This story is fiction.  Actually, the setting of an artificial world in Space and the year being 2109 should have been enough to clue you in about that.

I don't care how old are.  I don't care how young you are.  However, the law does care, so if you are too young, go away (or at least try not to get caught).

If this story is against the law where you live, then like the young folk, go away.  Or at least...

Anzu James: Naked in Orbit, Part 18 (Notes & Recipes)
by Coach Michaels

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For some reason, while writing this I went into a lot of detail about what people, Anzu in particular, ate.  In that case, why not include actual recipes?  Also, I feel that a few things are due explaining, for instance: why isn’t Mendocino crawling with nanotechnology?

Well I’ll answer that one first.  A fully mature nanotechnology is such a game-changer, makes everything so different, that I felt the story would pretty much be ABOUT the nanotechnology.  And I didn’t want to write a story about nanotech; I wanted to write a story about a young woman living in Space.  So Anzu’s world is actually rather low-tech, for being set in 2109.  It isn’t much more advanced than today, except for the CATS (Cheap Access To Space).

Sure, there are a few things: the cell probably has a few nanoscale components, and the fireflies used at the rave are an example of MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems).  There is talk of “cleaning robots” and the school lunches are made by robots, but that’s not far away.  The Warlord uses an augmented reality screen, big deal.

If I were to write this again (and I don’t plan to), I’d probably make the eye-tap a pair of contact lenses, instead of sunglasses.  Part of the reason I didn’t is because I’d already started writing when I found out that there is already work being done on such contacts, and also because I had a lot of gazing into each other’s eyes stuff going on.  Still, I think I could’ve worked around that, and probably should have.

Another technology I discovered too late is electronic cigarettes.  I had already finished the Holly-Kon part of the story when I discovered this.  Had I known about it, Botilda would have used it for consuming her marijuana.  OK, so maybe she likes the slower, gentler onset from eating rather than smoking, but the part about her and Anzu trying pot and not being able to stand smoke?  Nope.  Electronic cigarettes.  I’d imagine that by 2109 somebody will have figured out how to get them to produce vapor in different colors.

I mentioned CATS earlier, which brings up a question: why doesn’t anybody have any pets?  Have pets just gone out of style?  Are they banned from habitats?  I don’t know, but I was up to Anzu’s birthday before it occurred to me.  Maybe some do, but many do not.  Maybe Anzu herself doesn’t care for pets, so she doesn’t mention them in her story.

OK, before I get to the actual recipes, how many of the references did you get?  The Edgar Rice Burroughs refs are impossible to miss: John Carter of Mars and a couple of refs to Tarzan at Holly-Kon.  ERB’s John Carter is such a hero, with such an ordinary name, that I thought it would be funny to name the villain John Carter, and have him be from Mars.  Even the mention of there being no horizon when you live inside a giant ball hints to ERB’s Pellucidar series, which takes place inside a hollow planet (Earth, to be precise).

Oh, something that will make my story outdated in a couple of years: I have Anzu state that it took until 2106 for a movie to finally be made based on the JCOM books.  Well, a company called The Asylum made a direct-to-video movie based on the first book last year (2009), and Disney is working on a big-budget version now.  It’s supposed to be out in summer of 2012.  We’ll see.  People have been trying to bring this thing to the big screen since the 1930s.

I have a couple of Robert A. Heinlein refs: a student in Anzu’s veegeewushu class is named Robert Anson (the A in Robert A. Heinlein is for Anson).  Also, the soap Anzu uses, Skyways, and the slogan, “’Skyways Soap, As Pure As the Sky Itself!” is from Heinlein’s book Have Spacesuit, Will Travel.

Anzu has a cousin, Susan, whose mother is “Aunt Calvin.”  So the cousin’s name is Susan Calvin, and she is obsessed with robotics.  Isaac Asimov ref there.  Many of Asimov’s robot stories featured Dr. Susan Calvin, robopsychologist.

The song Martha’s Igloo sings to Anzu, “Mendocino,” is an actual song by the Sir Douglas Quintet and was a Top 40 song in 1969.  Martha’s Igloo itself is a twisted-double-corkscrew ref to the song “Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)” written by Bob Dylan and most famously performed by Manfred Mann, and to Martha Quinn of early MTV fame.  Another band Anzu mentions is Quin the Pirate, which is yet another Quinn the Eskimo ref.

During the Nude Walk, we meet Alice Liddell.  This is the name of the little girl who inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Though the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.  Of course, these stories have themselves inspired a lot of psychedelic music, most notably “White Rabbit” by the Jefferson Airplane.  I made it pretty bleeding obvious when Anzu actually says “one pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small.”

Neil Collins combines the first name of the first man to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong, and the last name of the man who had to remain in Lunar orbit while his two crewmates walked on the Moon, Michael Collins.  How much you want to bet his middle name is either Aldrin or Buzz?

When I needed a last name for Steve, the name that immediately jumped into my mind was Austin, as in Steve Austin, from the book Cyborg, by Martin Caidin and the TV show it inspired, The Six Million Dollar Man.  But actually calling him “Steve Austin” seemed a bit much, so I called him Steve Majors, since the actor who played Steve Austin in the TV series was Lee Majors.  I gave the name Austin to Bret.

Dancing in the Stars is too obvious to say anything further.

I even reference myself a bit, with mention of the Nature Children who live on the Moon.  This is from my story Brachiating Girl, which of course none of you have read because I haven’t written it yet.  Dan and Tina are the couple in that story.  The Lagrange Dojo features the name Lagrange, as in Lisa Lagrange, from my not-yet-finished story Future Sex Coach Michaels (which I hope to get back to work on now that I’ve finished Anzu).  Even Ehawee is the middle name of Witashnah Ehawee Gray Wolf, from Future Sex Coach Michaels, and Constellation is my default name for a Space hotel.

OK, recipes.  I think I got them all, except the pizza, which I’m not going to do (the toppings are covered in the story itself).  In the interests of honesty, I have to admit that I myself have not had all of these, but I have had some of them.  I found the pork breaded with teff flour, covered in egg, and breaded with Panko to be even better than I expected, and I’d expected it to be good.

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Pumpkin Soup
1	tbl		Butter
1 ½	cup	Finely Diced	Sweet Onion
1 ½	tsp		Curry Powder
⅛	tsp	Crushed Flakes	Red Pepper
2	cup	Solid-Pack Can	Pumpkin
1 ¾	cup		Chicken Broth
½	tsp		Water
⅔	tbs		Heavy Cream
Heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3 minutes or until softened but not browned. Stir in curry powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Add pumpkin, chicken broth and water; stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
serves six

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Poke
8	oz	Sashimi Grade	Tuna
⅛	cup		Limu Kohu
⅛	tsp	Course	Salt
¼	tsp	Finely Chopped	Kakui Nut
½	tsp	Grated	Fresh Ginger
2	tbl		Soy Sauce
2	tbl	Diced Sweet	Onion
Combine all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl and gently mix. Make this on the day of use.
serves four

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Hunter's Venison Casserole
2	cups	Buttery, Mashed	Potatoes
1	lb	Lean, Ground	Venison
1	tbl		Canola Oil
1		Chopped	Red Onion
2	cloves	Minced	Garlic
2	stalks	Diced	Celery
½	cup	Diced	Red Bell Pepper
1	tbl		Worcestershire
½	tsp		Salt
¼	tsp	Course Ground	Black Pepper
2	large	Beaten	Eggs
1	cup		Cottage Cheese
2		Diced	Beefsteak Tomatoes
½	cup	Shredded	Colby Jack Cheese
½	cup	Shredded	Cheddar Cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 °C). 2. Spread mashed potatoes evenly in a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside. Brown the venison in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly and no longer pink, set aside. 3. Heat the canola oil in the skillet, then stir in the red onion, garlic, celery, and red bell pepper. Cook until the onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cooked venison, and season with Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture onto potatoes in the casserole dish. 4. Stir together eggs and cottage cheese in a small bowl; spread evenly over meat mixture. Top with tomato slices, and sprinkle with Colby Jack and cheddar cheeses. 5. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven until set, about 20 minutes.
serves four

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Honeydew Melon Sherbet
4	cups	Frozen 2 cm Chunked	Honeydew Melon
¼	cup	Cold	Lemon Juice
¼	cup		Honey
¼	cup	Cold	Whole Milk
2	tbs		Melon Liquer
1. Drop melon chunks, one by one, into running food processor. 2. Gradually add lemon juice, honey, milk, and liquer. 3. Process until smooth and thick. 4. Serve at once.
serves four
NOTE: This is how you would make this today. You could also puree the ingredients and put them in an ice cream machine. In Anzu's time, every kitchen is equipped with liquid nitrogen (LN^2). The ingredients are pureed and the LN^2 is folded in, like you would do with egg whites. This produces a very quick freeze (less than a minute, for this amount) which causes ice crystals to be very small, thus creating a creamy smooth ice cream beyond what can be accomplished ordinarily.

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Fried Green Tomatoes & Mushrooms
1 ½	cups	Sliced	Button Mushrooms
2	tbs	Unsalted	Butter
4	slices	Green	Tomatoes
1	large		Egg
¼	cup		Milk
1	tsp	Your Favorite	Hot Sauce
¼	cup	White	Flour
1 ½	cups	Cornmeal Or	Panko
2	tbs	Lite	Olive Oil
salt & pepper to taste
1. Brown the mushrooms in a heated skillet with the butter, remove mushrooms when they are browned and set aside. 2. Beat the egg, milk & hot sauce together. 3. Mix some salt & pepper with the Panko crumbs. 4. Lightly dust the tomato slices with flour. 5. Dip the dusted slices of tomato into the egg and then the crumbs, coating both sides. 6. Heat oil over medium heat. 7. Brown one side of the slices, flip, add mushrooms back into the pan and brown the other side total time for tomatoes 7 minutes.
serves two

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Beer-Battered Flounder with Red Chili Mandarin Sauce
			Olive Oil
¾	cup		All-Purpose Flour
¾	cup		Beer
1	lrg	Lightly Beaten	Egg
1 ½	tsp		Baking Powder
4	5-oz	Fillets	Flounder
2	tbs	Fresh	Lemon Juice
2	tsp		Red Chili Paste
1	11-oz	Can	Mandarin Oranges
1	tbs	Chopped, Fresh	Cilantro Leaves
salt & pepper to taste
Heat enough olive oil, to shallow fry the fish, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a shallow dish, whisk together 1/2 cup of the flour, beer, egg, and baking powder. Place remaining 1/4 cup flour in a separate shallow dish. Season both sides of fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Dredge fish in flour, turn to coat both sides and then shake off excess flour. Dunk fish in beer mixture and turn to coat both sides. Add fish to hot oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until cooked through and opaque. Remove fish from oil. Place on a paper towel lined plate. While the fish is frying, in a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice and chili paste. Add mandarin oranges and cilantro and toss to combine. Serve sauce over fish.
serves four

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Carpacchio
1	lbs	Trimmed of Fat & Sinew	Beef Sirloin
¾	cup		Olive Oil
1		Juiced	Lemon
8	large	Finely Diced	Shallots
¼	cup	Julienned	Parmesan Cheese
1	tbs	Fresh Chopped	Chives
salt & pepper to taste
Chill 8 serving plates. Place meat in freezer about 10 minutes. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and reserve. Slice cold beef across grain into 1/8-inch thick slices. Then place each slice, one at a time, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and, using the smooth side of a meat pounder, flatten by gently pounding and pressing back and forth. Work from center out. Keep turning to flatten it evenly to about 1/16 inch. (You should spend about a minute on each slice.) Entirely cover each chilled plate with thin slices of beef. (At this stage, you can cover with plastic wrap and reserve in refrigerator for several hours.) Carefully spoon reserved dressing over meat to evenly cover. Garnish with Parmesan strips and chives, and serve immediately.
serves eight

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Apricot Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta
1	tsp	Powdered, Unflavored	Gelatin
¼	cup	Cold	Water
1 ½	cup	Heavy	Cream
¾	cup		Apricot Fruit Spread
½	cup	Plain, No Gelatin	Yogurt
1	tsp		Vanilla Extract
Combine gelatin and water in a small bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Place cream and fruit spread in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in reserved gelatin. Mix until well combined. Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Pour ½ cup (125 mL) mixture into 6 small dessert bowls. Refrigerate until set; about 2-4 hours. To serve, run a knife around the sides and turn upside down onto serving dish.
Apricot Sauce
2	cup	Dried	Apricots
½	cup		Apricot Fruit Spread
2	tbs		Water
1	cup	Liquid	Nitrogen
Freeze the dried apricots in liquid nitrogen. Shatter apricots into small shards. Place apricot shards, fruit spread and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cool or ready to serve over panna cotta.
serves six

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Molasses Duck Salad
1		Whole, Boneless	Duck Breast
½	cup		Kosher Salt
¼	cup	Cracked	Black Peppercorns
½	cup	Unsulfured	Molasses
2	tbs	Unsulfured	Molasses
4	cloves	Peeled	Garlic
8		Dried	Juniper Berries
8		Whole	Black Peppercorns
2	tbs		Olive Oil
1	tsp		Olive Oil
2	tbs	Minced	Shallots
1	tsp	Minced	Garlic
1	tsp		Dijon Mustard
2	tbs		Rice Wine Vinegar
4	cup	Fresh	Spinach
½	cup	Chopped, Roasted	Pecans
½	cup	Thinly Sliced	Red Onion
½	cup		Blue Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
This dish takes several days to prepare.
Split duck breast in two. Rub with Kosher salt and cracked black peppercorns. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove duck breast from refrigerator and rinse off salt and pepper with cold water. Placed duck breast in small casserole dish and cover with ½ cup of molasses, whole peppercorn, garlic, and juniper berries. Cover with lid and place in refrigerator for 48 hours. Remove duck breast from refrigerator and drain marinade. Preheat oven to 204.5° C (400° F). Over medium heat, heat 1 tsp of olive oil in oven-safe sauté pan. Cook duck breast skin side down until skin is brown and crispy (about ten minutes). Turn and cook another ten minutes. Move pan with duck to oven and roast for seven minutes. Remove from oven and transfer duck to a cutting board. Keep pan drippings in pan. Let the meat rest for two minutes. Cutting at an angle, slice meat into 5 mm (¼ inch) thick strips. Heat pan with drippings over low heat. Add minced garlic, minced shallots, Dijon mustard, 2 tbs molasses, 2 tbs olive oil, and rice wine vinegar. Whisk until emulsified (about two minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool for two minutes. Wash fresh spinach and remove any tough stems. Toss spinach in emulsion until evenly coated. Arrange spinach in a mound in the center of a plate. Arrange duck strips over spinach and sprinkle with chopped roasted pecans, red onion slices, and blue cheese.
serves four

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Hummus With Leek and Chives
1		Can (15 oz.)	Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
2	tbs		Olive Oil
1	tbs	Fresh Chopped	Leek
1	tbs	Fresh Chopped	Chives
1	tbs		Sesame Seeds
salt & pepper to taste
Drain and reserve liquid from can of garbanzo beans. In medium saucepan over medium heat, roast sesame seeds until they pop. Set aside. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add leek and chive and cook until tender (about three minutes). Place garbanzo and sesame seeds in food processor with 1 tsp of reserved liquid. Process until smooth. Add leek and chive and blend to desired consistency. Add additional reserved liquid if needed. Spoon into bowl, shake and bump to remove air bubbles, and chill in refrigerator until time to serve. Salt and pepper to taste. Some people like to drizzle olive oil over top.
serves eight

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Weiner Schnitzel
1 ½	lbs	Boneless	Pork or Veal Cutlets
½	cup		Teff Flour
3	tbs	Grated	Parmesan Cheese
2			Eggs
1	tsp	Minced	Parsley
½	tsp		Salt
¼	tsp	Fresh Ground	Black Pepper
⅛	tsp	Fresh Grated	Nutmeg
2	tbs		Milk
1	cup		Panko Bread Crumbs
6	tbs	Unsalted	Butter (or Olive Oil)
4		Slices	Lemon
Teff flour is Ethiopian and can be found in gourmet or specialty markets. Panko bread crumbs are available in many supermarkets and in Asian markets.
Place each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with flat side of meat mallet until cutlet is about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick. Stir together teff flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Put in a large plate. In a bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Place Panko bread crumbs in a large plate. Coat each cutlet in flour mixture. Coat each floured cutlet in egg mixture. Coat each floured and egg-washed cutlet in Panko bread crumbs. Refrigerate floured, egg-washed, breaded cutlets for one hour. Melt butter in pan and cook cutlets until brown, about three minutes per side. Remove from pan, pour pan juices over cutlets, and garnish with lemon slices.
serves four

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Spaetzel with Garlic Sauce
SPAETZEL
1 ½	cup		White Flour
¾	cup		Water
2		Beaten	Eggs
½	tsp		Salt
6	cup		Chicken Stock
This makes a good side with the Weiner Schnitzel. A chicken bullion cube added to six cups boiling water may be substituted for the chicken stock.
Combine flour, eggs, and salt with water and knead until smooth. Bring chicken stock to a boil. Using a large-holed colander, cheese grater or (best) a spaetzel maker, force half of the batter through the holes and into the boiling chicken stock. A spatula may help. Cook until the spaetzel float. Remove with slotted spoon. Leave no spaetzel behind; they will become doughy and yucky. Repeat with remaining batter. Toss with Garlic Sauce.
GARLIC SAUCE
1	head	Minced	Garlic
¾	tsp	Sea	Salt
½	cup	Fresh Squeezed	Lemon Juice
1	cup		Peanut or Canola Oil
1	cup	Not Extra Virgin	Olive Oil
Place all ingredients in a one litre (one quart) jar. Using a stick blender (aka immersion blender, aka boat motor), blend all ingredients until the mixture resembles mayonnaise. You will need to tilt the boat motor to make sure that all ingredients blend nicely and do not escape by sticking to the sides of the jar.
serves four

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Bucatini Pasta With Tuna Cheese Sauce
12	oz	Shredded Fresh	Tuna (2 or 3 cans)
¼	cup	White	Flour
¼	cup		Olive Oil
3	cup		Milk
½	tsp		Salt
¼	tsp	Fresh Ground	White Pepper
2	tsp	Fresh Chopped	Dill
¼	cup	Crumbled	Feta Cheese
½	cup	Ground	Parmesan Cheese
1	lbs		Buchatini Pasta
2	tbs		Salt
Two or three cans of tuna can be substituted for the fresh shredded.
Make a white roux with the flour and oil.* Add milk, dill, white pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, then for one minute more. Lower heat, add cheese and stir until melted and well-combined with no lumps. Stir in shredded tuna. Remove from heat. Add 3 tbs salt to three litres of water (a gallon) and bring to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook as you would macaroni or spaghetti. Remove pasta from pot and serve on plates. Ladle sauce over pasta and enjoy.
* “Make a white roux” sounds very fancy, but in fact is not. You simply stir together the olive oil and white flour over medium heat until all lumps are gone. This usually takes less than a minute. Sifting the flour first will help reduce lumpiness.
serves four

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