Emergency Latte Kit

ever had one
of THOSE mornings
you know
deep down somewhere
that a latte would fix everything
except you have to get up
and get dressed
in a presentable manner
to go into the outside world
down to the café
…. SMILE ….
and order your latte
this is why you must have
at all times
an emergency latte kit
I keep soy milk
boxed prepared chai
cinnamon and vanilla
always on hand
no one is watching
you put in as much
milk and tea or chocolate
even coffee
if you feel capable
enough to brew some
add cinnamon and vanilla
or not as you choose
nuke on high for 120 seconds
if stuff is cold
but where is the foam
you cry?
take your trusty whisk
between your palms
stick it into the glass
and twist back and forth
rapidly
until you have enough foam
go back to bed

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Not Your Mother's Ham and Cheese

unless your name is Zoe


it has been said
grilled cheese sandwiches
were accidently invented
when a careless workman
left his lunch box
with bread and cheese
too close to a heating source
oh, the myriad
of variations since then
Café Zoe opened
in Menlo Park, CA
in June of 2008
the owner Kathleen Daly
had customers sample
many different menu items
and kept the favorites
one of my best picks
is a ham, pear, brie pannini
the flavors meld
in such a fashion
that a new taste sensation
is created.

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Cafe Zoe
"a place for peace, hope & community"
1929 Menalto Ave.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-322-1926
Kathleen Daly, owner/creator

Cream Puffs

growing up
on Chicago’s south side
we ate what my mother cooked
meat and potatoes
with canned vegetables
and little else
until I discovered the bakery
with all those wonderful
cakes and cookies
I couldn’t talk her
into buying a cake,
but occasionally
I could talk her into
buying me a cream horn
filled with a light marshmallow mix
later when Grandma
would give me candy money
I would go for a cream puff
a lighter than air confection
with a crisp shell
containing sweetened cream
whipped to a froth
as a young adult
I learned how to make these
I still wonder how one
could know in advance
that eggs, flour, and oil
cooked in a sauce pot
then baked could
get so fluffy

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Tortilla Española

which came first
the omelets
or the wrapper?

in Spain
everyone knows
tortilla as an omelet
a small tort
with potatoes
and each cook
makes it differently

Linda’s mother in law
from Vigo Spain
just above Portugal
makes the version
I know and love
or is it Linda’s version
that comes to mind?

you need potatoes
eggs, red bell pepper
a sweet onion
a bunch of fresh cilantro
lots of
really good olive oil
and a cast iron frying pan

chop and rinse potatoes
peel if you desire
fry potatoes until soft
in olive oil
covering them
speeds up the cooking
while the potatoes
are occupied
beat eggs with salt
if desired
cut up the onion,
cilantro and red pepper
add onions and
cook until they are
transparent
add pepper and cilantro
add more olive oil
lower heat and
add eggs
mixing slightly as they cook
when the omelet is set
you are supposed
to flip it over in the pan
I turn it out on to a plate
then slide the omelet
back into the pan
to cook the other side
slide back onto a
plate and serve
quantities?
I guess you had
to be there
about two potatoes
and five eggs serve four

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Croissants

a Native American teaching
says we are all capable
of doing a bit of magic
if you brighten someone’s day
you have accomplished
a small magic

today we take many things
for granted
flying to the moon
is no longer magic
or is it?

just because we understand
how something works
doesn’t mean
it wasn’t magic
the first time it happened

I wonder if the first person
who found that if you knead
yeast and flour together
that you get bubbles in bread
was considered a sorcerer

now we know if you knead
bread dough, you stretch
the gluten molecules
which trap the gasses
made by the yeast

leave it to the French
to figure out that layers
and layers of butter
folded into a yeast dough
would give you a croissant


© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Pasta

Pasta

what would Italian cuisine
be like without Marco Polo?

there would be no pasta
no macaroni extruded
in unusual and
sometimes amusing shapes
no ravioli filled with
unimaginable delicacies
no fusilli for sauces to cling to

my favorite pasta sauces
were influenced by
La Pastaia Restaurant
in San Jose, California

the secret was
using a light hand
probably made fresh
per order
have everything ready
before you heat the wok
very good olive oil
a sweet onion
sliced into threads
with some diced garlic
herbs of choice
a pinch of bullion
capers to taste
and a splash of white wine
you have to work fast
put the oil, onions, garlic
and herbs into the wok
in that order
when onions are transparent
splash in the wine and cover
turn off heat
uncover and add cooked pasta
and capers
my favorite combination
is fresh linguini
and smoked salmon
using basil

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman


La Pastaia
2323 West Santa Clara St.
San Jose, CA 95113
408-286.8686
Chef Forrest Gingold
,

Kate's Sandwich

what should one consider
as the food of poets?

friend Kate’s
comfort sandwich is
a mouth watering
concoction
her own invention
the colors and the flavors
merge to make
a scene for a painting
and a treat for the pallet
start with
a piece of dense
heavy rich brown bread
like pumpernickel
used as a trencher for
sautéed
emerald green spinach
with garlic
(liquid removed)
followed by
a slice
of smoked salmon
of a sensuous color
whose origins
I will leave to
your imagination
and a dollop of
rich white sour cream
I would add some
capers and enjoy


© 2010 Sandy Vrooman