sweet miscellany

I’ve noticed more and more that I’m an aesthetically driven person. What exactly does that mean? Well, for me, that’s means I’m drawn to what my mind’s eye sees as beautiful. Beauty could be the packaging on a chocolate bar (oh my gerdness the mast brothers patterned chocolate bar wrappers get me every time!), or the amazing symmetry in a Wes Anderson shot, or, the images and words of some of my favorite food bloggers. Aesthetics are the reason I organize my dry goods into glass mason jars (so I can see the rainbow of colors and textures) and tend to get lost on things like instagram and pinterest. When pinterest was invented, it was euphoric. I’d basically been doing an analog version of pinterest for years with magazine clippings, computer print-outs, and various patterned binders. Now I don’t have to clutter up my desk space and kill trees in the process 🙂

Because I’m so aesthetically driven, it often leads me to wonder if what I’m doing here on the blog is really me. Am I portraying my aesthetic in a genuine manner? Is it my style, or am I trying to imitate something else I’ve seen? And from there, on darker days, the questions tend to turn into wanderings about whether or not I’m “good enough” to keep food blogging. These are the thoughts that keep me up at night sometimes. But then I tell them to eff off and roll over and go back to sleep.

Because I want to provide the most genuine form of myself on the blog, I’ve decided to try to be as real as I can with the posts. That means I won’t share things I don’t actually eat and I won’t worry too much about getting enough photos or situating enough props in them. I’ll share my own philosophies or views on food and more of what goes on in my day to day. I realized today at my day job that I rarely ever talk about my food blog even though this will be the 5th (!!!) year I’ve been working at it! It’s my labor of love and I should be more comfortable mentioning it whether or not I think it’s “good enough” or not.

So, for today, I’m sharing one of my typical breakfasts with you. I’ve been crushing on teff lately for breakfast because it cooks up quickly, has a lovely thick consistency like polenta, and is super high in calcium and plant-based protein. It’s really versatile and can be dressed up any way you like, but this is the particular version I’ve been enjoying this winter. Feel free to sub things in or out depending on what’s available to you or what you like 🙂

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I’ve had a total crush on celeriac (aka celery root) lately. It all started with this dish that I dreamed up as our main for Thanksgiving. I had an idea to marinate some beautiful portobello mushroom caps in a mixture of olive oil, shallots, garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme before roasting them for a bit in the oven. Once they were done, they would be filled with a velvety smooth celeriac and potato puree punctuated through with fresh chives and black pepper. Since then, I’ve made the dish several more times and it evolved slightly into the version I’m sharing with you today.

I’m not sure what it is about celery root that I like so much. It actually came as a surprise to me because my feelings concerning celery aren’t necessarily that strong. It’s sort of a take it or leave it mentality. I don’t care whether I eat it or not. But celeriac! Oh celeriac. I think perhaps it has to do with the natural grounding qualities of this root. It provides such stability and nourishment that I tend to crave, particularly during this time of year. And, it has a lovely, unique flavor that is so much more than the celery notes present. It’s slightly sweet and grassy with hints of earthy parsley. And, when you mix it with buttery yukon gold potatoes? HEAVEN.

For the version of this recipe I’m sharing with you today, I went with shiitakes instead of portobellos simply because I’m on a bit of a roasted shiitake kick right now. If you have a bit of extra cash, I definitely recommend going with shiitakes because they have so much more umami flavor on their own. But, portobellos will work just as well. Though it’s packed with a lot of flavor, you’ll notice the ingredient list isn’t too long. This is intentional so that the natural goodness of the shiitakes and celeriac can shine through. And, it’s also because I’m not much for fussy, involved recipes most of the time. If you want to make more of a substantial meal, I highly recommend making the sweet potato and sage corn muffins and the winter sunshine salad to go along with the roasted shiitakes and celeriac potato puree 🙂

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Teff Porridge with Blood Orange & Coconut Butter

Roasted Shiitakes With Celeriac Potato Puree