeks ago when a few of the kids and I stopped by a fruit stand.

    “What’s that?” I asked, pointing at the box full of smooth, pale-yellow fruit. 

    “Parcha,” the vendor said and then, noting my blank look, he picked one up, split it in half, and passed it to us.

    The fruit looked less than impressive — a snotty mess of yellowish-orange seeds — but I bravely scooped one out with my fingers and popped it into my mouth. It was delicious! Tart and sweet, it reminded me a little of rhubarb. We swallowed the seeds whole and slurped up the juice.

    Once home, I did a bunch of research and then made juice. It ended up watery (I was winging it), but it was still good enough to make me want more. 

    I kept shoveling great spoonfuls of the soupy fruit into my mouth. 
    The seeds are smooth and light, like the bubbles in bubble tea, or like tapioca pearls.

    Turned out, passion fruit was a little harder to source than I thought it’d be. There wasn’t any in the grocery store, and when I went back to the fruit stand, they no longer had any in stock. Come back Friday, the vendor said.

    Even though I had my doubts he’d actually have any, I went back again at the end of the week. Lo and behold, there it was! I bought six. At a dollar a fruit, it’s not cheap, but I didn’t even bat an eye. I was on a mission.

    This time when I made the juice, I took both measurements and photos.

    I don’t know if I can find passion fruit in Virginia, but if I do, I want to be prepared.

    Passion Fruit Juice

    1½ cups passion fruit pulp, about 4-6 passion fruit
    ⅓-½ cup sugar

    Put the pulp into the blender along with three cups of water. Blend briefly (30 to 60 seconds) until the seeds are mostly ground up.

    To remove the seeds, pour the juice through a strainer that’s been lined with a cheesecloth. Once the majority of the liquid has drained through, pull the ends of the cloth together and wring out the remainder of the juice.

    Add the sugar to the juice and stir until dissolved. Add another three cups of water. Taste, and add more sugar if desired. Serve over ice. (Leftover juice will separate, so give it a brisk stir before serving.) 

    This same time, years previous: the Peru post, the quotidian (8.17.15), this new season, starfruit smoothie, the beach, around the internets, drilling for sauce.

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