Marinated Eggplant

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  Here's my whole mezze meal.  The eggplant is to the left of the cucumbers.

They do sell this canned in Mediterranean sections of the market, or with the pickles and condiments in better markets.  I wanted to learn how to do it in case imported convenience versions are unavailable this summer.

My eggplant bush died.  I suspect a plant disease.  I only got a couple of eggplants off it anyway.  I need to think of something to put in the pot.  That's a big piece of garden real estate not to have something in it.  Maybe carrots.  Where I was going with this is that eggplants have gotten expensive.  I'll have to decide if it costs more to buy them or try not to kill a starter plant.

You're going to use a lot of olive oil on this one.  Eggplants soak it up.  I'm going to post a half recipe of what I made.  It was so much, I put some in the calzones I saved the onions for.

1 eggplant

1/4 C olive oil, plus a whole lot more as needed

*3 Tb lemon juice

*2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1.  Slice the eggplant into thin slices, less than half an inch thick.  Brush both sides with olive oil while you heat up a foil-lined grill or large skillet over medium-high heat.  This is really a grilling recipe, but you can absolutely do it on the stove.

2.  Arrange slices on cooking surface.  Cook until tender, turning as needed.  This does take a while, like 20+ minutes if you're doing it in batches.

3.  While the slices are cooking, whisk together the other 1/4 C oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

4.  Toss cooked slices in the dressing.  Allow to chill at least 6 hours before serving.  Store refrigerated in a non-reactive container, preferably glass.  Plastic picks up flavors.  Serve as a condiment, sandwich topping, or tapas.

Difficulty rating  :)

Khubz Arabi (Arabic Pocket Bread)

Once I had decided to go all-out on a tapas meal, making my own flatbreads seemed like a logical extension.  This recipe out of Mideast & Mediterranean is the yeast version of pitas.  I was already making bread that week, and turned it into a baking day.  Time to restock flour.

I did make some minor alterations to the recipe.  First, I cut it in half and still got 12 flatbreads.  I also added a mere teaspoon of sugar to the dough, to help out the yeast and make things go faster.  It isn't enough for flavor or to make the breads brown.  And the problem with using a recipe from 1993 is that cooking has evolved a bit, so I subbed olive oil instead of canola.  The method of adding ingredients is more how I prefer to do it, rather than how it was written.

Being a modern version of an ancient recipe, I decided to do this one by hand.  Definitely reminded me why I make breads in the stand mixer.  Five extra minutes of kneading later, I got the dough I wanted.

1-1/4 C 100º water
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg or 2-1/4 tsp yeast
3+ C flour
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tb olive oil

1.  Add water to a medium bowl.  Sprinkle with the sugar and yeast and stir to combine.  Allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add 1 C flour and stir into a batter.  Add another cup of flour and the salt to make a very soft dough.  Stir in the third cup of flour and the oil and knead into a shaggy dough.

3.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed.  Dough should not be dry, but it shouldn't be excessively sticky.  Grease the bowl you mixed in with a few drops of oil.  Form the dough into a ball, turn over in the oil, and cover lightly.  Place in a warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.

4.  Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces.  By weight, mine came out to a little over 2 ounces per flatbread.  Round into little balls, cover, and allow to rest 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375º and grease or line three baking sheets.  (Or 2 and reuse one)

5.  Using a dusting of flour on the board and the top of the dough, flatten each ball and roll out into a 6" round.  It's going to be very thin, and you're going to wonder how that possibly makes a hollow pocket bread.  Place four on each baking sheet.

6.  Bake 10-12 minutes, until puffed up.  What I didn't understand is that they are pretty much done at that point, and you have to pull them out or they'll stay that way like a puffed cracker.  They do not have to brown.  I was able to salvage them by spritzing with water on both sides and microwaving for ten seconds.   Once cool enough to touch, place in a plastic bag to finish cooling so they don't dry out.  If not serving immediately, refrigerate because of the humidity in the bag.  To fill, cut in half and open the pocket.

Makes 12 pocket breads

Difficulty rating  :)

Quinoa-Stuffed Onions (Sogan Dolmasi)

I really shouldn't have planned an elaborate mezze meal on a closing day, so I made sure all the recipes could be morning prep or cooked the day before.  That turned this into a pretty awesome, cold Saturday-night dinner that I ended up dressing up for and eating out on the patio on china, which I have never done.  I really hate eating outdoors, but this made it feel like I was on vacation after a long day on my feet.  Didn't like the sun in my eyes, though.  If I do it again, it will be for breakfast or lunch.

These stuffed onions are my own version of a Turkish recipe.  I used quinoa instead of half of the rice to give a protein boost.  Basically, the part that would be ground meat if it was a meat-stuffed tapa.  I never did find pomegranate molasses, even at Sorrento, and didn't feel like a trip to the Middle Eastern market or Western Kosher, so I used a combination of date syrup and balsamic vinegar to mimic the flavor profile.

I expected this to be a lot harder than it is.  While the onions were boiling and then cooling, I made the filling.  Stuffing them was so much easier than rolling up cabbage.  The onion layers curl themselves around it into a shell-pasta shape with very little effort.  Now that I mention pasta shells, I bet you could use the onion wraps as a keto/GF way to make them.

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients in this one.  They're worth it.

For the onions

3 large onions (yellow or sweet)
1/2 C dry rice
*1/2 C dry quinoa
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 T dried
*1/2 tsp dried mint
*2 Tb currants, optional
3/4 tsp Aleppo pepper or dried chili flakes, optional
1/2 tsp each allspice, oregano, and kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1 Tb pomegranate syrup, or 2 tsp date syrup and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
2 Tb olive oil

For the sauce

1 C tomato sauce
1 C hot water
1 Tb pomegranate syrup, or 2 tsp date syrup and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
1/2 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Cut off the root and stem ends of the onions and peel.  Carefully cut once to the center of each onion, pole to pole.

2.  Boil the onions for 10-15 minutes, until they look like they're opening up.  Drain and allow to cool until you can handle them.  Gently peel apart all the concentric layers.  The cores can be used for other purposes, such as broths.  I went ahead and baked mine with the stuffed ones to use the following week on calzones.

3.  While the onions are cooking and cooling, make the filling and sauce.  The sauce is easy.  Just stir together all ingredients and set aside for the solids to dissolve.  For the filling, rinse the rice and quinoa until no longer "soapy", usually 3 good rinses.  In a bowl, combine them with the remaining filling ingredients.  I skipped the spicy part, but added the currants.  Some versions have you par-boil the rice.  I was using brown rice instead of jasmine, and probably could have given them ten minutes on the stove first.  I just baked the dish a little longer.

4.  Preheat the oven to 375º.  Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling into each onion layer.  Loosely close the dolma, allowing the natural curve of the onion layer to wrap itself.  Place, seam-side down, in an 8x8 baking dish.  Repeat until all the filling is used, anywhere from 10-14 pieces depending on how you spoon your portions.

5.  Pour the sauce over the onions.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and baste the onions.  Cook uncovered until the sauce reduces, another 30 minutes or so.  Serve warm or hot, drizzled with the sauce.

Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a side or appetizer

Difficulty rating  :)

Chicken & Greens Soup with Pasta

This isn't exactly chicken noodle soup.  This was me using up the rest of the chicken broth and shredded bits from Seder to get them out of the freezer.  Then there was more crisper and garden clearing for the vegetables.  I threw in some macaroni at the end to be the starch, after deciding I had more of that than Israeli couscous.  Soup was invented to use items on hand, so I feel fully justified with these decisions.

Yes, I do know it's the middle of May and I'm having soup for dinner.  May and June often have some of the coolest daytime temperatures in SoCal.  It was mid-60s and drizzly the day I made this.  And then hot by the weekend, followed by more cold gloom.  For anyone who thinks it's always sunny and 72º in this part of the world.

I did not realize the red chard was going to bolt so early.  I didn't expect it to last a whole year like the kale, but was hoping for more than three good months.  It was making up for not having any beets, which always make up for my terrible luck growing spinach.  I'm also losing last year's celery, which had always under-performed anyway.  Oh well, more room for something else.

*1 quart unsalted chicken stock
*1 C diced onion
1 Tb olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
*2 bunches mixed greens such as kale, chard, or spinach
*1 Tb soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce 
*1/4 tsp dried thyme
*1/2 lb cooked chicken: shredded, chopped up leftovers, or canned
*1 C dry macaroni or other small pasta, or egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  While that's going on, wash and chop the greens, de-stemming if necessary.  I chopped up the chard stems to add, but the kale's went in the broth bag.

2.  Add the carrots, broth, soy sauce, thyme, and any tough greens to the pot.  My broth was still a little frozen, so I'm not sure how long this step would take with room-temperature out of a can.

3.  While the soup is simmering, prepare pasta according to package directions.  Go for slightly under-done, as it will continue to cook when added to the pot.  As an alternative, you can add the pasta directly to the soup for a starchy consistency, but also add an extra cup of broth.

4.  Once the carrots and greens have softened, stir in any tender greens and the cooked chicken.  Taste and add salt or pepper as necessary.

5.  Drain the pasta and add to the soup.  Stir to combine and serve immediately.

Difficulty rating  :)

Spring Harvest

I got sidelined by a knee injury and ignored the garden for a week.  It's fine now as long as I don't forget and kneel on it.  I still have to wear a support for some activities, but it isn't quite bad enough to see an orthopedist.  Or I'm in denial.

Meanwhile, the artichokes hit their stride.  All but one put up its central bud.  I even made a YouTube Short on a whim, what I jokingly call my post for the year.  After eating more than usual fresh, the rest are getting steamed to freeze the hearts.

Two of the broccoli never really caught on.  I got a few little florets off them and some leaves, but it's time for them to come out and make room for tomatoes.  I didn't expect to get 13 starts out of the 12 cells I planted.  Need to find somewhere to put them all.  Leaning toward a row of pots against the wall behind the Pond, as the native soil is all sand and clay.  Also need to hit up Home Depot for trellis fencing to hold them once they start to climb.

Some of the chard is already starting to bolt, just when I was getting into the flavor.  This variety kind of tastes like less-sweet beet greens.  Time to harvest more often and freeze it so I can have a break from the kale this summer.

Parsley needs to be harvested and dried every couple of weeks if I'm not using it enough.  The stems are going in the broth bag.  Growing your own herbs is an under-appreciated bit of gardening that can save you a lot of money.  The seed packet cost about $2, which I make back regularly.  Fresh parsley is stupid expensive, while dried flakes are cheap.  I'm terrible at growing fennel bulbs, but I can get years of anise seed from a single plant.  Most herbs can be grown on a window sill.  Even if you don't have room for a garden, anyone can put a few pots of herbs in the kitchen.

My little turnips look like purple radishes.  They're adorable, and doing better since I thinned them.  I'm going to succession plant in the eggplant pot.  Eggy isn't doing well.  I cut back the dead branches to see if it rebounds, but I'm keeping my hopes realistic.  Bummer is that I can't put a tomato in there until next year if it's suffering from a nightshade disease.

I need to plant basil.  Down to my last jar of dried from two years ago.  Hope it isn't too late for it to catch on.  We still have over a month of moderate temperatures before summer kicks in, and I can put it where it only gets morning sun.

Onions are doing well.  I've been succession planting in the pot at about the rate I'm using them.  I still have onion pesto; lesson learned.  Garlic should be ready in a couple of months.  I had to put the cilantro in a tomato cage while it makes seeds, so I can have freshly ground coriander.

The new additions to my gardening routine are things I should have been doing all along.  First, I bought fish fertilizer.  It's a concentrate, and stinks up everything, but I definitely don't feed my plants enough.  Trying to remember to do it at least once a month.  Then, I picked up a bag of redwood mulch.  My idea of mulching so far has been chop'n'drop, where you just let whatever you trimmed off the plant compost in place.  I'm hoping for weed and moisture control in the Pond.  For the front patch, I'm adding the hope that it composts into the dense soil to condition it.  I've been fighting that area's tendency to compact for over 10 years.

Once I lose a few chard and the rest of the broccoli, I'll have a better idea where I can put more tomatoes.  The poor tray of starts really wants a home.  I might have to put some of them in the landscaping out front before they die, even if others make it into pots.

Italian-Inspired Bean Stew

I didn't have a chance to go grocery shopping for a whole week after Passover and ended up doing a limited pantry challenge.  It wasn't much of a hardship because I did buy way too much before the holiday.  I really wanted legumes, almost as much as I wanted bread.  My system is adapted to a diet with a decent amount of fiber.  Also, my annual cholesterol test was less than stellar.  Blood sugar was unexpectedly stable, considering how much cake there has been at work the past couple of months.  Still, it was time to double down on Mediterranean choices.

The new USDA nutritional guidelines coming out this year are moving plant-based proteins to the Protein group and out of vegetables and starches.  That's how I've treated them all along.  Yes, they have carbs, but so much of them are both soluble and insoluble fiber, they don't spike blood sugar if served with other low-glycemic foods and have heart-healthy properties.  Yes, you do need animal products for a complete diet, or vitamin shots, but there is nothing wrong with meatless meals on rotation.

I was bemoaning being almost out of dried parsley, then remembered the three plants I'm growing, which are doing rather well.  They weren't when I needed them for Seder, and barely got enough for every plate.  Now, I need to harvest some to dehydrate before it spoils.  I'll do a gardening post soon to show off my Spring bounty.

*1 C dry Navy or Great Northern beans

1 Tb olive oil

1 C diced onion

*2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp marjoram

1 tsp dried basil

*1/2 C chopped fresh parsley, or 1 Tb dried

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 lb spinach, either fresh or frozen, thawed

*Juice of 1 lemon

1.  Early in the day, or overnight, soak the beans in water to cover by one inch.  I debated using canned or a slow-cooker, then decided on the firmer texture of simmered beans.  Everything else in this dish is mushy.

2.  3 hours before serving, drain and rinse beans.  Return to a large saucepan and add more water to cover by one inch.  Bring to a low boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Drain.  This can also be done up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

3.  Add oil to the large saucepan and heat over medium.  Cook the diced onion and garlic until softened, then add the salt and dried herbs and cook until fragrant.

4.  Stir in tomatoes with their juice, cooked beans, and spinach.  Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, for flavors to meld.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  If too dry, add a little water, but you're not making soup.  Add chopped parsley if using fresh, and lemon juice.  Simmer 5 more minutes, then serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Pumpkin and Date Kugel

I needed a portable breakfast for work during Passover.  Just the last two days of the holiday.  One manager was out and I couldn't get off the full week.  At the last minute, I tossed a bag of Passover noodles into my cart.

Kugel is just a casserole.  In this case, it's a noodle and egg casserole.  I tend to call any noodle "pudding" a kugel, because that's how I was raised.  They're all super easy to make and can be sweet or savory.  I was debating making this a broccoli and cheese one, then decided I didn't want that for breakfast.

I used the potato-based Passover noodles, but there's nothing wrong with using wheat-flour noodles every other week of the year.  Or any other pasta you choose.  I also used coconut milk because I had half a can left from the sweet potatoes.  Cow, oat, almond, whatever milk you choose is fine.

8 oz noodles or pasta of choice
2 eggs
*1 C coconut (or other) milk
*1 C pumpkin purée
*1/2 C pitted, chopped dates (about 8 deglets)
2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash salt

1.  Start cooking noodles according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 350º and grease an 8x8 baking dish, 9" cake pan, or any other casserole that can handle 1-1/2 quarts.  I used olive oil to make this klp and pareve.  Nothing wrong with butter, shortening, or pan spray.

2.  While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the milk, eggs, pumpkin, chopped dates, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

3.  When noodles are al dente (aka about 80% done), drain.  Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir until evenly coated.  Transfer to prepared dish.  It's going to look soupy, but the noodles will soak up the liquid.

4.  Cover with foil or a lid and bake until set, about 30 minutes.  For a crispy top, remove cover for the last 10 minutes.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving, and an hour or overnight in the fridge if you plan to slice it.

Serves 6-8

Difficulty rating  π

Pantry Inventory

We're doing a section topic post.

No one likes to do inventory.  Not at work, and not at home.  After the recent Southern California fires, I went around the house and took pictures, in case I ever need to itemize for insurance purposes.  Probably will never happen, but everyone should have some idea of what they own.

Kitchen inventory, for me, gets done before Passover.  Once a year is generally all you need, assuming fresh foods are rotated before they get scary.  Frozen and dry storage commonly are designed to last between a year to 18 months.  A few items, like whole wheat flour and brown rice, tend to spoil after only six months if you live in a warm and/or humid climate.  Canned meats are often dated as long as five years.

I don't write down what's in the dry pantry.  I just keep it neat and avoid stacking things that are not alike.  The fridge is not crammed full, so I can see everything.  The chest freezer, on the other hand, gets a post-it list.  I only itemize the meat, though I should probably write down the mini pie shells I've had in there since December.  I was going to do thumbprint mince pies and never got around to them.  Some people with cellars or exceptionally large pantries do make a written inventory or computer spreadsheet of everything, and their best-by dates.

When I was clearing one shelf at a time to do the Passover sorting, I realized that I have a LOT of food in there.  It's the beans.  I count them as shelf-stable proteins and have more of a variety of them than of meats.  A pound of dry beans is roughly 12-14 servings, so a pound each of 8 or more legumes is about a four month supply if I suddenly went vegan.  Well, less if I was also using them for breakfast and lunch.  In addition to the dry beans, I have over a dozen cans and jars ready to use, at 3-4 servings each.  But there were no surprises, no spoiled foods, nothing I had forgotten, and I could remember why I had bought everything.

It's a good idea to look through what you have on hand when meal planning or making a grocery list.  It prevents over-buying or forgetting an item until it is no longer good to eat.  For me, it can spark creativity or a new recipe.  And these days, whatever you spent on the food you have on hand is less than what it is going for now.

Tortilla de Patatas Vegana (Spanish potato omelette - vegan version)

I've been watching a little of Spain on a Fork.  Most of his recipes are more than I feel like making, and tend to be potato-heavy, but this looked like something We Cook Vegan would make.  With fewer ingredients.

Basically, it's a chunky latke.  This version uses a chickpea batter in place of eggs, making this version vegan and slightly less expensive.  I had been thinking of making a socca that day, so I was already in the mood for something like this.  I made it as part of dinner, but it really works any time of day.  Hot for breakfast.  Leftovers would make a great cold lunch.  A small slice at tea time.

It does take time to make.  Potatoes have to be thoroughly cooked, and this one doesn't use the oven.  You could make the onion and potatoes ahead of time, then mix with the batter when ready to cook.  All in one shot, you're looking at a minimum of an hour.

1 C diced onion (1 small or 1/2 large)
1/4 C olive oil, plus more as needed for the pan
1 lb dense potato, such as Yukon or red
salt and pepper to taste
*1 C chickpea flour
1 C water

1.  Stir together chickpea flour and water until most of the lumps are gone.  Set aside while you prepare the rest, or up to 8 hours.  For longer, refrigerate.

2.  Warm the oil in a 12" skillet that has a lid over medium heat.  Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir often so it doesn't get fried and crispy.  You may need to turn down the heat.  We're going for a slow caramelization.

3.  While that's happening, peel potatoes if desired.  I skipped that.  Slice into bite-sized pieces about 1/4" thick and uniform size, so they cook evenly.  I chose to set the cut potato in water because I didn't know how long it would be sitting around.  Not a necessary step.  Add to skillet and turn up heat to medium-high.  Lightly fry potatoes with the onions until cooked, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  This will take up to half an hour.  Once easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes, or refrigerate as a do-ahead.

4.  Stir together potato mixture with its oil and the chickpea batter.  Season with salt and pepper.  I used about half a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, but these are the only seasonings.  Use your best judgment.

5.  Place the skillet back over medium heat and lightly coat the bottom with more oil.  Add potato batter and arrange in a neat layer.  Cover and cook until set, about 10 minutes.  The top can still be a little uncooked.

6.  Use a spatula to loosen the pancake from the bottom of the pan.  Keep going until you can shake it.  If it's really stuck, it probably isn't cooked yet.  Set a plate on top of the pancake, commit to the flip, and turn everything over.  Place the skillet back on the stove, coat with a touch more oil, and slide the tortilla back into it.  Cover again and cook another 6-8 minutes.

7.  Transfer to a serving pate and cut into wedges, with anything from sour cream dip to hot sauce as a dressing.

Difficulty rating  :)

Farfel Kugel with Swiss Chard

Savory matzoh kugels are a common side dish at Passover.  I went ahead and turned this into a stuffing/dressing casserole to have with the turkey and gravy.

I clearly did not learn my lesson from growing too much kale last year, and have compounded it by adding some absolutely gorgeous "rhubarb" Swiss chard to the garden.  I'm probably going to have to save it up in the freezer and can it.  There's room in the freezer for that now!  Not as much as I'd hoped, since I had to put half the leftover turkey and carcass in there, but I have definitely made progress.  It was to a point that I didn't know if I could wedge the next bake of challah in it.  Anyway, chopping up the equivalent of two bunches for a double batch of stuffing was no big deal.  I made broth, which was me making work for myself, but there's nothing wrong with opening a can or box of it.

I put fennel (anise) seed in this, and everyone loved the unexpected seasoning.  If that isn't your preference, you can go basic and leave it out.  What I'm not putting in the printed recipe is that I chopped up the tiny turnips I thinned out of the pot.  Wow, they were almost as strong as the horseradish while on the cutting board, but mellowed in the casserole until you couldn't taste them.

*1 bunch Swiss chard, any color
*2 ribs celery, chopped
*1 small onion (or 1/2 large), diced
1 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
*1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 10 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
*3 sheets matzoh
1 C chicken or vegetable broth
1 egg, lightly beaten

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Grese an 8x8 or small round/oval casserole with a few drops of olive oil.

2.  In a large skillet with a lid, heat 1 Tb oil over medium heat.  Chop the stems off the washed chard and cut into pieces similar to the celery.  Chop the chard leaves into strips or chunks.

3.  Cook the chard and celery stems and the onion in the oil until softened, stirring occasionally.  Season with the sage, fennel, salt, and pepper.  Keep in mind how much salt is in your broth.  You may not need to add any.  My broth was kind of peppery, so I didn't add extra.

4.  Add the chard leaves and the drained mushrooms and stir.  Cover and allow to cook down, about 5 minutes.

5.  While the greens are wilting, prepare the matzoh.  In a medium bowl, crumble them into bite-sized pieces, just larger than cornflakes.  If the broth is refrigerated, warm to at least room temperature.  Pour broth over the farfel and allow it to soak in while the vegetables finish cooking.

6.  Once the chard has cooked down, remove the skillet from the heat.  Add the softened matzoh and stir to distribute evenly.  Stir in the egg until uniform.

7.  Pour the mixture into the greased casserole.  Roast, uncovered, until the top is crispy and it is thoroughly cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Difficulty rating  :)