quince & cream

I must appalogize for my quietude again. Things at work are in a shake-up due to the current economic situation. One of my favorite co-workers has decided that it's in her best interest to return to Columbia. A young woman who used to work with us is returning and it remains to see just how the office dynamic will evolve. I'm nervous and apprehensive about these changes, but we'll see how this plays out. In addition to these staffing changes all of us have been cut back to four days a week, with accompanying salary adjustments.

This week was my first four day week. I used my day off to have breakfast with the Trainer and then visit my storage unit and get some winter clothes, along with my ice skates. I packed myself all the way to the West Side and skated for the first time in almost a year.

I thought I'd have lots of time to cook and work on the site, and I plan too, but I just needed to get out on the ice. It felt so good. It'll take a lot of work to get all my skills back, but there's really nothing like figure skating, and being healthy enough to take the ice.

So this morning, having coffee with the Trainer I put together this little breakfast that just hit the spot. Poached quince with yogurt and nuts. A little bit of everything

Quince & Cream

1/4 (2pc) poached quince
2 Tbsp yogurt
1 Tbsp roasted nuts

Poached Quince:

4-5 quince, peeled, cored and cut in eighths
1 lemon washed and cut in half
1 vanilla bean, halvedd legnthwise
1/2 cup honey
water

In a medium size suace pan, place the quince, lemon, vanilla bean, honey and enough water to cover. Bring water to a boil and stir to make sure that honey is dissolved. Cover and simmer until quince are tender. Remove from heat and store in syrup. You can continue to cook down the syrup if you want it thicker.

Roasted Salted Nuts

6-8 oz mixed nuts, chopped if desired
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Toss nuts, water and salt ina bowl and mix so that all the salt dissolves and nuts are all moist. Spread nut mixture evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.