Thank you so much everyone…for your love, well wishes and prayers. I'm sure it contributes a lot to how well I'm feeling. I had a very healing trip to Guadalajara, Mexico. My dad and I stayed with a friend, Leticia, who took such amazing care of me.

My dad pulled major strings and jumped through many hoops to arrange for my travel and treatments there, but it was well worth it. My treatments were very effective and I am feeling more vitality and less pain everyday. Leticia is a very creative cook and easily prepared vegetarian dishes for me that were scrumptious and healthy.

The first morning she made a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice blended with ripe papaya for me, that was so delicious, my first thought was "This is going on the blog." Leticia eats meat, so when she asked if I wanted tofu (to acommodate my vegetarian diet) I told her I was perfectly happy with Mexican staples of black beans, cheese and eggs.

Tofu isn't exactly native Mexican food and I didn't want her to go even more out of her way to make me something she wouldn't normally eat and enjoy. She promptly went out and bought tofu seasoned with fresh herbs and made a very tasty meal with grilled eggplant and goat cheese, and brown rice spiced with poblano chile, cilantro and fresh cultured cheese. Seriously, she treated me like a queen, and for those five days my only assignment was to focus on healing.

I came home to a stack of loving cards, kind emails and sweet blog comments. Needing to conserve my energy, I've only been able to attend to a few calls and emails a day in response, so I'm a little behind. I would love to answer each comment individually, and I hope to at some point, but for now, know that I read yours and am deeply grateful.

Fellow food bloggers Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi sent me a beautifully wrapped care package when I got home from Mexico.

Just as I was about to tear into it, Marc asked if I wanted to take pictures. Smart guy. Always thinkin'. I restrained myself just long enough so you all could see what thoughtful goodies Bee and Jai sent.

Dagoba is some of the best chocolate out there, so that was a superb treat. We've had the Reader's Digest book on the kitchen table for a few days and everyone is getting a good laugh out of the stories. I'm still blown away by how amazing the bonds are that we bloggers form.

Bee and Jai have even offered to hold a fundraiser for me to help cover my treatment costs and are putting it together as we speak. They hold a monthly contest called Click and plan to incorporate the fundraiser into it. I'll keeep you posted as I know more. I really am speechless at the generosity and kindness pouring in from all directions. I feel so supported.

This week was chock full of doctor's appointments and tests. Cindy and Bill (Marc's incredibly supportive mom and step dad), Marc and I all met with a local Anthroposophic doctor at the beginning of the week and I started mistletoe therapy. Mistletoe has been used in Europe with great results for decades and does wonders to boost the immune system and get your body to take care of the cancer itself.

On Wednesday I had a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node in my neck. Biopsies aren't my idea of a good time, but it went smoothly and the hospital staff were very kind. One nurse, Nora held my hand and kept peeking under the sterile drape over my face to ask if I was okay. Such genuine kindness. My oncologist just called with the lab results and they are pretty sure it's what we all suspected…breast cancer. Each cancer is treated differently, so we had to know for sure.

I decided this was a week of research and development…get as much information from as many reliable sources as necessary and then develop a plan of action for my healing. I have always had a sense of being part of some greater plan. I don't have to know all the "hows" and "whys" but I've been praying pretty hard for clarity in what to do next, and the strength to act on that clarity. I think this week that clarity fell into place, and I'm taking each step as it is called for.

I actually feel quite a peace with what I need to do to bring my body back into a state of good health. Plus, I have lots of loving family, friends and health practitioners to help me on this journey.

All of us here at the Grey-Brush-Brownlow residence are thankful for all of your sweet comments and support. It really helps, guys! Helps energize us for the task ahead, which is to find all the right therapies (alternative and traditional) and choose the best for Bri.

She's off to Mexico as of this morning and, as she mentioned, will meet her dad down there for alternative treatment in his healing network. We're expecting her back Thursday. We'll try to honor her spirit by fixing delicious organic meals (all by ourselves!) in her absence.

We'll keep you up to date……and thanks again.

Hi all,

It's Bill, Bri's Father-in-law. In the process of restoring the database AND upgrading to Wordpress 2.5.1, all of our categories have been screwed up somehow. So don't search by category for now. We'll get to it More important things to think about at the moment.

In a surreal twist of fate, less than 24 hours after I posted about being sick, my site came down due to a malicious hacker. It took a lot of work, but I am still here. I got the results of the PET scan and it is cancer on my lungs, in my lymph nodes and several areas in my bones, as it turns out.

I am leaving Monday for a trip to Guadalajara to meet my Dad and get treatments from a healer there. I will be back late in the week. I am looking into many treatment options and feel strongly that integrative medicine is the most promising. I am looking at places like the Block Center in Chicago and Hill Park Medical Center in Petaluma, California that provide more individualized comprehensive cancer care that includes nutrition and complimentary medicine as well as things like chemotherapy.

It is getting late, so this is just quick, but I so appreciate your well-wishes and kindness. It is just so amazing to me that through Figs with Bri, I have made so many great friends all around the world. When I have more energy, I can tell you about my latest culinary adventures, like radioactive sugar and woefully inadequate recommended food lists. It’s my bed time….goodnight.

I've been home from my pilgrimage for a little over two weeks. Most of that time I've been in bed. I got a painful lung infection over a month ago and the cold and exertion of being on the mountain were quite challenging. I've been to a couple doctors, and one of my greatest fears has been pretty well confirmed.

I need to have more tests, but most likely, the breast cancer that I was diagnosed with two and a half years ago has metastasized (spread) to my lungs. It's a huge blow to my family and me. I've done so much to take care of myself; body, mind and spirit, that this is quite shocking. The oncologist (cancer specialist) has scheduled me for a brain MRI (to see if it has spread there too) and a PET scan. The PET scan looks at the metabolic activity of cells. Cancer cells metabolize sugars quickly, so using a radioactive dye (yippee), they will be able to tell if the lumps showing up on my lungs are cancer and how far it has spread. It also looks at the rest of the torso to see if any other organs could be affected.

I have a few amazing health practitioners to support and guide me, and loving family and friends, as well as a few different treatment options available. Western medicine is going to suggest Tamoxifen (an estrogen inhibitor) and some sort of chemotherapy concoction. There are many many chemo drugs, so they have to decide what they think would be most effective.

From a complementary perspective, I am using some wonderfully powerful theraputic essential oils, I have a fantastic chiropractor/energy worker, and another energy worker that has been with me through a lot of hard stuff. I am also looking into starting to take injections of Iscador, which is derived from mistletoe and comes from Europe. There have been very positive case studies that show it's effectiveness.

So, we have hope and our mantra has become "one day at a time". I don't know how Figs with Bri will really fit into all this stuff since I don't have any energy for cooking right now. The nature of the blog may shift as my focus does. I'd love to keep writing about food, but I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write posts and we'll just have to see how everything goes.

One last thing, my Figs with Bri email account is down right now, so if you need to email me, please just leave me a comment, and I'll contact you from my personal email in the meantime.

I am less than a week away from my retreat atop a nearby mountain and have been wrapped up in preparation for that. So, I haven't been cooking much new or interesting stuff worth reporting on. Nor have I had the energy to write up any witty articles about the interesting tasty bits that would be worth sharing. I'm a little under the weather and focusing on what I need to get done in the few days before I go. I've felt pulled to say something on Figs with Bri, but didn't know what.

So, rather than let feelings of guilt creep in, I thought I'd let ya know that I'm thinking of my Internet friends and may not write anything until the first or second week of April. I will get to your comments (if you feel drawn to leave one) though, before I leave. But once I'm on the mountain, there is no electricity to be found. Thanks for reading, thanks for your encouragement, (and to those who feel compelled to) thanks for letting me know you are out there. For those of you who celebrate it, I wish you a blessed Easter. And for those of you who don't, enjoy the sweetness that is a Sunday.

As I mentioned before, I have fallen in love with a new (very ancient) giant citrus: pomelo.  Native to Southeast Asia and Malaysia, and then introduced to China about 3000 years ago, pomelos are the ancestors of grapefruit.  Used medicinally for ages, they are quite delicious, it turns out.

 

Just look how huge this pomelo is.  I love the bright pink flesh and soft pink pith.

We picked up a few at the farmers market and the flesh was sweet, tangy, juicy and all kinds of tasty.  Since they are pretty spendy ($2 a piece, although they cost twice that at the grocery store) I wanted to get the full experience and candy the rind. 

After doing some research, there are many ways to candy citrus peels.  Some recipes suggest using a peeler to remove the skin with the least amount of pith, but we'd already peeled them.  Besides, many recipes said that didn't matter, since we could just scrape the pith off after boiling.  Also, a few recipes called for salting the boiling water, then cooking them in sugar syrup.  Since it wasn't a requirement in all the recipes and we are in the midst of a fast from salt, that step was right out. 

It's interesting how many variations there are.  I wonder if anyone has THE answer, or if it's just a matter of habit and preference.  I realized that the salt was to remove bitterness from the pith and rind.  There was some bitterness in my finished product, but it's not to strong, and adds a bit more character. Sometime I might try the brining (salted) method to see if it removes more of the bitterness, but I don't know that it's really necessary.  It's a different technique, but similar concept behind degorging bitterness from eggplant by salting it and letting it sit awhile before cooking. 

Candied Pomelo Peel

You will need about equal parts:
pomelo
sugar (I use raw sugar or evaporated cane juice since it still has some nutrients)
water

Thoroughly wash and peel pomelo (in large chunks) and enjoy the fabulous sweet and sour fruit.  Place the pieces of peel in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil and then cook for 10 minutes.  Pour out the water, and repeat twice more.  The first time, the peel will most likely float to the top, so put a lid on it, and push the pieces down into the water a bit.  By the second boiling, the pith becomes water logged and will stay just under the surface of the water.

After the third boiling and draining, give the peels a good rinse with cold water to help wash off any last bitterness that you can, and help them cool faster.

Second or third boiling - left panel, right panel is two sections of rind where the right one has been scraped of pith

When they are cool enough to handle, scrape the soft pith off the rind.  The rind is a bit delicate, so don't scrape too hard.  There was so much pith on mine, I had almost equal pith to usable rind.

Slice them into strips whatever length you like.  I chose about 1/2 inch by 2 inch ribbons.  Set them aside.

I had about 3 1/2 cups of rind strips, and the recipes varied, but suggested about equal amounts rind, sugar and water.  I decided to use 3 1/2 cups of water, but just 3 cups sugar.  Worked great, you use your judgment.  Over medium-low heat dissolve the sugar in the water, then add in the pieces of peel.  Now, you need to be patient.  For best results, you want to cook them slowly so the sugar doesn't burn and the water evaporates.  Some recipes said you couldn't touch them once the sugar dissolved, due to crystal formation, which did occur, but I totally enjoyed the results, so again, it's up to you. 

I saw two main methods for cooking in the sugar syrup.  One says to cook the peels until the water is evaporated, others said to just cook them awhile and then drain them on a rack.  I tasted the peels every 45 minutes or so and the flavor was quite different at each stage.  If you cook it all the way until the liquid is gone, the flavor really intensifies and deepens, but you can choose which method suits you.

Left panel: peels at beginning of being cooked in sugar syrup.  Right panel: water has evaporated and translucent peels are just about to come out of the pot.

I lost track a bit while I was making dinner, but the peels cooked between 2 1/2 and 3 hours before the water was fully evaporated.  I suggest you leave them alone for about the first hour or so, and then check on them every 10-20 minutes or so after that to make sure the water doesn't evaporate so quickly the sugar burns. 

Left panel: peels have just been spread out on the silpat and are steaming hot.  Right panel: dusted with granulated raw sugar.

If you choose this method, once the water has evaporated and the peels have become translucent, carefully (sugar is VERY HOT) pour it out onto wax paper or silpat and spread them out.  Otherwise, drain them on a rack to cool.  Dust them with sugar and let them cool and dry.  I left them alone (beside a little tasting here and there) overnight and then pulled them apart from each other and dusted with more sugar.  They are absolutely delicious with an intense sweet-tart taste and strong grapefruit flavor.  The applications are endless: dip them in chocolate, decorate other desserts, eat them as-is, put them in brownies cookies or cakes…you name it.

Now that they are candied and delicious, what will I do with these pomelo peels?

However you write it, the ancestor of the grapefruit, and perhaps all citrus, sure is tasty.  A couple weeks ago, I bought a King Kong caliber yellow (for the sake of standardization here) pomelo with gorgeous bright pink flesh from my local farmers market.  I only bought one, to put in my beet and citrus salad. 

It was so sweet, juicy and mild, that last weekend I decided to buy a couple more to enjoy out of hand.  Just look at the size of this thing.  I am an average sized woman with normal sized hands.  Seriously, I'm not a dwarf. 

I should have broken out my tape measure, but alas, didn't think of it.  Putting it in the fruit basket that normally holds, oh, a dozen oranges or apples was straining to contain just two of the three pomelos we bought.  It's practically Jurassic. 

It looks silly next to a regular ol' orange the way that an ostrich egg is totally absurd next to a chicken egg.  It takes some real muscle to get into it (maybe because I could hardly get a good grip on it with my woefully inadequate baby-hands) but after working at it a while, I managed to breach the skin and inch or three of soft pink pith.

The hint of girly-girl in me loves that the pith is light pink

The porous pith between the skin and juicy edible morsels is quite spongy and would make a great cotton batting substitute if you had a yen to do some quilting part way through peeling.  The membrane between each segment is pretty tough and tears off in big pieces so you are just left with the fabulously delicious vesicles (yes, vesicles. apparently meaning: small liquid filled sacs).  Appropriate, I thought.

Impressive single segment, huh?

Three of us delightfully split one fruit, and Marc and I were amazed that his mom polished off a whole one herself.  At the farmers market, our local vendor sells each one for $2, or three for $5, so I couldn't help but buy three of them.  Keep your eyes peeled for them in your area.  I had been unimpressed with varieties that had yellow or white pulp, but these pink ones are really worth seeking out.  Marc and I both agreed it was possibly the best grapefruit (for comparison) we'd ever eaten. 

My 17 year old self with a truck-load of Texas grapefruit

And I've eaten my fair share of grapefruit.  For a high school fundraiser to go to Mexico with Amigos de las Americas, I had to sell (and…um…sample) several thousand dollars worth of Texas ruby red grapefruit.  Believe me, that's a lot of grapefruit.  You'd think it would have ruined grapefruit for me for life, but it actually just sealed in a deep appreciation for the sweet-tart citrus.  Once we had two humongous pomelos worth of peel sitting on the counter, I thought it would be fun to candy it.  At almost two bucks a pop, I thought I'd stretch it as far as the fruit would go. 

Do you ever have a craving for something that goes unsatiated for literally months? It happens to me sometimes. Because it isn't the right season, or it's a bit involved to make and I have to do some mustering, or the restaurant that serves the perfect incarnation of the dish is either out of business (and I need to perfect a new take on it) or far away. Honestly, I don't mind because it teaches me a bit of detachment. “Zen and the art of waiting for the perfect dish”. And…I'm that much more pleased once I actually get to savor it. As the saying goes, "Hunger is the best seasoning."

So, I'd had a hankering for potato pancakes for…I dunno…10 months or so. When we finally made them last night, they were heavenly. Needed salt, (because of the whole temporary salt-fast) but still nirvana. It is quite tasty without salt, so potato pancakes are a regular tried and true, salt-free dish. When we make them in the late summer/early fall, when the summer squash are still abundant and the first potatoes are coming in at the farmers market, I like to use some zucchini in place of about 1/3 of the grated potato. Yum!

For these, zucchini isn't in season right now, so they are all potato with some added chopped green onion and garlic. Quite flavorful. We were peckish after a hike, so I kept thinking I was going to make a salad or something to have with them, but…never got to it. Totally indulgent, I know. A dinner consisting totally of potato pancakes. But enjoyed to the fullest.

We served them topped with caramelized onions and sour cream with a little orange vinegar in it. The sweet-tart flavor of the orange vinegar with the sour cream plays nicely off the heaviness of the caramelized onion and pan-fried potato pancakes. I thought I'd share the "recipe" since it was such a treat and I so anticipated eating them.

As usual, I suggest you find as many ingredients as you can, locally/sustainably/organically as possible. With the little we know about genetically modified/engineered organisms (GMO), and the prevalence of genetically modified potatoes and the toxic chemicals used on conventional potatoes, I recommend you find a local, reputable grower in your area to buy yours from. Plus, you might discover some delightful varieties (Russian Banana Fingerlings, Rose Finn Apple Fingerlings, German Butterballs, Huckleberries, etc.)

Potato Pancakes (serves 4, as part of a meal. serves 2 if it IS the meal)

4 medium potatoes, grated (I prefer Yukon Golds for their depth of flavor)
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 C. flour for binding (I used whole wheat pastry flour since I always have it on hand and it's tender while being whole grain)
1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped
5-7 garlic cloves, grated or minced
oil - safflower/sunflower/peanut - some good quality oil for shallow, pan-frying
1 or 2 onions, sliced in half moons and cooked in olive oil until translucent and caramelized (about 20 minutes)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees so you can keep the finished potato pancakes warm. Line a plate with paper towel and set aside.

You can use a box grater, but if you have a food processor with a grater blade, this dish will go much faster, with less effort. Put the grated potato in a kitchen towel (like in the photo) and twist it to wring out all the excess liquid. Some potatoes have more water than others, but if the consistency is too wet, all the ingredients won't bind well. We squeezed out about 1/2 a cup or so. Discard the liquid (unless you can think of a brilliant use for it).

Mix in the eggs, and some of the flour, adding more if the consistency is too wet and won't hold together. Once the consistency is right, add the chopped green onions and minced or grated garlic. Now would be the time to season the mixture with salt (if you are using it) and pepper. Go light on the seasoning, and you can taste one of the first pancakes to see if you need to add more.

We use a non-stick pan and about one tablespoon of oil per batch of potato pancakes in the pan. You'll have to see what's right in your pan, but you shouldn't need more than just a thin coating of oil to help brown (rather than burn) the pancakes. Heat the pan on about medium-high, and when it's hot, spoon two to three tablespoons of grated potato mixture into the pan for each pancake. We were able to fit three at a time in our 12 inch pan.

Depending on the heat of the pan, each side takes about two to three minutes. Make sure you add oil before each batch so the pancakes get nice and golden. If they don't have enough oil, the pieces touching the pan burn before the inside finishes cooking. Put cooked potato pancakes on the paper towel lined plate (to catch some of the oil), and into the warm oven until you are ready to eat. I love them topped with caramelized onions and sour cream, but they are also tasty with chopped chives and a sprinkling of smoked paprika. Yum!

[Audience members at the back of the crowd are having trouble hearing the Sermon on the Mount.]
“What was that?”
”I don’t know. I was too busy talking to Bignose.”
”I think it was ‘Blessed are the cheesemakers.’”
”Ah, what’s so special about the cheesemakers?”
”Well, obviously, it’s not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.”
— Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

Marc and I are a week into fasting, and doing pretty well. With spotty Internet access (the cable company is doing work in our neighborhood) and a pervasive inward quietness I'm feeling right now, I haven't posted anything in days. Since we are fasting from salt, everything has to be made from scratch. I've been making roasted veggies, loaves of whole wheat and rye bread…and cheese.

Homemade ricotta cheese

Who knew cheesemaking could be so satisfying? The warm milk gives off this comforting smell of Mom while it's cooking. That sweet milky smell mother and infant have together that makes you (or at least me) feel all warm and gooshy inside…that smell. With Jennifer, The Baklava Queen's inspiration, I started making paneer, fresh Indian cheese and ricotta. I can't begin to tell you how amazingly simple it is. I haven't found any local sources of vegetarian rennet, (a coagulant) otherwise I'd make mozzarella or some other interesting cheeses.

In my few forays into cheese making, I've found that whole, cream-top (non-homogenized) milk really produces the best flavor and texture. And, I suggest, your dairy products should always be organic and from a reputable, humane source.

Many of the pesticides, hormones and chemicals used in modern factory farming are fat soluble. Meaning that those chemicals get stored in the fats of the cow, (including the milk you drink), and in the fats in your body. So, along with looking out for the well being of the animals, it's important for our health to be conscious of where our food comes from. If you have to make choices about which things are most important to buy organically, fats (dairy, olive oil, avocados, etc.) are a good place to start. So, on to the ricotta recipe. I'll do the paneer recipe as soon as I have good photos.

Fresh Ricotta (adapted from this recipe)

(yields about 1 1/2 cups cheese)

Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk
2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Special Equipment
Large heavy bottom pot (must be able to allow plenty of room for the 10.5 cups of liquid)
Candy thermometer (or comparable thermometer that includes the range of 170-190°)
Colander set in large bowl or another pot
Cheese cloth (five layers, big enough to drape over edges of the colander)
Slotted spoon

Cook milk and buttermilk in heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Attach the thermometer to the side of the pan so that it's at least two inches into the milk, but not touching the bottom of the pot. Wait for it to take about 20 minutes for the thermometer to register 170°, stirring occasionally. When the mixture reaches 170°, the curds and whey will start to separate and you should stop stirring. Continue to cook until the temperature reaches 190°. Remove the pot from the heat. It's okay if the bottom is slightly scorched.

With the slotted spoon, gently spoon the curds into the colander lined with cheesecloth. Let the curds drain and cool for about 5 minutes. Gather the cheesecloth together, tie it and hang the bundle to drain another 15 minutes from the kitchen faucet. Transfer the ricotta curds into a container and sprinkle with a little salt (or not). It will easily store in the fridge for 4 days, possibly up to a week. The (8 or 9 cups of) reserved whey has many uses. It can be the base of a soup of curry, or you can do what I've done several times now, use it in place of water in your favorite fresh bread dough recipe. It adds flavor and nutrition.