Lunch launch – a publisher unleashed!

This is an auspicious moment — one I’ve been waiting for a  rather long time. I am managing this blog post on Joggling Board Press’s newly revamped site without my nose in a “Dummies” book or clinging to the arm of a techno-teen or sending text to someone who finds coding terrifically fun. I’m not technophobic, but my co-workers have been known to scratch their heads at my digital bumblings and wonder out loud, “But she seems so smart.” I have other virtues, I’m sure, but claim no native proclivity for technology. Thus, this auspicious moment — I am posting this without training wheels, without a guidebook, without anyone looking over my shoulder.

You know what this means?

I am a blogger unleashed!

Hello. I am Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, master joggler of the boutique publishing house known as Joggling Board Press. The vantage here from this lofty perch is, well, pretty wonderful.  Over the nearly ten years of operation, the press has managed to attract a colorful polyglot of talented, expressive, creative people — writers, photographers, designers, number crunchers, social media sorts. Indeed, it is the latter — JBP’s social media maverick Will Green, who has made it technically possible for me to post this blog with ease. It’s part of his strategy for building our connections in ways that allow us to more forcefully, more effectively embrace the credo by which we live, that is — and I put this in bold-caps to make a stronger point of it — WE BELIEVE STORIES CHANGE LIVES.  So I asked him what he thought should be the subject of this foundational blog and, oddly/curiously, this is what he suggested  I write about . . . lunch.

Why, you might ask?

On Fridays, everyone who happens to be in the JBP office eats a lunch prepared by yours truly. Staff, clients, writers — sometimes there are many, sometimes just a few. I toss together a meal infused with color, fresh ingredients — something that’s healthy and savory. It is my way of expressing affection when a handshake, a thank you or a hug doesn’t seem like enough. I rarely have a plan for what I’m going to prepare. And I almost never use a recipe. My methods are simple — I open the refrigerator and see what’s there and from the raw materials create something new. Color, texture, some of this, some of that. So I will conclude this opening blog with an easy-to-make recipe from today’s lunch. I call this this Tortillas Gorgonzola.

Tortillas Gorgonzola

1 flour tortilla per person
1 leek
Enough gorgonzola to lightly cover each tortilla
Fresh basil (2 or 3 leaves/per tortilla)
Shredded Mexican cheese
Fresh taboule salad
Red pepper flakes
Garlic salt
Olive oil

Slice leeks in thin medallions, then dice. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute leeks until the smaller bits get crispy. In a large skillet, lightly coat with olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute tortilla on one side until brown. Flip over and heat the other side, but do not brown. Place browned side on a flat sheet or cookie sheet and cover tortilla liberally with shredded cheese. Cut basil (big pieces are quite fine) and sprinkle over top along with the gorgonzola. Because gorgonzola is rich and the flavor rather potent, it’s better to be lenient than heavy-handed in how much you apply.

Pre-heat broiler. Finish dressing tortillas with red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Place under broiler on a rack in middle of the oven (not too close to broiler). Keep a close eye as they cook. It only takes a couple of  minutes for the cheese to bubble and slightly brown. Take out and place on a plate and garnish the middle with a couple of tablespoons of taboule salad. I got mine already prepared at Publix. The texture, fresh crunchy flavor and cold temperature was a nice contrast to the hot gorgonzola.

If you’ve made it this far on this my debut blog, thank you for your perseverance. This was fun. I’ll be back with more Tales from the Joggling Board. And, perhaps, some more recipes. Mr. Green says he thinks it would make for a good cookbook one day.