Pumpkin Bread

Last week I accepted a full scholarship to study abroad and live with a host family in Indonesia next year. I also made this pumpkin bread. The scholarship is through YES Abroad, a student exchange program funded by the State Department. The bread is a sweet, spiced pumpkin quick bread that warmed our rainy afternoon. 

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program was founded in the aftermath of 9/11 as a way to build connections and understanding between the U.S. and countries around the world, particularly those with significant Muslim populations. In the 2003-2004 academic year the first YES exchange students came to the U.S. from Egypt, Gaza, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, West Bank, and Yemen. Since then, the program has expanded to accept students from 39 different countries for the 2011-2012 academic year. Up until 2007 the YES Program brought high school students from countries around the world to study and live with host families in the U.S., but wasn't sending students from the U.S. to other countries.

When the YES Abroad Program was established in 2007 to send American high school students to selected YES countries it furthered the potential and impact of the program and fostered greater trust between the countries involved in the YES program. Next year 55 American students will be hosted in nine different countries, each with significant Muslim populations: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Thailand, and Turkey.

Banana Waffles

Little flowers have sprung up between blades of grass in every lawn, and the first bundles of asparagus and cartons of berries have appeared in the produce section. The silence of winter is gone, broken by the familiar sounds that had faded from memory: the chirps and tweets of birds rising with the sun in the morning; the low blasts of a horn as the ferry begins to depart from the dock; the delicate tapping of raindrops on the window pane as a rain cloud passes overhead; and the chiming of church bells brightly declaring that it is 7pm while the sun is still up.

The arrival of these signs of spring is enlivening, and a comfort. Like curling up with a cup of tea and a fascinating book. Or realizing that you have no idea where you will be a year from now, but that you are okay with that - excited even. Or waking up early and deciding that you have nothing better to do than mix up a batch of waffles. The aura of spring fills the air like pollen - but in a much nicer way.

Pizza

I washed up on the shores of the weekend wanting nothing more than to spend some quality time with an old friend, the kitchen. After weeks without so much as a simple cookie or even a small batch of pancakes it was time to reconcile our relationship, the kitchen and I, and bake. I leafed through my notebook of recipes and then pulled a few of my favorite cookbooks off of the shelf, finally settling with a book about bread by Laurel Robertson. After my unintended hiatus I wanted to make something that would take some time. Spend an afternoon kneading dough, mixing ingredients, and walking around in a cloud of flour.

I stumbled upon a recipe for Sicilian pizza and was reminded of the pizza we ate in Italy. Thick square slices with chewy dough; bright, flavorful sauce; and delicious cheeses. In Italy a pizzeria or a street cart selling slices was never more than twenty steps away, so the thick slices soon became a familiar afternoon snack.

Granola Bars

Last week I was staying in a small, one-room cabana on the beach in Tulum, Mexico. Sand surrounded the cabana so a short path had been dug out to the door. Inside, everything was a warm shade of white: the walls, the wooden bed frame, the sheets and pillowcases, and the mosquito net draped over the bed. A bright green blanket was the only exception.



Each night I fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the beach and wind rustling through the palm trees. By morning a pile of sand had collected on the floor, swept under the door by the wind, and I woke up to the chirping of birds and sun pouring in through the window.
Some mornings I ran on the beach. Running barefoot in the wet sand as cool waves licked my feet. Other days I woke up and read on the beach as the sun rose in the sky. When our stomachs began to grumble for breakfast my family walked a little ways down the beach to a rustic Italian restaurant where the menu was painted on to a small board of wood. There were seven options and by the end of the week I had ordered each one: the giant pancakes, sliced and stacked into a tower; the egg in a hole, made with fresh eggs and their homemade bread; the toast, served in a hand carved wooden dish with nutella and jam.

Morning Glory Muffins

These past few weeks have been a perpetual flow of long nights, looming deadlines and chaotic mornings.  With my nights spent in Nordic practice, playing at basketball games with our school's pep band, and agonizing over the stacks of homework that require my attention, my mornings have become a hectic scramble to finish assignments, cram for tests, and attempt to get everything ready before tumbling out the door to catch the bus. 

The other morning as I stepped onto the sidewalk, about to begin my hurried walk to the bus stop, I paused. Just to stop and breathe. It was for only a few seconds, but in that moment I let my obligations and preoccupations just slip away. 

It was a clear morning and I could see the still lake and the mountains in the distance, painted in soft hues of blue and purple. And for the first time in a while I was filled with a great appreciation for the beauty of Vermont and for the quiet of the morning. I realized that in the midst of all of my chaos there remained a warm and quiet beauty to the morning.

When the weekend came, I wanted to make a muffin with sweetness and subtleties comparable to those of the morning, so I carefully chose ingredients that I love.  A crisp, tart apple from the fridge, honey as gold as the sun, the rich flavor of coconut that evokes memories of a balmy climate, and the sweet, earthy tones of grated carrot. A half of a cup of honey lends its sweetness and complexity to the muffins, and gracefully ties together tart apple, carrot, and subtle notes of coconut. 

On a whim, I decided to top some of the muffins with toasted walnut pieces. The walnuts complimented the flavor palate of the muffin and added a bit of texture and crunch.

Each piece combined to make a sweet and wholesome muffin to be savored with the peace and beauty of the morning.