Last week was a mess of skipped beats. I don’t know if there was something going on with the moon or if my tightrope is undergoing some growing pains, but man alive. Unanswered voicemail. Empty gas tank. Wrong books. Forgotten homework. Burned oatmeal. Molding oranges. Tardy client meetings. Parking tickets. Toothpaste explosions. I seriously was banging my head against the keys trying to write something wise, eloquent for the Beet Cake. Nothing.
When we threw Tex, our new foster in the tub this morning after a long, wet walk through the park I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched a million little hairs fling from his back and cling to the walls and fresh towels. Oh dear. In the next few days I’m sure I’ll spot some white wisps stuck on the mirror and chuckle again at the beautiful absurdity of it all. Pure goodness. Pure madness.
Weeks like these keep me humble. They keep me loose. Learning how to ride a bike with a rusty chain is the whole point of being young. You can’t really afford a new one but you make it work. You just keep peddling. Shaun and I have a pretzel shaped magnet on the fridge that reads: “blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” It’s especially appreciated in times like these. I love how we both try to hold each other up to this standard when the circus rolls into town, announced or otherwise. He dragged me out in yoga pants, NorthFace hoodie, top knot, and rubber wellies at 9 pm to hit a bucket of balls on the fairway Saturday night and I tell you what, I’ve never felt more silly and more perfectly human. It was great.
Embrace the skipped beats. Life is nothing, boring at best, without them.
This weekend we took Sprouted Kitchen’s mini calzones for a spin, adding butternut squash, and lemon zest. So, so good. The fact that on my calendar I have “meetup / Sara (SK)” marked for friday makes me think that I’m on track to one day do lunch with Oprah Winfrey. Sara has been a constant source of inspiration as I’ve built and grown into this space. Her grace and encouragement has meant more than I think she may ever really realize.
Keep Reading for Recipe…
For more Happyolks videos, see 1, 2, and 3
Squash + Apple Calzones Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen
- 1 recipe for Mark Bitman’s easy pizza dough
- 3 cups butternut squash, small dice
- 3 sweet onions, roughly chopped
- 3-4 small apples, cubed
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 3-4 tbs fresh minced rosemary
- zest of 2 lemons
- olive oil
- ghee (clarified butter)
- salt/pepper
- (optional) goat cheese or mozz.
Prepare the dough about 30 minutes before you plan to cook. Sara used whole wheat flour, and I followed her lead. To make this gluten free, you could alternatively use something from the market, I like this. Preheat the oven for 500′. Combine diced butternut squash, shallots, and onions in a heavy bottomed pot with a pat of ghee or butter. Sauté until the onions are soft and the squash is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Toss in the apples and a dash of sea salt. Stir together and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Prepare the dough on a well-floured surface by pressing (see video, pounding with no rolling pin to my name) the dough out into a large-ish rectangle shape. On first go, my dough was too thin — give yourself 1/4″ thickness to work with. Cut into 6 or 8 squares, size depends on how small or large you want to make these dudes. Fill with squash-apple mixture, sprinkle with rosemary and lemon zest. Pull one corner to the other side and fiddle and press the edges to seal everything up. We added goat cheese to a few after the fact, and those were quite good. It’s up to you. Brush sealed calzones with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes until just slightly browned. Shaun suggests warm marinara for dipping.
Music by Bombay Bicycle Club Fairytale Lullaby
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