Norwitz Notions

Making tortillas is one of those things that is insanely easy. Only it’s not. Once you know the tricks and have a few batches under your belt, it’s effortless. Until then, it’s an exercise in frustration. I’ve been working on this for a couple of weeks and have made it to the passable stage. I […]

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Making beans from scratch is pretty easy, so you have to wonder why everyone doesn’t do it. Canned beans are okay in a pinch, but many are overcooked and insipid (Whole Foods brand is pretty decent, even the refried ). And dried beans are much cheaper than canned. For anything large, where I have more […]

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I picked up some beautiful organic sweet peppers on sale at the market and thought they would be lovely for Miriam’s birthday party lunch, as a taco filling. And they were. These are small peppers in vibrant yellow, red, and orange. They are thinner skinned than bells and don’t have quite the same flavor, but […]

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I have many versions of hummus because I make it so often. This one is my basic recipe made with dried chickpeas. Other recipes use canned beans, larger amounts, different flavorings, etc. I even have one made with edamame instead of chickpeas. Recipe: 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked 1 1/3 cups (10-11 oz) […]

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A favorite dinner of mine is a big salad with lots of finely chopped vegetables and warm protein on top. For those of us who want to eat more raw foods but feel better with something both physically warm and solid, this is a great combination. The salad works on its own too, as a […]

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I don’t know who was more excited: the birthday girl or her mom. Miriam is turning 3 on February 26th and I wanted to get her something special. She’s been planning her birthday party for nearly a year now and, whenever we ask her what she wants (either for the party itself or for her […]

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For dinner tonight I made a simple but elegant meal. Each item wasn’t hard to make, though having four of them took more time. The details make a difference too. Nicer plates, eating at the dining room table (something we should do every night, but don’t), using wine glasses. Miriam and I went to Whole […]

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This is a follow up to Part I from Dec, 2007. We got this bed frame for free from Freecycle and it was a mess. Massive scrubbing ensued. Then we varnished, but the coat done in the late afternoon bubbled due to the cold. It took nearly two months before we had a warm sunny […]

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Most of our Thanksgiving dinners are in the community room of Ecology House, an 11-unit government (HUD) complex for people disabled with chemical sensitivity. Every year, with the help of the Environmental Health Network, the residents there host a (supplemented) potluck dinner for the entire chemical sensitivity community. It’s great fun. I share the disability […]

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This is so easy it’s not really a recipe. But it’s one of my mainstays and I refer to it so often that I might as well put it on “paper.” My basic recipe is as follows: Cut up a bunch of vegetables, mostly root veggies that do not release a lot of water, toss […]

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Some people plan out their meals, setting aside ingredients and making lists for those they don’t have. Others wing it based on what looks good in the market or what’s at home. Although I sometimes plan, especially when I’m having guests, I’m more apt to wing it. Last night was a perfect example. I knew […]

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At two years and ten months (she’ll tell you her age upon request), Miriam knows pretty much all her letters but isn’t actually reading or writing yet. She can’t sound anything out. The one word she knows though is “off” (“O F F spells ‘off’!”). Because it’s a button on our phone. She can on […]

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I’ve made these fish rolls a few times and they always come out great. This is a good way to use up a lot of greens too. Because they are reduced, you’re eating far more than you think. Dover sole is the best fish to use for this recipe because it comes in flat boneless […]

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