ArcaMax

My Own Amazon Rain Forest

So I have been getting into this soccer thing. I’ve actually been watching some of the soccer matches that don’t even have the Americans playing in them; and enjoying the excitement! I’ve started looking at the team records. Yesterday I was investigating how many times the US has gotten into the final 16. It was more than I thought and it happened just 4 years ago. I had no clue. I love watching the Mexican coach. That guy has gusto! So many interesting elements to the whole affair.

Within every match there is discussion of the weather. Blisteringly HOT weather. And considering this is “winter” in Brazil that’s pretty darn hot. Temperatures ranging around 100 degrees with humidity in excess of 70 percent some days. My mom would call that dripping hot.

It’s so extreme that a Brazilian labor court mandated that the players be given cooling breaks at the 30-minute point in each half of the match when the temperature soars above 90 degrees.

Brazil is a massive country. The range of climate is broad. Snow and freezing does happen in the far south but most of this World Cup is taking place in areas surrounding the Amazon Rain Forest and in the forest it’s always hot and very humid. Downpours are common. Torrential downpours.

I’ve been making these observations in the midst of my own little Amazon Rain Forest. My Amazon is called my courtyard.

We have a section of our house that has windows on three sides and a brick wall as the fourth side. The whole area in the middle is open to the elements and is our private garden. It’s about the size of two normal living rooms. We love it. Our cats love it because it means they can go outside and be safe. They love to chase butterflies and investigate bugs. They love to chew on some of the foliage in the garden. And most of all they love to sleep in the sun and the shade.

The World Cup has been going on for two weeks now. We’ve had Amazon conditions in our garden for two weeks now too. When will we quit getting these torrential downpours? It’s been hot and humid. Temperatures soaring to 90 degrees and humidity to go along with it.

I can’t get our furniture cushions to dry! Just about the time they get close, it rains again. My garden is squishy. If you step into any of the garden beds, they make squishy noises. Some things are beginning to mold. I’m afraid to look under the outdoor rug. That’s another thing that never gets a chance to dry out. Some of my plants are growing oddly. They are so wet so much of the time they are not blooming properly and some look to be getting root rot.

One of my plants (see photo) loves this weather. I picked up this plant on a cruise through Home Depot. I have been known to plant tropicals in my garden in the summer. I don’t expect them to last through the winter but the more exotic ones lend a unique focal point to the garden. This is one such focal point plant.

Problem is I’m not sure what it is. It was not marked. I think it’s a protea hybrid of some kind. Proteas are South African orchids; one of my favorites. This is skinnier and taller than a protea but it does have some of the same qualities.

So I’ve been trying to find out what it is...and of course there’s an app for that! I found an on line ap. You submit a picture of the plant and they get back to you with an answer. I’m still waiting on the response as I write this, so I thought I’d toss it out to you, dear readers. Does anyone know what this plant is called?

And does anyone know when it’s going to stop raining?

Italian Grilled Steak with Balsamic Onions

Get out the grill! This is one way the Italians do steak. I took a Food Network recipe and Zolafied it to come up with this option for a healthy steak dinner.

Serves 2 Can easily be doubled or tripled

2 6-ounce beef tenderloin steaks
1 package of arugula or a greens mix of your choice
Juice of one half of a lemon
Grated sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat your grill to medium high. Lightly spritz your steaks with olive oil spray and season them to your taste with sea salt and pepper. Sear the meat on one side for 3 minutes. Then turn the steak over and grill it to your liking.

When ready to serve, spritz the greens with a bit of olive oil spray. Just enough to make the greens glisten. Toss with a drizzle of lemon juice to your taste. Plate the greens and put the steak on top.

With Plan Z dieting you are not limited in your amount of greens. In the picture you’ll notice I served just a handful.

For the Balsamic Onions:

You can use any type of onion for this recipe. The Italians would use cipollini onions. I love cipollinis but I am too lazy to peel them. My grocery store offers what they call bulb onions. They are about the same size as cipollinis and come with the greens sticking out the top. I use those because it’s so easy just to cut off the greens and trim the bottom. They are ready to cook. You could also use pearl onions if you can find those. I get them in the freezer section sometimes. Those will cook faster.

2 bunches of bulb onions or your onion choice. You’re looking for 2 cups cooked in the end
1 tsp of Truvia
¼ cup of balsamic vinegar

Trim the onions. If using the bulb onions just trim off the greens and toss them. Cut the root bit off the bottom and put them all in a medium sauce pan. Cover with water. Turn on to boil lightly for 10 minutes or until onions are cooked through. (If using pearl onions they will cook faster). Turn off the heat and drain the onions, leaving just a quarter inch of water or even a little less in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle on the Truvia and the balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook on medium low, stirring often, until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. You’ll be left with saucy onions.

Serving size equals one cup of onions.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola