I had a day this week that would have been perfect in a screwball comedy romance.
It started with a late-to-work, crappy hair day. Copier ate my originals a couple of times, banged my knee against my computer stand twice, spilled some lunch on my shirt - but I was OK. It's Christmas time! I am Happy!
I go home, the newspaper is wet, mail damp but I go into the house to meet the kitties inside and let others in so the feeding can begin.
My nose twitches. I feel like Will Smith in 'Independence Day:' "WHAT the hell is that SMELL????"
Charlie left our bedroom door open in spite of a warning not to since we've had some bad behavior regarding inappropriate poops in there.
That's where my nose led me and I discovered that several kitties had urinated in the same place, ON THE BED, to the point that the comforter, both blankets and top sheet were wet.
My mood has suffered a crack, but I am still chipper and I strip the bed, go open 15 cans of wetfood for the horde,and start sorting the bedding. Sheets go in first.
Did I mention several calls from corporate on an emergency of their own making? Yah.
The washer has begun to fill and I wipe up catfood spills but the water sounds odd. Sounds close, smells fresh, like it is hitting air..OH MY GOD OH MY GOD THE WATER IS SHOOTING FROM THE CLEAN-Y PLACE-Y SPOUT!!!!!!
I turned the machine off, figured out the problem and looked at a wet litter box rug, wet laundry room floor and decided I'd been a good soldier long enough.
I poured a glass of wine, called my husband and told him he was bringing supper home because I would not be cooking it!
If I had continued on my Pollyanna day, supper would have been Ham Pie since I had brought some good, salt cured country ham home from my mother's house.
Ham Pie
2 slices salt cured country ham
water to cover
milk
3 boiled eggs, chopped fine
big batch of biscuit dough
This is so easy it ought to be taught to girlscouts!
In a heavy-bottomed pot bring the ham slices and water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cook until you have a dense, hammy broth. Remove from heat, fish out the ham and cut into bite sized pieces. Just put those into the bowl with the diced eggs.
Add about 3 cups of milk ( I prefer organic) to the pot with the ham broth and bring to a high simmer (watch it, milk can scorch). Turn it up to a boil and as soon as the bubbles start begin dropping teaspoonfuls of biscuit dough into the pot. 5 or 6 is good for a small ham pie.
Turn the milk back down to a high simmer and let the dumplings cook while you grease an 8x8 glass pan and preheat the oven to 350.
As soon as the pan is greased, pour in the milk and dumplings, add the ham and egg dice, make biscuits with the rest of the biscuit dough (flatten the biscuits a little) to form a cover.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the top biscuits are done.
I always serve this in bowls and any left over I add milk to for re-heating. Use whole milk!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Shades of Age and food for life
I saw someone today whom I have loved for many years and he has become a shadow of himself. He was once a robust man full of ideas whose very presence brightened a room and wooed all within that room to his way of thinking.
As far as I can tell my beloved friend is not ill, just confused about the best path to a long and healthy life.
He is not the first person I've known or heard of who believed that nearly starving oneself will lead to longevity. As for me, the only really old people I've ever seen who were in their full senses and in control of their faculties had some meat on their bones. Not fat, just not ascetic.
I love food and love to cook and love knowing that I can orchestrate meals that are good for us.
I hope to convince my friend that good eating is good for him - and I may start with some of these recipes.
Sausage Gumbo
I know, that just sounds awful, but the lycopene in the tomatoes, cayenne and chili in the seasoning, and the general goodness of onions, peppers and celery are all good for a body.
1 bag cut okra or one pound fresh, cut into 1/2 slices
1 pound sausage links, country sausage preferably
1 red onion, diced
2 diced bell peppers
3 diced celery stalks
1 can chicken broth
2 32 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
9 tbl Wondra flour
7 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Seasoning: Chili powder, thyme, garlic salt, paprika, sage and a bit of cayenne - sea salt and ground pepper OR just get some good Creole seasoning, like Tony Cachere's and add to it.
Pour the oil in a big pot over medium high, add flour when the oil shimmers and begin whisking the flour into the oil. Make a nice roux, I've never had it take more than eight minutes of steady whisking when I use Wondra and olive oil.
Pour your diced trinity into the roux and stir to cover and cook for a minute, add the sausage, tomatoes and broth and stir again. Add enough water to cover everything and add an inch.
Now the waiting starts - simmer and stir, add Okra, then simmer and stir some more, then taste and season.
The gumbo should be done and delicious after an hour and is usually better the next day as the flavors love up on each other:)
Serve over Jasmine rice and feel good about eating good food that has lots in it that's good for you!
I just took a pot of this to my son and daughter-in-law this afternoon to keep them nourished as they celebrate their first week as parents. The scent of my gumbo gently re-heating on their stove wafted my way when I kissed my little grand-infant farewell.
I left knowing they would eat well and that my tiny Pixie infant would get the benefit of it later when her Mama nursed her.
As far as I can tell my beloved friend is not ill, just confused about the best path to a long and healthy life.
He is not the first person I've known or heard of who believed that nearly starving oneself will lead to longevity. As for me, the only really old people I've ever seen who were in their full senses and in control of their faculties had some meat on their bones. Not fat, just not ascetic.
I love food and love to cook and love knowing that I can orchestrate meals that are good for us.
I hope to convince my friend that good eating is good for him - and I may start with some of these recipes.
Sausage Gumbo
I know, that just sounds awful, but the lycopene in the tomatoes, cayenne and chili in the seasoning, and the general goodness of onions, peppers and celery are all good for a body.
1 bag cut okra or one pound fresh, cut into 1/2 slices
1 pound sausage links, country sausage preferably
1 red onion, diced
2 diced bell peppers
3 diced celery stalks
1 can chicken broth
2 32 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
9 tbl Wondra flour
7 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Seasoning: Chili powder, thyme, garlic salt, paprika, sage and a bit of cayenne - sea salt and ground pepper OR just get some good Creole seasoning, like Tony Cachere's and add to it.
Pour the oil in a big pot over medium high, add flour when the oil shimmers and begin whisking the flour into the oil. Make a nice roux, I've never had it take more than eight minutes of steady whisking when I use Wondra and olive oil.
Pour your diced trinity into the roux and stir to cover and cook for a minute, add the sausage, tomatoes and broth and stir again. Add enough water to cover everything and add an inch.
Now the waiting starts - simmer and stir, add Okra, then simmer and stir some more, then taste and season.
The gumbo should be done and delicious after an hour and is usually better the next day as the flavors love up on each other:)
Serve over Jasmine rice and feel good about eating good food that has lots in it that's good for you!
I just took a pot of this to my son and daughter-in-law this afternoon to keep them nourished as they celebrate their first week as parents. The scent of my gumbo gently re-heating on their stove wafted my way when I kissed my little grand-infant farewell.
I left knowing they would eat well and that my tiny Pixie infant would get the benefit of it later when her Mama nursed her.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuna Poke!
Tuna Poke, pronounced "Po-Kay," is a Hawaiian dish that I tasted at Cafe 30-A last Saturday night and decided that I had to learn to make!
I bought some sushi tuna from the sushi chef at Publix that he had packaged with toothpick cuts of cucumber and carrot for some thing or another (they won't just sell it to you), freshly picked oak leaf and frisee lettuce and had the rest at home.
If you try, you can buy good tomatoes out of season. The ones on the vine are good after a week on the counter - by the way, never refrigerate tomatoes unless you've cut them.
My attempt came out well but will be different next time. I had bought some pretty, picked-this-morning oak-leaf and frisse lettuce and used it as a base topped with thinly sliced ripe (really!) tomato, toothpick cucumber and carrot and then a timbale of the raw tuna in small chunks with diced avocado dressed in lime juice, sea salt and pepper.I made a dressing to dip into of good EVOO, parsley and lime juice with a splash of red wine vinegar.
There was just too much greenery and the whole dish was enough for two.
Next time, thinly sliced baby or English cucumber, sprinkled with sea salt and topped with thin slices of the tuna. Small dice of the tomato and avocado dressed with ground pepper, sea salt and lime juice along the side and a drip of good EVOO on the edge of the plate for the occasional dip.
That should work:)
I bought some sushi tuna from the sushi chef at Publix that he had packaged with toothpick cuts of cucumber and carrot for some thing or another (they won't just sell it to you), freshly picked oak leaf and frisee lettuce and had the rest at home.
If you try, you can buy good tomatoes out of season. The ones on the vine are good after a week on the counter - by the way, never refrigerate tomatoes unless you've cut them.
My attempt came out well but will be different next time. I had bought some pretty, picked-this-morning oak-leaf and frisse lettuce and used it as a base topped with thinly sliced ripe (really!) tomato, toothpick cucumber and carrot and then a timbale of the raw tuna in small chunks with diced avocado dressed in lime juice, sea salt and pepper.I made a dressing to dip into of good EVOO, parsley and lime juice with a splash of red wine vinegar.
There was just too much greenery and the whole dish was enough for two.
Next time, thinly sliced baby or English cucumber, sprinkled with sea salt and topped with thin slices of the tuna. Small dice of the tomato and avocado dressed with ground pepper, sea salt and lime juice along the side and a drip of good EVOO on the edge of the plate for the occasional dip.
That should work:)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
asses, elbows and longing
It is common for me to lose and/or forget passwords. It is also common for the retrieval process to frustrate my patience-deprived soul something fierce. I am always grateful that I have enough sense not to have to go around my ass to get to my elbow (as the saying goes) which does shorten the process a little.
My patience is especially short now because my Sweet Darling is several time zones and thousands of miles away.
I miss him not because of the big things, not for sex or the afternoon kiss hello and morning kiss goodbye; but the tiny things I can still see out of the corner of my eye.
I was setting a new frequency on my car radio and my mind unreeled an old movie of him setting all of the buttons on my '86 Fiero, those deft fingers dancing across the face of the tuner. He is so talented with those hands and fingers and agile mind that his engineering skills are in demand in places and circumstances far from our small town.
Back then watching him set those stations was like watching a concert pianist favor a child with a rendition of "Alley Cat" on a tiny spinette.
Carrot, our littlest kitten, likes to sit on Charlie and sharpen his claws on Charlie's jeans.
I was washing my face before bed the other night and heard the sound of claws on denim and my heart jumped for a moment - but no, Carrot had found a pair of mine to scratch. Another little thing, a vision of him stroking that tiny orange head and blue eyes meeting blue for a conversation on what a big boy Carrot is becoming.
I miss the sound of him breathing.
I was feeling very bereft yesterday since I had not heard from him in 24 hours. He'd been calling a few times a day until then but had left Honolulu for Midway and patchy communication opportunities. He called late today, almost 48 hours since the last time I'd heard his voice.
He was slightly out of breath; he'd had to ride a bike from the side of the island he was working on to the side that had communication capability. He was nearly giddy with exhaustion and happiness in the hobby that took him so far from me, that was the recreation to his vocation.
My happiness at his joy makes things bearable.
My patience is especially short now because my Sweet Darling is several time zones and thousands of miles away.
I miss him not because of the big things, not for sex or the afternoon kiss hello and morning kiss goodbye; but the tiny things I can still see out of the corner of my eye.
I was setting a new frequency on my car radio and my mind unreeled an old movie of him setting all of the buttons on my '86 Fiero, those deft fingers dancing across the face of the tuner. He is so talented with those hands and fingers and agile mind that his engineering skills are in demand in places and circumstances far from our small town.
Back then watching him set those stations was like watching a concert pianist favor a child with a rendition of "Alley Cat" on a tiny spinette.
Carrot, our littlest kitten, likes to sit on Charlie and sharpen his claws on Charlie's jeans.
I was washing my face before bed the other night and heard the sound of claws on denim and my heart jumped for a moment - but no, Carrot had found a pair of mine to scratch. Another little thing, a vision of him stroking that tiny orange head and blue eyes meeting blue for a conversation on what a big boy Carrot is becoming.
I miss the sound of him breathing.
I was feeling very bereft yesterday since I had not heard from him in 24 hours. He'd been calling a few times a day until then but had left Honolulu for Midway and patchy communication opportunities. He called late today, almost 48 hours since the last time I'd heard his voice.
He was slightly out of breath; he'd had to ride a bike from the side of the island he was working on to the side that had communication capability. He was nearly giddy with exhaustion and happiness in the hobby that took him so far from me, that was the recreation to his vocation.
My happiness at his joy makes things bearable.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Food, fragrances, and fall draws nigh
The temperature is no longer 80 degrees before nine am and I can walk from my office to the main campus (about 1/5 mile) without breaking a sweat. The heat that is in the air is no longer quite as liquid which makes things feel just a pinch cooler.
I went to one of those precious little stores that carries Vera Bradley and many other pretentious and unnecessary things to get a gift for a retiring colleague. There are always wonderful fragrances in these stores and my nose led me to India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily.
I am in love - even though I hate the name. It is beach sand between my toes, sun on skin, a lightly floral, citrus and green spicy-things smell.
The precious little store got more of my money than I had planned to spend:)
Last Saturday night was all about the kids' favorite restaurant and I wish I had eaten a bite of everyone's food and made notes right away! I was unimpressed with the truffled macaroni and cheese but the asparagus and onion cheese souffle was so good I had to figure out how to make it myself.
The recipe was not on line and I am not an experienced souffle maker, but I pulled it off with help from the Husband. I made the mistake of beating the egg whites by hand while my cheesy-yolky sauce needed stirring so he stirred while I beat.
We had the souffle with Spanish Soup (see July 18, 2009).
Asparagus/Onion Souffle, apologies to Cafe 30-A
1 cup of fresh asparagus, rinsed and snapped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup organic milk
6 tbl grated Swiss cheese
3 tbl butter
3 tbl Wondra
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
dash Worcestershire sauce
Paprika, Cayenne, dry mustard (about 1/4 tsp each)
Sea Salt, white pepper to taste
Sautee onion in about 1/2 tsp butter, set aside and allow to cool. Grease straight-sided 1.5 L Corning ware round casserole dish with butter. Nuke asparagus with a tsp of water for 45 seconds, drain any water off, all to cool.
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Once the onion and asparagus are cool, arrange in the bottom of souffle dish.
Melt the 3 tbl of butter on medium heat in a non-stick skillet, whisk in Wondra. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in milk and seasonings. Remove from heat.
Beat the egg whites, WITH A HAND MIXER, 'til stiff.
Return milk/butter mixture to heat, stir in egg yolks. Now it gets tricky. Fold the egg whites carefully and thoroughly into the mixture in the skillet, then pour into the souffle dish.
Put an inch of water into a 9x11 glass pan and sit the souffle dish inside, pop it into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool a little before serving; we loved it with soup but it would be good with a light salad too.
I went to one of those precious little stores that carries Vera Bradley and many other pretentious and unnecessary things to get a gift for a retiring colleague. There are always wonderful fragrances in these stores and my nose led me to India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily.
I am in love - even though I hate the name. It is beach sand between my toes, sun on skin, a lightly floral, citrus and green spicy-things smell.
The precious little store got more of my money than I had planned to spend:)
Last Saturday night was all about the kids' favorite restaurant and I wish I had eaten a bite of everyone's food and made notes right away! I was unimpressed with the truffled macaroni and cheese but the asparagus and onion cheese souffle was so good I had to figure out how to make it myself.
The recipe was not on line and I am not an experienced souffle maker, but I pulled it off with help from the Husband. I made the mistake of beating the egg whites by hand while my cheesy-yolky sauce needed stirring so he stirred while I beat.
We had the souffle with Spanish Soup (see July 18, 2009).
Asparagus/Onion Souffle, apologies to Cafe 30-A
1 cup of fresh asparagus, rinsed and snapped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup organic milk
6 tbl grated Swiss cheese
3 tbl butter
3 tbl Wondra
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
dash Worcestershire sauce
Paprika, Cayenne, dry mustard (about 1/4 tsp each)
Sea Salt, white pepper to taste
Sautee onion in about 1/2 tsp butter, set aside and allow to cool. Grease straight-sided 1.5 L Corning ware round casserole dish with butter. Nuke asparagus with a tsp of water for 45 seconds, drain any water off, all to cool.
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Once the onion and asparagus are cool, arrange in the bottom of souffle dish.
Melt the 3 tbl of butter on medium heat in a non-stick skillet, whisk in Wondra. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in milk and seasonings. Remove from heat.
Beat the egg whites, WITH A HAND MIXER, 'til stiff.
Return milk/butter mixture to heat, stir in egg yolks. Now it gets tricky. Fold the egg whites carefully and thoroughly into the mixture in the skillet, then pour into the souffle dish.
Put an inch of water into a 9x11 glass pan and sit the souffle dish inside, pop it into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool a little before serving; we loved it with soup but it would be good with a light salad too.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Summer winds down
Nice weekend but summer is ending and that saddens me. The only good thing about it is the change of foods available and the resultant menu options.
We spent this evening at the home of dear friends, floating in the salt water pool and eating far too much. I brought a very basic Queso dip with a twist that those of you preparing for tail-gate parties might want to consider.
We had eaten tacos the night before, I had had a craving:)
We had leftover taco seasoned meat, about 3/4 cup, that I had seasoned with Chili Powder, Season-all and a pinch of Cayenne. I mixed that with a can of Ro-Tel mild, 16 oz of Mexican Velveeta cut into cubes and zapped for five minutes in high - 2:30, stir , another 2:30 and done.
The neighbors got my mother's Peach Cobbler - a cup of SR flour, cup of sugar, cup of organic milk, tsp vanilla and about a cup and a half of freshly cut peaches mixed and poured into an 8x8 glass dish in which a stick of butter has been melted while pre-heating the oven to 350. Baked for about an hour and nummy!
We'll be going to Epcot's International Wine and Food Festival and that always gives me ideas but I have already started thinking of fall food.I want to find a way to make sweet potatoes into a more savory and less sweet dish and try to make my favorite snack (broccoli on triscuits with Swiss and sea salt and a 20 second zap) into a pretty side dish.
We spent this evening at the home of dear friends, floating in the salt water pool and eating far too much. I brought a very basic Queso dip with a twist that those of you preparing for tail-gate parties might want to consider.
We had eaten tacos the night before, I had had a craving:)
We had leftover taco seasoned meat, about 3/4 cup, that I had seasoned with Chili Powder, Season-all and a pinch of Cayenne. I mixed that with a can of Ro-Tel mild, 16 oz of Mexican Velveeta cut into cubes and zapped for five minutes in high - 2:30, stir , another 2:30 and done.
The neighbors got my mother's Peach Cobbler - a cup of SR flour, cup of sugar, cup of organic milk, tsp vanilla and about a cup and a half of freshly cut peaches mixed and poured into an 8x8 glass dish in which a stick of butter has been melted while pre-heating the oven to 350. Baked for about an hour and nummy!
We'll be going to Epcot's International Wine and Food Festival and that always gives me ideas but I have already started thinking of fall food.I want to find a way to make sweet potatoes into a more savory and less sweet dish and try to make my favorite snack (broccoli on triscuits with Swiss and sea salt and a 20 second zap) into a pretty side dish.
Monday, July 27, 2009
What Makes Us "Us?"
Last Thursday my Darling and I drove south to Cape Canaveral for a short vacation and to attend a party with some people I only know on line.
Before that strikes you as totally odd, compare it to meeting people at a Sci-Fi Convention or book convention that you've only known through your list-serv. Same thing. We started by sharing an affection for a radio show out of Orlando and ended up liking each other for who we are.
The Darling and I touristed around a bit before the day of the party and generally enjoyed one another's company. On the night before the event I executed what I thought (at the time) to be a good plan - shower, exfoliate, moisturize and have Darling apply fake tan to my white person. After all, brown fat looks better than white fat, right?
I was browny-orange the next morning. Browny-orange, overweight and only know two people who will be at the party and met them just the day before. Of course, I knew them on line so I'd be OK, right?
This is when I knew that I had finally grown into the me I am supposed to be. I was "Ok" with it. With streaky orangey-browny fat, jello shooters that splashed out of their cups and into the trays that held them, making a salad in a hotel room, showing up at a party of sixty-plus people, I was OK. I've finally reached that place where I can see my flaws and foibles clearly and not allow them to cover me with embarrassment.
I had to take off the shirt I'd bought as a swimsuit cover because my fake tan was sweating off into it, leaving browny-orange horizontal streaks on its pretty lime sherbet surface. I bounced my plump patoot through the party , talking and laughing, riding on a boat and jumping into the Atlantic, cooling down in an inflatable kiddy pool, kissing my husband often and hugging old friends who were new faces.
All the while I didn't worry about the 'outer me' others saw. I laughed at my orange streaks, rinsed out my shirt, gave my skin a scrub before immersion into the kiddy pool to avoid polluting the waters, and talked to people who were all beautiful to me. I could see what made them who they were without giving much credence to what their appearances "said."
Their voices were the reflection of the people they were in the little world we cohabit because of our hobby.
Although I won't be able to think of Christine and Molly without thinking of halos of red or blond cherub-curls framing dancing eyes, or Mo without her tilted teal eyes, if I had to paint them the resultant pictures would be swirls of color that spoke of their souls. Billy would be the shape of swirling, high clouds and the blue he loves to fly through.
Being totally comfortable in my own skin - flaws and all - just ONE advantage to aging.
Before that strikes you as totally odd, compare it to meeting people at a Sci-Fi Convention or book convention that you've only known through your list-serv. Same thing. We started by sharing an affection for a radio show out of Orlando and ended up liking each other for who we are.
The Darling and I touristed around a bit before the day of the party and generally enjoyed one another's company. On the night before the event I executed what I thought (at the time) to be a good plan - shower, exfoliate, moisturize and have Darling apply fake tan to my white person. After all, brown fat looks better than white fat, right?
I was browny-orange the next morning. Browny-orange, overweight and only know two people who will be at the party and met them just the day before. Of course, I knew them on line so I'd be OK, right?
This is when I knew that I had finally grown into the me I am supposed to be. I was "Ok" with it. With streaky orangey-browny fat, jello shooters that splashed out of their cups and into the trays that held them, making a salad in a hotel room, showing up at a party of sixty-plus people, I was OK. I've finally reached that place where I can see my flaws and foibles clearly and not allow them to cover me with embarrassment.
I had to take off the shirt I'd bought as a swimsuit cover because my fake tan was sweating off into it, leaving browny-orange horizontal streaks on its pretty lime sherbet surface. I bounced my plump patoot through the party , talking and laughing, riding on a boat and jumping into the Atlantic, cooling down in an inflatable kiddy pool, kissing my husband often and hugging old friends who were new faces.
All the while I didn't worry about the 'outer me' others saw. I laughed at my orange streaks, rinsed out my shirt, gave my skin a scrub before immersion into the kiddy pool to avoid polluting the waters, and talked to people who were all beautiful to me. I could see what made them who they were without giving much credence to what their appearances "said."
Their voices were the reflection of the people they were in the little world we cohabit because of our hobby.
Although I won't be able to think of Christine and Molly without thinking of halos of red or blond cherub-curls framing dancing eyes, or Mo without her tilted teal eyes, if I had to paint them the resultant pictures would be swirls of color that spoke of their souls. Billy would be the shape of swirling, high clouds and the blue he loves to fly through.
Being totally comfortable in my own skin - flaws and all - just ONE advantage to aging.
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