At Patterdale Hall, the work never ends for village residents Chris Wyatt and his wife Karen Russell. (Submitted photo)
The Patterdale Hall Diaries | A recipe for de-stressing
- Published: December 20, 2024
Nov. 10, 2024
It’s been over a month since I updated the diary. I am in the thick of teaching and editing student writing, and I haven’t really had any desire to write about anything at all. Lots of things have happened though.
My ex-Ph.D. student Ryan got married out at The Hall, which was really lovely; he got good weather and it was a perfect fall day. Then, a week later, he found out that he got a well-paying job working as a respiratory physiologist with astronauts, which is exciting. Then, another of my ex-graduate students, Jenny, got a job at The Boonshoft School of Medicine teaching M1–M2 medical students. Both jobs are life-changing positions as both Jenny and Ryan were previously on poverty-level wages. Now they will be paid what they are worth.
Just to counter all this good news, I had another diverticulitis flare that landed me in the ER again. Two weeks of Flagyl and Cipro cleared it up and I have now met a surgeon who will remove my sigmoid colon if the frequency of diverticular infections becomes unbearable. It really is the most painful thing that has ever happened to me, and knowing there is a team of very qualified surgeons prepared to help me is a great relief. I will be using Dr. Minia Hellan, who is based at The Kettering Cancer Center. She trained in Vienna and Chicago, is the same age as me and was completely wonderful when I met her.
Really, I need to keep my levels of stress down, as stress leads to cortisol release and cortisol suppresses my immune system, making it easier for infections to occur in my gut wall. Patterdale Hall is a good place to de-stress and as the temperatures begin to fall, we will begin to start burning wood again. Sitting by a roaring wood fire with a good book is how I will be spending many winter evenings, but we are not quite there yet. There is no point wasting wood if temperatures are not below freezing. The radiators will keep the damp at bay for now, and I will be switching them on this week as the frequency of rainy days is increasing.
Today I shall defeat stress by competing in Yellow Springs Brewery’s “Cooking with Beer” event. Always keen for a challenge, I have made a vegan chile verde with black beans. The chiles that are in the dish were pickled in vinegar that I made from Captain Stardust Saison, which satisfies the requirement that the dish contain a YSB-made beer. Nonvegans can add sour cream and cheese, and the dish will be served with blue corn tortilla chips. There are prizes for best dish, people’s choice and most original use of beer.
I’ve been writing this diary for two years now. Putting my thoughts down has been enjoyable, and documenting this time of my life is kind of fun. I’m slowing down. I’m still passionate about things, but I’m taking more time to enjoy small pleasures. I’ve traveled all over the world with my work, but I have no desire to do that anymore. Sitting with my little dog whilst drinking tea, watching the rain and listening to Eydis Evensen play piano is how Sunday mornings should be spent. Little Arch is a soggy doggy currently, as we went for a walk in the rain earlier. Betty wouldn’t walk in the rain; she was a stray and spent an Ohioan winter in the wet and cold. Once she found her home, it was clear she would never go out in the rain again. She was a very wonderful and very stubborn little dog, and I miss her terribly. Still, little Arch is a cracking dog and is filled with spirit, if not brains. He is a love.
Nov. 11, 2024
I won the “Most Original Use of Beer” prize! Here is the recipe; it makes one crock pot:
Ingredients:
1 lb dried black beans, 2 big onions, 3 fat garlic cloves, 2 cans chopped green chiles, two jars tomatillo salsa, one jar Desert Pepper green tomato salsa, one bag of spinach, one bunch of cilantro, one container white button mushrooms, two big portabella mushrooms, cumin, black pepper, pickled chiles, olive oil, one lime, 2 bay leaves.
Method:
1. Soak beans overnight, then cook them in a big pan with a finely chopped onion and the bay leaves. After a couple of hours, check them and, if ready, season with salt. Put to one side.
2. Slice onion, garlic and mushrooms and fry in olive oil with cumin and black pepper until onions are soft. (I peel the portabellas and throw the stalks away).
3. Add chopped green chiles and the three jars of salsa. Stir and bring to the boil; simmer for 10 minutes or so.
4. Add the whole bag of spinach, cook for another 10 minutes. (I roughly chopped the spinach.)
5. Add some pickled hot chiles to taste, or hot chile powder, if desired.
6. Dump all this into your crock pot and add ¾ of the black beans. (Freeze the rest for tacos).
7. Stir it up and cook on high for a couple of hours, then switch off and rest. It can sit overnight.
8. When you want to serve it, warm it up and add the juice of a lime and the whole chopped bunch of cilantro. Stir.
9. Boom. It shouldn’t need salt as there is plenty in the three jars of salsa.
I served it with sour cream, cheese and blue corn tortilla chips.
*Originally from Manchester, England, Chris Wyatt is an associate professor of neuroscience, cell biology and physiology at Wright State University. He has lived in Yellow Springs for 17 years, is married and has two children and an insane Patterdale terrier.
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