Lentil-mania

Today, I got home mid-afternoon and cooked us up a big pot of lentils. Legumes such as lentils feature heavily in recipes from around the world -- they're also featured in many vegetarian & vegan meals because they contain some good proteins. When I searched the web for lentil recipes, I was "bowled over" with the sheer number of ways to prepare them. Unfortunately, in my opinion, many of them are rather bland. I keep trying to find interesting lentil recipes -- and I think I might have found a few.
I made 3 different recipes from the pot I boiled up. The first one, a spread or dip, will be served as part of hors d'oevres at a dinner party tomorrow. The second, an Egyptian version of Mac'n cheese, was actually accepted pretty well by the youngsters, and the last, a soup was "ok".
I list one more lentil soup recipe that I found intriguing for its use of lemon juice and greens.
Credit: All recipes from www.recipesource.com

Family response:
Liesl: "I love lentils -- we should eat them more often!"
Wolfman: "It's ok"
Professor: "Lentils need all the help they can get", as he added a generous quantity of Sri Ratcha chili sauce!

Adas careh (Lentil Butter)
Recipe from Vegetarian Times, March 1992, supposedly based on an African recipe

 1       c            Uncooked lentils
   1/2   ts           Salt
 2 1/4   c            Water
 1       tb           Olive oil
 6       ea           Green onions, sliced
 1       sm           Garlic clove, minced
 1 1/2   tb           Parsley
 1       d            Cayenne
 1       d            Turmeric
   1/4   c            Water, as needed

Combine water, lentils, salt in a pot.  Cook till
lentils are soft. Drain, reserve stock.

Heat oil in skillet & saute onions & garlic till
onions are translucent. Add parsley & spices & cook
another minute.  Set aside.

Combine lentils, cooking water & onion mixture in a
food processor, adding more water a tb at a time as
needed till the mixture reaches a spreadable
consistency.

Refrigerate a few hours before serving.  Spread on
whole grain crackers or use as a vegetable dip.


Koushari (Egyptian Maccaroni et al.)
This is classed as an 'oil' dish by Coptic Egyptians and is prepared during periods
of fasting when animal products cannot be taken.

1c lentils
1c macaroni noodles
1c Short grain rice
----TA'LEYA II----- The sauce:
2 large Onions, chopped
1/4 c Olive oil
1 Garlic clove (or more)-- finely chopped
1c  tomato puree

Cook each of first 3 ingredients separately, then combine w/ olive oil, tomato puree.
Saute onions in oil, add garlic briefly, then tomato puree. When heated, pour sauce
over the first 3 ingredients.Cover and leave over low heat for 10 minutes.  Serve hot.
  
Amhari - Mesir Wat (Ethiopian Lentil Bowl)
This recipe is common to the Ethiopian Jews (Phalashi)
 1/2  kilogram      red lentils
   2      large         onions
     1/2  cup           oil
   3      Tablespoons   tomato paste
     1/2  Teaspoon      paprika -- sweet or hot
   1      head          garlic
     1/2  Teaspoon      ground ginger
     1/4  Teaspoon      black pepper
   1      Teaspoon      salt
   3      cups          water

Sort the lentils and soak in tap water for 30 minutes. Rinse in running
water and drain.

Peel and finely chop the onions. peel and mash the garlic.Heat the oil in
large pan and saute the onion until golden. Add tomato paste and paprika
and mix. Add half the water and the garlic,ginger pepper and salt. Stir
well and then add the rest of the water, stir again ,cover and bring to
boil.

When the water boil, add the lentils ,lower the flame and cook 20-30
minutes, until the lentils soften. Serve hot.


Lentil & Spinach Soup

1 1/2 c  Dried lentils
      8 c  Water
      1 lg Onion; chopped
      3    Garlic cloves; crushed
      6 oz Tomato paste
      2 bn Spinach; cleaned & chopped
    1/2 c  Fresh parsley
    1/4 ts Freshly ground pepper
    1/8 ts Crushed red hot pepper flake
    1/4 c  Fresh lemon juice

  This is a Middle Eastern soup, typical of the simple
  foods served in the desert regions. Serve with pita
  bread and a grain or vegetable dish for a simple meal.
  This soup is also food served cold, stuffed into a
  pita bread. Place the lentils and water in a large
  pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 30 minutes
  over medium low heat. Add the onion , tomato paste and
  garlic and cook an additional 30 minutes. Add the
  spinach, parsley, and peppers. Mix well and cook for
  another 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice just before
  serving. Mix in well and serve at once. I added a bit
  of fresh ground nutmeg & salt to taste. Note: I have
  found that balsamic vinegar in place of lemon juice is
  wonderful with lentils and imparts a slightly sweet
  taste.                        

Cooking my way across Africa...

Today we criss-crossed Africa, culinarily speaking.

Senegalese Chicken Yassa
1/4 c  fresh lemon juice
4 onions -- thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
1/8  teaspoon      fresh habanero* -- minced
1 habanero*  pricked with a fork
1/4  cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 chicken (2 1/2-3 1/2 lbs) -- cut in serving pieces
1/2  cup pimiento-stuffed olives
4 carrots, scraped and -- thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

*or other hot chile pepper, to taste
In a large nonreactive bowl, prepare a marinade with the
lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, the  1/8 teaspoon
minced chili and  1/4 cup of the peanut oil. Place the
chicken pieces in the marinade, making sure they are all
well covered, and allow them to marinate for at least 2
hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken pieces, reserving
the marinade, and place them in a shallow roasting pan.
Broil them until they are lightly browned on both sides.
Remove the onions from the marinade. Cook them slowly in
the remaining 1 tables poon oil in a flameproof 3-quart
casserole or dutch oven until tender and translucent. Add
the remaining marinade and heat through.

When the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the broiled
chicken pieces, the pricked chili, the olives, carrots,
mustard and 1/2 cup water. Stir to mix well, then bring
the yassa slowly to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for
about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve hot over white rice.

Next, Couscous.
There are literally thousands of couscous recipes out there! What is it?
"a wonderful, versatile pasta, made of tiny grains of dough that are
steamed. It hails from Morocco and northern Algeria, and is a staple
throughout North Africa. It can be served as a breakfast cereal,
dressed as a salad, and sweetened for a dessert. But in it's most
common use, it accompanies a stew or savory sauce, much as rice does in
other cultures. Most couscous is made of wheat flour, but there are
varieties made of barley, corn, and even ground acorn meal."
(quoted from www.ochef.com)

Orange-flavored couscous w/ pecans
1 c  Coarsely chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1    Onion; chopped
2 c  Orange juice
3    Cinnamon sticks
5    Cloves, whole
1 pn Turmeric
1 pn Ground red pepper
1/4 ts Salt
2 c  Couscous
1/2 c  Raisins (more if desired)

Malawi-style Green Beans
from Marlena Spieler's Hot&Spicy
1 T oil
1 onion, chopped
5 small hot chilis, chopped
1/2 t curry powder
1 # green beans
1 c tomato sauce
1/2 c peanut butter

Saute first 4 ingredients,
then cover with Tomato sauce until beans are tender.
Stir in PB and salt to taste.


CRITIQUE of my cooking of this meal:
I marinated the chicken this morning before work, then BBQ'd it for dinner.
Although I feared it would be way too tart, it turned out surprisingly good.
Everybody chewed happily on the bones!
The couscous was a success: mild, slightly sweet from the fruit, and bright orange!
The beans ended up overcooked, and the sauce was too overpowering -- a smaller
quantity of sauce would have been plenty -- but the surprising combination of
peanut butter, tomatoes and spices did work.

Altogether, a successful meal.
For my sanity's sake, I need to note that this was a tad too ambitious after a full
day at work -- not that anything was particularly difficult, but I found myself rushed:
constantly checking my laptop (scrolling around inefficiently), searching for spices
in the cupboard, and trying to find counter space in a less-than-uncluttered kitchen!..

Never let your meat loaf...

I just made a surprisingly delicious meatloaf today, a recipe from South Africa.

Meatloaf & mashed potatoes brings memories from childhood for many -- it's the ultimate comfort or "womb" food, but sometimes meatloaves are so bland that they have gotten a bad rap! When done well, they can be very rewarding -- who knows how many a spouse was won with superior meatloaf-baking skills?!?

THE MEAT: it needs to be fatty enough -- in fact, I've seen recipes that call for adding bacon grease! I like to use a combination of meats. Sometimes I use both ground beef (on the lean side) plus 1/3 ground pork or even pork sausage in Cajun recipes (pork is less lean, but adds great flavor).
Today I used 1 pound lean organic beef and 1/3 lean ground turkey, but I also added some extra virgin olive oil, because when the meat is too lean, the meatloaf suffers -- I figure healthy olive oil beats bad animal cholesterol any day.

THE CARBS: Next, most recipes call for some sort of bread or else potatoes. Some call for bread crumbs or saltine crackers, others have you soak bread slices in milk. Potatoes can be added in the form of freshly grated raw potatoes, or even instant mashed potato flakes. The idea is to add something to lighten up the heaviness of the meat, and also serve as a repository for the juices and fats!

THE LIQUIDS: Most recipes also call for milk and/or egg -again, that lightens the loaf to keep it from being a meat brick! Many call for tomato juice or ketchup, others for broth, some for wine or beer...

THE VEGGIES: Besides onions, there's a lot you can add: celery, carrots, spinach -- go for it: hide away lots of goodies (what they don't see won't bother them)!
THE SPICES: Here comes the fun part! Salt & pepper, of course, but also Worcester sauce, Tabasco or other chili sauces, etc. Take a look at some of the unusual ingredients in the recipes below!

Today I made Bobotie, a meat loaf recipe from South Africa, and the family actually like it!
I was worried a little, since it's full of unusual ingredients, such as raisins (Son: "Mom, I'm not sure raisins belong in meat loaf?") --but everybody agreed it was a great recipe -- maybe next time I'll chop the raisins into smaller pieces...

Before I give you the recipe, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it's origins:

• Bobotie is a South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. The recipe probably originates from the Dutch East India Company colonies in Batavia, with the name derived from the Indonesian Bobotok. It is also made with curry powder leaving it with a slight "tang". It is often served with Sambal.

  It is a dish of some antiquity: it has certainly been known in the Cape of Good Hope since the 17th century, when it was made with a mixture of mutton and pork. Today it is much more likely to be made with beef or lamb, although pork lends the dish extra moistness. Early recipes incorporated ginger, marjoram and lemon rind; the introduction of curry powder has simplified the recipe somewhat but the basic concept remains the same. Some recipes also call for chopped onions to be added to the mixture. Traditionally, bobotie incorporates dried fruit like raisins or sultanas, but the sweetness that they lend is not to everybody's taste. It is often garnished with walnuts, chutney and bananas.

  Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that can add complexity. For example, the dried fruit (usually apricots and raisins/sultanas) contrasts the curry flavouring very nicely. The texture of the dish is also complex, with the baked egg mixture topping complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish.

South-African Bobotie (Meatloaf w/ curry and dried fruit)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 slices thick-sliced bread, soaked in milk
  
• 1/2 cup raisins, dates, or dried apricots
  
• 1 teaspoon apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon hot chutney
• 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2-1 tablespoon chilisauce (such as Sri Ratcha)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Topping: 1 large egg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 bay leaf

Squeeze milk from soaked bread and set aside. Mix all ingredients on list before egg.
Saute onions, mix all ingredients, and bake for 1 hr in loaf pan. Pour off juices & set aside (I defat it and later used it for gravy).
Topping: mix reserved milk, egg, salt and pour over loaf w/ bay leaf. Bake another 25 min.
NOTE: this did not work out well for me in the loaf pan because the meat had shrunk! Instead I ended up with more of the milk custard on the side than on top ... Although this custard is part of the authentic recipe, I feel the meatloaf would do just fine without it:)

Here's another version of bobotie (from www.recipesource.com):

3 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 c. fresh bread crumbs
1/2 c. milk
3 lbs. chuck beef, ground 3 times
1 egg
1 to 2 tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. plum jam
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. ground blanched almonds
3 bay leaves
2 lemons, sliced
Lemon leaves
2 pimento strips

Start heating oven to 350 degrees.  In a small skillet, melt
butter; add onion and saute until golden.  Soak bread crumbs in
milk.  Thoroughly combine chuck, egg, onion, curry powder, salt,
plum jam, lemon juice and almonds.  Also bread crumb mixture.  In
the bottom of a ungreased 10 inch pie plate or round baking dish,
lay bay leaves.  On top, arrange the meat mixture, patting it with a
fork.  Leave about an inch between mixture and edge of dish or
plate.  Bake 1 hour; then drain off any excess liquid.  Serve with
lemon slices and leaves arrange as a border around the edge of the
meat: lemon slices touching with leaves placed under slices where
they meet.  Take a lemon slice, cut half way, twist it and place on
top with pimento strips running under the twist of the lemon.  Serve
in wedges.

Next, let's look what they do in Greece (from recipesource.com):
Greek Meatloaf

  1 lb Ground beef chuck
  1 lb Ground lamb
  2 lg Eggs
  1 c  Fresh bread crumbs
  2    Bunches green onions, minced
  4 oz Feta cheese, finely crumbled
1/4 c  Minced fresh parsley
  1 T  Dried mint leaves
  2 T  Olive oil
  1 T  Red wine vinegar
  2    Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t  Salt
1/4 t  Ground black pepper

The following will seem boring after all that...

Last, but not least, here's how Germans make meatloaf:
Falscher Hase (literally "Mock Hare")
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb each ground pork and veal
2 rolls soaked in milk, excess squeezed out
1 onion, finely chopped
fresh parsley, minced
2 T butter
1 egg
grated rind of 1/2 lemon
salt, pepper
optional spices: basil, nutmeg or ginger
Instead, some german cooks use anchovy paste or ground herring here!
another option: 1 hardboiled egg
flour for dusting meatloaf
3 T butter, lard or bacon grease
approx 1 c water or broth
slice of rye bread
sliced onions and carrots
1/2 c cream
2 t cornstarch dissolved in water

Saute onions in 2 T butter. Mix all ingredients up to spices. Shape loaf and dust with flour. Optionally, place a hardboiled egg in the middle -- looks cool when meatloaf is served!

Heat fat in stew pot or small Dutch oven (mine is cast iron, can go into oven). When hot, gently add meat loaf and brown on all sides, which takes about 8-10 minutes. Add the sliced veggies around the loaf, add enough water to cover the bottom. Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat & simmer for 1 hr on stove top (alternatively, place in oven). Baste the meat loaf with the pan juices from time to time, adding more water as needed.
After 1 hr, spoon cream over loaf and braise for another 20-30min. If desired, brown it in the oven, uncovered.
Remove meatloaf, and collect pan juices. Defat them, add water if needed, season with salt & pepper, and heat it back up. Bind sauce with cornstarch, and add more cream if desired (but don't bring to a boil!)

NOT JUST MEATLOAVES: I actually enhance hamburgers for the grill by mixing in bread, and adding onions & spices. In fact, Kofta Kebobs, which are Middle Eastern meat patties, have a similar list of ingredients. Here's a link to my post on Kofta Kebobs.

Menu for last week of August (Africa Week)

This week was shaping up to be a doozy with lots of running around, so I did some cooking ahead on the weekend (the Harira lend intself well for that). Also, several meals needed to be at least partially prepped before I left for work in the morning -- something that really helps make my afternoons less crazy.
Farmer's Market is full of zuccinis, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes.
My garden is producing as well, although weak on the squash front.

Mon: Harira (*), Marooccan-style pizza w/ goat cheese, olives, tomato, green salad
Tues: South-African Bobotie(*), mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, salad.
Wed: African Peanut Soup w/Fufu(*) or Biscuits
Thurs: Chicken Yassa(*), Malawi-style green beans(*), couscous(*)
Fri: Lentil soup, Koushari (*), falafel, salad w/cucumber, tomato and feta
Sat: invited to dinner
Sun: Ethiopian Lamb, vegetables w/ spicy butter, Injera

Africa!

I've been having a "hankering" to try out recipes from different parts of the world, and for this next week I picked Africa -- that's a cuisine I'm not very familiar with (I've probably never really cooked a real African recipe, besides my daughter's wonderful African Peanut Soup).

Where to start -- the web, of course! I found this website,www.recipesource.com with lots of International recipes, very well organized -- can be searched by region, type of dish, and individual search words.

I do love Ethiopian food, but there are no restaurants in Alaska (what a shame!). But maybe I can learn how to cook it!?!? I found lots of recipes, including how to make Injera, the soft flatbread which is used instead of utensils to scoop up the food, as well as many tasty dishes, such as this Ethiopian Lamb recipe, simmered with lots of onions and spices. I'm excited to try these later this week.

Another book that has some great African recipes is Marlena Spieler's Hot and Spicy -- which is one of my favorite cookbooks on my shelf.

Here's my first dish this week: a Moroccan Stew from Hot & Spicy (p.92). It's a Lamb stew with legumes and vegetables that lends itself well for making ahead (could make in crockpot). In fact, it is eaten at sundown during the fasting month of Ramadan, which is going on right now.

Harira (Moroccan Lamb Stew)
saute in olive oil for 5 minutes, until lamb is well cooked:
lamb stew meat, cubed
1 onion, chopped
garlic, chopped
celery, chopped, with leaves

Add:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 t turmeric
1 t cumin (or more)
1/2 t ground ginger (I like to substitute fresh)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cardamon
water or stock to cover

Let simmer for 1-2 hrs (or longer in crockpot)
Then add:
1 can chickpeas
1/4-1/2 c lentils
Cook for 40 min or until lentils cooked.

Before serving, add fresh chopped parsley, and very thin pasta.
In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs w/ lemon juice from 2 lemons, and stir into hot soup for one minute immediately before serving. Optionally, also stir in some salsa or "Harissa", a maroccon spiced red chile paste.


FUFU

But for a more realistic look/taste of what many Africans subsist on, I
want to try making fufu sometime later this week-- I'll keep you posted and how this
turns out! If you want to learn more about Fufu, check out this Wikipedia entry.

The following is a version from www.recipesource.com

Conventional West African fufu is made by boiling such starchy foods as
cassava, yam, plantain or rice, then pounding them into a glutinous mass,
usually in a giant, wooden mortar and pestle. This adaptation for North
Americans may trouble you if you try to stick to minimally processed foods. But
it's worth trying at least once with West African groundnut stews.

2 1/2  cups          Bisquick
2 1/2  cups          instant potato flakes

1.  Bring 1 1/3 l of water to a rapid boil in a large, heavy pot. Combine the
two ingredients and add to the water.

2.  Stir constantly for 10-15 minutes - a process that needs two people for
best results: one to hold the pot while the other stirs vigorously with a strong
implement (such as a thick wooden spoon). The mixture will become very thick
and difficult to stir, but unless you are both vigilant and energetic, you'll get a
lumpy mess.

West African FUFU made from yams

• White yams -- 2 pounds
• Butter -- 2 tablespoons
• Salt and pepper -- to taste

Place the unpeeled yams in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil
over medium-high heat. Boil for 15-30 minutes, or until the yams are cooked through
and tender. Drain and let cool somewhat.

Peel the yams, chop them into large pieces and place them into a large bowl with the
butter, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until very smooth. Alternatively,
put the yams through a potato ricer and then mix with the butter, salt and pepper.
Place the fufu into a large serving bowl. Wet your hands with water,
form into a large ball and serve.

Picture credit: www.izea.net

What if...

What if I cooked a different international theme every week for a year?
Sort-of like one of those haute cuisine restaurants that does not have a menu, but instead offers a unique menu every week -- shall I call it "Cuisine du Monde Chez la Mademoiselle Naturelle" (Naturelady's Eat-around-the-World Project)?
I'd cook with seasonal ingredients, but cook my way thru cuisines from all over the world, maybe taking my cue from cultural holidays or events.

Hey, I could really get into this! When I ran this by my husband, I explained it like this: "How about Cajun during Mardi Gras, German for Oktoberfest, Jewish during Rosh Hashana, Chilean during Dieciocho (Independence Day)..." He liked the idea, but thought it ought to be Cajun week once a month! I certainly could try to make sure there's something hot & spicy in there every month.

Would I run out of world cuisines?
Eventually, then it's time to give it another"spin around the world"...

Before I get too carried away, I shall state right here that I won't drive myself crazy with this (see my last post!) Here's a list some sanity-preserving "restrictions":
1.) I insist on occasional holidays or "Betriebsferien";
2.) At least once a week we'll have left-overs, or someone else cooks besides MOM!
3.) Input is valued, but NO COMPLAINING! The point of this is to learn about new foods, so everybody needs to keep an open mind and try at least a few bites...

Last but not least, this is about making us more aware of how the rest of the world eats -- and that not always feast food. In fact, there is a a lot of plain old "rice & beans" type food that people survive on.... and that too is part of the international eating experience. So here comes Fufu, hominy and, of course, lots of rice!

Here is what it might look like:

Aug 16-22 Africa: Ethiopia, Marocco, etc
Aug 23-29 Mediterranean
Aug 30-Sep 5 Carribean Islands
Sep 6-12 Jewish week: Latkes, Borscht, etc.
Sep 13-19 South American, esp. Viva Chile
Sep 20-26 Himalayas (India, Nepal, Tibet)
Sep 27-Oct 3 Down Under (Australia/New Zealand)
Oct 4- 10 German
Oct 11-17 Hungarian/Rumanian & Gypsy
Oct 18-24 Indochina
Oct 25-31 Irish/Scottish/English
Nov 1-7 Mexican
Nov 8-14 Polish/ Baltic
Nov 15-21 Middle East
Nov 22-28 Native American
Nov 29-Dec 5 Russian
Dec 6-12 Dutch
Dec 13-19 Scandinavian
Dec 20-26 Swedish-German-American
Dec 27-Jan 2 Black America/ Cajun

...Call me crazy?... YES, decidedly so...

I need a "Project" like I need a hole in the head...

I just finished reading the book Julie & Julia, and am looking forward to seeing the movie soon with Eldest, my daughter known in blogland as "Kitchensister" -- she's a great cook and I'm sure we'll enjoy seeing what probably is best described as a chick-flick food movie (at least that's what I tell my hubby as to why I need to see this movie with Eldest instead of him!).
For those of you not familiar with the movie(click for trailer here), here's the essence:
29 year old NY secretary, Julie Powell, feels a need for a project, and takes on cooking all 500+ recipes in Julia Child's famous cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and blogging about it -- setting herself the challenge of doing it all in year's time...

I just finished the book tonight, and I admit it, I enjoyed it -- it's about two women searching for meaning in life (Julia Child also started her cooking career late in life), and the process of embarking on the "Project" helps both woman find joy in their lives.

The natural consequence of my delving into this story is, naturally, a search for my own year-long "Project" and blog about it -- something that will change my life?!?!

Shall I cook my way through all of Paul Prudhommes' Cajun recipes -- that would make my husband VERY happy, and do no good to either of our waistlines? Nix that!

shall I be the perfect "Hausfrau" and actually keep a clean house for a year? Nix that!

shall I cook my way through a different cuisine or cookbook every week? Hey, I like that idea!

shall I pull a Barbara Kingsolver and cook only healthy organic local food for a year? Noble thought, but can't realistically pull that off here in Alaska! Nix that.

shall I spend the winter cataloguing and scapbooking 20-some years worth of family fotos, including an actual digital library that makes sense? Talk about a big job!

shall I make a handknit sweater and/or make a quilt for everybody on my Christmas list? See you in a few years-- I have enough unfinished objects (UFO) in my craft area that I don't need to start any new ones for a good year. Nix that!

shall I forget all about food and crafts and practice yoga until I have the perfect flexible body and find enlightenment too? Too esoteric...

shall I ... you fill in!