Farewell to Seattle

This week has been an emotional one, not to mention very busy and physically tiring. I’ve had to say goodbye to friends that I have formed close bonds with and I’ve had to pack up all my things into my car and move out of my small studio. Though I’m excited to begin this next phase of my life, I am saddened that this one is over. Though these past two years have been the hardest that I have worked, they have also been very rewarding. Emotionally, I’ve made some friends for life and met a great partner. I’ve achieved a great deal academically and am proud of my accomplishments. Still, even though my next step will get me where I want to go, I just can’t seem to get excited about living in NY again. As a farewell to the place I have called home for the past 2 years, I made a lovely last meal with what I had left in my refrigerator. It was an impromptu meal with a bit of this and that, so amounts will not be exact. The main meal consisted of strips of buffalo steak, pinto beans, carrots, onions, garlic, baby spinach, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. You can use your imagination to how these ingredients all came together. For dessert I made a Sabrina inspired berry crisp with local raspberries, blackberries I picked not far from Chris’ place and local peaches. I definitely winged this dessert with what I could find in my packed car. To thicken the filling, I ended up using Kudzu, which is a starchy root used to make a jello like thickness in pies and jelly like concoctions. Medicinally, it has been used to soothe upset stomachs. I ended up using a bit too much (about 2 tablespoons in a 9 X 13 pan), but the flavor of the crisp was not effected. The topping was oats, butter, brown sugar and maple syrup, but I think that date sugar (which I didn’t have), would work great here! It turned out to be a lovely meal and a fitting farewell to Seattle.