Living Graciously in 3/4 Time

Lazy day.....with plans.

2011-08-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today is laundry day, which means I watch trash TV while I'm folding clothes. I mean REAL trash....E Behind the Story (Snooki), ICE T Loves Coco, and then when I'm thoroughly disgusted with myself, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I'll need a shower after this.

While waiting for the next load to finish, I've been looking at real estate and decorating ideas. Because besides loving to look at houses that are MUCH more organized than mine, I'm starting to gear myself up for a move. I've lived in my house for 15 years and, even though I made it mine, it was never the house "my house". My ex picked the house based purely on base price - it was a mess. We were in that unenviable position of having to make a fast decision, and talked me into promising me we'd fix it all up. Well, Murphy's Law, we split up less than two years later and I've had to do it on my own. I'm not bitching, I made it work and it more than fit my needs for the years I lived here - it provided a good home for my kids and I was able to take care of my mom here before her passing. But now, it's time to move on. I'll write more about where I'm going next post, right now it's fantasy looking.

My youngest is moving into her senior year of high school, and once she finishes, I want to be ready to go. With this market, I'm not sure when to put it on, but first I have to get serious about paring down and organizing.

I need a wife........

The Help and some help for me.

2011-07-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. I'm sure that anyone who ever followed me is long gone now. But, I'm picking up this blog again. For no other reason than, I need the outlet to write as I like - and because I've noticed that many of the blogs I used to love to read have disappeared. I need the written word. To create - I write for a living, but it's forced into very strict guidelines and the real "me" often cannot be seen in it's pages. Besides, it's technical and as much as those who know me might disagree, I'm not really a geek.

Why did I go away? Living sped up even more. Unfortunately, loss was the overriding theme.

In the last two years, I lost my mother after a long illness, was forced from a long time relationship (something I thought was a great loss at the time) and less than a month ago lost my oldest sister. To say I've been spinning like a pinball at the hands of a particularly good player would be putting it mildly. I often thought about writing while all of this was going on, but in reality I was hunkered down. I marked a successful day as one I got through. I wouldn't describe my coping skills as ones to be recommended. I insulated and medicated far more than necessary. I shut out most of my friends and acquaintances. My ability to laugh was sorely compromised. I comfort shopped. In short, I was a textbook case for what NOT to do. The only thing I can say is I survived - worse for wear, but I survived. My kids didn't suffer at the hands of my craziness - I managed to keep my job.

Now, I think I may be starting to cross over to the other side "Attraversiamo" Liz's word from Eat, Pray, Love. Ok, it's hokey, but I really identify with her. If I've not crossed over, I'm at least preparing for the next steps.....weigh loss surgery, de-cluttering my life and getting rid of the house I've hated for 16 years to move south to place that I choose and a lifestyle that will finally be of my choosing. I will be 50 years old next year - it's about time.

I will write about them here - when I can and I am setting myself the discipline of writing for ME at least once a week. For a long time I looked at writing in my blog as a busman's holiday. You know, when the bus driver goes on vacation, the last thing he wants to do is drive. But now I'm slowly starting to realize that I'm having thoughts that I want to share and for the first time I don't care if they're hokey, I don't care if I'm judged, I just want to get them out. I find that this starts when I read books that excite me. I may not have the fiction bug (yet), but I love the written word.

When was the last time you liked a book so much that you reread it? Not a year later, not 5 years later, but within a month? The first time you cannot put the book down, speeding through to find out what happens (at least that is what I do), yet still feel satisfied by the story? I have a list of books that I reread from time to time for the pure satisfaction of them:
1. The YaYa books,
2. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series,
3. Tales of the City,
4. To Kill a Mockingbird,
5. Ernest Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises).
6. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
7. The Daniel Silva Gabriel Allon Series
8. The Basketball Diaries
9. We Were Just Kids ..Patty Smith
10.......and yeah, Eat Pray Love

I think that "the Help" will be added to this list now, too. I initially resisted it because the book jacket mentioned the Oprah book club and I normally avoid those books like the plague. I'm no fan of Sophie Kinsella or other "chick lit" books. They're not poorly written, but just not my preference. The Help however, has a healthy dose of great characters, a storyline that captures you and writing that allows you visualize the story as though you were a fly on the wall. I love that kind book. I know when a book makes my "reread" list when it makes me want to tell a story, maybe my story, too.

Hopefully heading home

2010-12-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

I wrapped up several days worth of meetings in Barcelona - still sick, but got to see the Gaudi Cathedral, stroll a little along the Diagonal, but then headed back to the hotel to sleep it off. I'm headed home tomorrow, if weather in Frankfurt works with me. Will post pictures when I return.

What will 2011 hold for you?

2010-12-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking quite a bit about the next chapter of my life. I have a job that I do enjoy and with luck I'll be doing this for a while (even though it burns you to the ground at times), but it doesn't stop me from thinking about the quality of my life going forward. If I did nothing, I'd blessed to say I have great quality of life, however, it's really the fact that I have the means to keep the wheels running without having to sell of children, possessions or pets.

What I'm really thinking about is what will I DO in 2011 to enrich my life and those of others around me? Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna lose weight middle age and sedintary living has put me over the last five years (with help). I've been folding healthier eating in for the last six months so that helps....but all of that is prescriptive for physical health (no small task - still grimmacing in the mirror in the morning, mind you).

I'm talking more about spiritual, emotional and FUN for 2011. We've all been carrying the rock in one way or another. I'm thinking that there are graces in life that in all of our speed we have just dropped like hot potatoes. It's been nagging at the back of my mind for some time now, but I think it may just be time to start doing something about it. It may be faintly hipster for an old girl like me, but I want to get my hands into more of my life - you know?

Some ideas that I'm tossing out -

* letter writing on honest to God stationary (and not that cutey preppy shit) with a group of friends that I know would like to argue and discuss various subjects (Yes, Carl, I plan on tapping you)
* learning to do something that has no technology involved (think about it - everyting does today)
* guitar
* Language or Landscaping (I'm open)
* getting my friends off their asses to do museum runs or theater or something of that nature...it's time to embrace our early tour guides..............

We've all been working so much without time for ourselves....and time is passing too quickly.

From The Annals Of Chutzpah - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

2010-11-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

From The Annals Of Chutzpah - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Ok, this made me shake my head - I think I need to go lay down...

Anyone still there?

2010-11-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, I fell off the face of the earth - fell flat on my face a few times (literally)...fell into traveling way too much (mucho mileage), fell out of a relationship and trying to manage a few kick you in the gut health issues, so I just went MIA...testing to see if I want to come back. There is much changing in my life, and wondering if this outlet is still pertinent for me.

Never First to the Table…..

2010-01-12T17:15:00.001-08:00

What are your harmless obsessions? I have so many, I wonder if it’s possible to count them. If if it’s something I want on a regular basis, I count it as an obsession. If I’m the only one that is affected by it, then to me, it’s harmless. Today, I indulged in a few. I’ve been slaving over a white paper and while I know what I want to say, getting it out has been akin to having teeth pulled without Novocain. When that is the case, I do indulge. Now, in the past, the indulgence would have including a chicken wing or 10, but I’m trying not to go down that route. Today, it’s much more mundane and just a wee bit healthier, but definitely not cooler.

I was at the epitome of cool when I shut down on television. Seriously, I had the toys, but the only TV I watched were old movies – I had TCM, Retroplex and Netflix on speed channel selection and web selection. Other than perhaps MSNBC or looking for school closings, the only current TV I watched was the Daily Show with the kids.

Then…my downfall. I spent the the Thanksgiving holiday with my big sister and in the process got HOOKED on NCIS…..a show that I laughed at before. Now – I can’t stay away. I love this show – watch the reruns and won’t move on a Tuesday night. I wish I had done this when the thing first came on, so that I could be over it by now. The only really unhealthy thing that still accompanies this is that I really like a Gimlet while I watch it…..

And the beat goes on……

2010-01-08T08:21:00.001-08:00

I received a Wii and a WiiFitPlus for Christmas. I have been diligently doing my 30 minutes plus each day (except for the days that I haven’t been home). It’s fun, but boy, there are few things that drive me crazy:

1. The scale is way off – while I love what it says, it’s about five pounds lighter than my hi-tech bathroom scale (which is still in shock from being stepped on for the first time in oh, A YEAR).

2. The awful “ooooh” or grunting noise that it makes when you step on it. Yeah, that’s really motivating.

3. You can build a program with yoga and strength but not with aerobics, what’s with that??

4. I am so white that even the Wii disparages my lack of rhythm.

Are you having a love/hate relationship with your Wii?

Knock…..knock…..anyone still here?

2010-01-05T06:52:00.001-08:00

As 2009 closed and 2010 slid into place, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do in the new year. Now that Mom has passed away, I can finally take more time for me. So, instead of resolutions that are only going to be ignored or broken, I started to make a list of things that I wanted to do for myself this year. Apart from the obvious – drop XX pounds (which I am FINALLY going to address this year), and be a better analyst, I have decided to focus more on what gives me a sense of self:

1. Getting the house finished – new stove, new entry and floors, refinish the old floors and as much bathroom redo as I am willing to fund – and to do more of it myself, not just open my pocketbook.

2. Getting back into what I love to do outdoors, mainly, golf and gardening. I’d also like to add photography to that list.

3. Biking – not long haul stuff, but just not going for the car as the first mode of travel for a quick trip to the store.

4. Relationship stuff – mainly get my head out of my ass and be more social.

5. Blog. I miss it and really want to get back to writing for the sake of writing again. I’ve been reading Michael Palin’s first edition of his diaries and it sparked memories of what I loved about journaling.

I don’t know if anyone still reads this blog, I suspect they don’t, but I have decided that it’s time to start writing again. If you’re there, thank you for being patient. If I’m only writing for myself, well, that’s okay too. This I’m doing for me.

Insomnia....What a Bitch

2009-08-15T08:57:00.001-07:00

What is it with insomnia? All I know is that it tends to run in my family - on the female side of the family. We could motor along all day, get bone tired, but as soon as we're prone in the bed, BAM, we're wide awake. I just don't get it. I had a quiet Friday night, hadn't been feeling too well, so I was looking forward to watching some bad TV - yes, I wanted to watch "17 Again" without my 15 year old making fun of my cougarish crush on Zac Efron (it's a car crash, what can I say?). I snuggled onto the couch with a comfy pillow and a cozy throw, cougared to my hearts content and felt good and sleepy by the end of the flick. I made my way up to my bedroom:

Extremely comfy bed with crisp pink sheets and soft white coverlet - CHECK
Neck pillow that looks weird, but keeps me from waking up with a crick in my neck - CHECK
Icky new age music that is guaranteed to knock me out - CHECK
Small furry cat that does the happy dance whenever he thinks I'm going up to bed now - CHECK
Ceiling fan on to make lovely cool breeze over me - CHECK
Two "simply sleep" caps to act as a sledgehammer to one's head - CHECK

Outcome? Two hours of tossing and turning that was so bad that the cat was swatting me to keep still. I gave up, went downstairs, tried to reenact the cozy couch snuggle - no good. I felt "dry". I got up, applied body oil to my entire body and tried again. No dice. Walked around the house and cried a little - all that did was make me feel stupid, so I found "Immortal Beloved" on ON Demand and watched that...I think Beethoven did the trick because, then, as the light began to peek between the blinds on my sunroom, I drifted off...only to be woken up by some religious zealot knocking on the door wanting to save me at 9:30AM. Swinging open the door, snarling and looking like the ugly Medusa sister - she reeled back, scattering fire and brimstone pamphlets all over my front porch and took off muttering what had to be some either sort of prayer or some sort of curse about why SHE was the one to get all the wackos..... I trudged off to inject caffeine (okay, make a pot of French Press) and try to get started on what is already a waste of a day. I know that come three o'clock in the afternoon I'll drop like a stone and repeat said incident minus Zac Efron and crazy religious zealot (or maybe she'll come back with reinforcements).... Insomnia....what a bitch.

Weekend Wrap Up

2009-08-10T15:28:00.001-07:00

I helped to stimulate the economy, support artists and local artisans and Meryl Streep, not that she needs it from me. Saturday, R and I wandered through the Collingswood Arts Festival. We bought some soaps and essential oils, some great photographs, including this one by Dan Westfall:

Apennine mountain god, Florence Italy

I also bought R some stuff by Ann-Made Art who makes recycled jewelry - a portion of the sale goes to The Alliance For Climate Protection. She got:

and a really cute necklace that unfortunately is not on the website.

After a quick dinner at home, we went to the movies to see Julie/Julia. Meryl was simply fantastic. She chewed the scenery unmercifully, but it was perfect for the part. R and I laughed out loud through most of it..if she doesn't get a nomination, there is no justice in Hollywood.

On Sunday, the kids were sick of me (after breakfast at the diner), so I took off for the Garden State Wine Growers Association's Jersey Fresh wine festival - over 20 vineyards and good food. I talked with my old boss at Amalthea Cellars (I had taken a sabbatical) about going back on a reduced schedule so that I can balance everything. I forgot how much I missed pouring tastings for customers and doing food pairings. It was 92 degrees and humid as hell....it made for everyone to be slightly loopy and happy...happy enough to buy a case of wine that I didn't need! *lol*

I crashed like a rock Sunday night..needless to say.

Signs of Life.....

2009-08-09T07:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't shut down the blog. Life just got too overwhelming - rather one life going away got too overwhelming and posting became secondary. My mom passed away. She had been declining for some time and yes, there were times when we all wished it would just happen THEN and THERE, but when the time came - she made the decision and went out on her own terms. My mom was a fighter - anyone who knew her could attest to that. She took all the considerable crap life through at her and managed through. She would drive her daughters crazy with her narcissistic side (because she could), but to everyone else, she was life itself, warm, caring, thoughtful and funny....the thoughtful and funny she showed to us many, many times. Because of her, I became a much stronger woman than she thought she was. Because of her, my daughter is a confident, lovely, well spoken and caring young woman, because to my mom, she was the sun and moon and stars.

When it was apparent that Mom was not going pull through this latest bout (broken pelvis and another stroke - girls, take your calcium, I have seen what osteoporosis can do to a woman), the thought of having no control over her body was enough. My mother made the decision to stop her dialysis and let nature take its course. That was the hardest thing to watch and yet it was the most courageous thing I had ever seen. She looked up and said, "I'm not a chicken, I'm not a chicken" to which the nurse sitting with her began to cry and told her that she was the bravest person on that floor (ICU), she was one of the bravest women she had every met. My mom had that effect on people.

During Mom's stay at hospice, the staff was wonderful, they loved her, and most importantly, friends and family, some of whom she had not seen in 10 years came to see her - she was surrounded by love and she died peacefully, and in my arms.

When it came time for the service - Mom requested no service and a simple cremation. We could not obey the no service part. We knew that she requested that because she thought no one would care enough to come. She was wrong. People came and it was a celebration of her life and her love for everyone in that room. We told stories and laughed and cried. It was beautiful. Back at the house, people stayed and stayed. We all knew there was something special there...and no one was quite ready to let her go.

In the month since that time, we've slowly been distributing her things to people who needed them, she would have wanted it that way. Everyone was so wonderful and appreciative and I can never thank anyone enough - it brought a distant family back together. I can never thank her enough for what see gave me. I love you, Mom. I never said it enough, but I will say it more now and continue to say it for the rest of my life.

Mom and Rachel at Mom's 80th Birthday Party

More regular posts to follow...I promise - for anyone who is still reading this blog....

odds n ends....

2009-06-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

Flying to Berlin Germany today - so hearing about the Air France crash was not cool. My flight is horribly overbooked, but Debbie at Newark's President's Club was an angel and nabbed me an aisle seat....if I have to take one gin to a desert island, it would still be Beefeater's...anyone know a decent restaurant in Berlin??? I love mobile blogging.

Director Crush

2009-05-13T16:46:00.001-07:00

Do you have a favorite director? When you see that his/her films are coming out (or on TV), you make time to watch? My director crush is Sidney Pollack. Apart from the fact that there is a part of me that found him attractive (that cute intellectual Jewish guy look), I just LOVED his movies. How could you not - especially if you're into man/woman relationship movies? For example:

The Way We Were
Out of Africa
Tootsie
Bobby Deerfield
Sabrina
The Electric Horseman
The Swimmer
Absence of Malice
Jeremiah Johnson
They Shoot Horses Don't They?
The Natural

He was so great....

There was an episode of the Directors about Sidney and then they showed the Natural - I just had to post.

Who is your favorite movie director?

An Education

2009-05-08T17:05:00.001-07:00

Tonight is one of those wonderful nights where I get to hang with my teenagers and they're not incredibly sullen. We had a great dinner (lamb steaks in a sherry reduction, yellow rice and sautéed kale), a 2002 Rioja reserve - for me, okay???) and actual conversation. I dropped my son off to his Spanner meeting and my daughter and I are listening to Lastfm.com - it plays songs based upon your selections - tonight we're going from Led Zeppelin to Ricki Lee Jones to Grand Funk to James Taylor to Walter Becker and Dionne Warwick- while chatting about her band. The neighbor's kids are wandering in and out,their parents may wander over later to help me finish the Rioja. This is the Friday night I love and crave - relaxed, chatty and fun. I was a big 70's music fan (having grown up and come of age in the 70s) and sitting here and listening to it with my kids brings a whole new appreciation. They ask what I was doing when these songs were popular (as overly honest as I am, I do censor a thing or two), and more importantly, where was my head when these songs were all so important. It actually gives me a little more perspective on their likes, dislikes and challenges. Sometimes it's a pain in the ass to parent teenagers, sometimes it reminds you why you went down this journey in the first place. Today is most cool.

Help me!!!

2009-05-08T09:33:00.001-07:00

I'm carbbing and I can't give up.... about once a month I go on a bread kick (translates into three slices of bread in a day when I might eat one and a handful of tortilla chips. How do I avoid this??

An aching back, sore feet and purple hands....what a wonderful day!

2009-04-25T20:09:00.001-07:00

Today we bottled a new Bordeaux blend at Amalthea; Europa VII, 33% Cab Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 33% Cab Franc. This has been in the barrel since 2007 - Licorice, plum and black cherry on the nose, it will be a powerhouse. We bottled 130 cases - give or take. Because we're such a small winery, everything is done by hand. Basically, we form a line, hook up the pump to a dispensing mechanism that fills 4 bottles at a time, and corking machine, (both of which have wonderful French names and writing on them, but don't ask me). The dispenser is calibrated by the bottle size. One person hands over 4 empty bottles for hooking up on the dispenser, and as they are filled, they are handed to the person manning the corker, then over to the wipers who wipe off any excess wine and pack them in the cases. I was a wiper today. By the end of the tasks, my hands were purple!

It was hot as Hades today and I was glad to be in the cellar where its always cool. What I really liked best was being part of something that will eventually become a work of art to be enjoyed with friends over a wonderful dinner. We took turns figuring out what this wine will eventually pair well with.

BTW - we got a profile in the Newark Star Ledger!1 http://www.nj.com/insidejersey/index.ssf/2009/04/vintage_jersey.html

Upstairs in the tasting room, it's been so much fun to see how the current vintages are evolving. The Merlot is just perfect, forming nice, spicy notes and a little leather and clove in the bouquet. The Cab Franc is at the mellow stage, nice balance of spice and strawberry. The Cab Franc Reserve continues to mature into one of the best Francs I've had....tons of strawberry and rhubarb with a slight spice just starting to develop (and this one is still a baby, only two months in the bottle - just wait until next year!). The Cab Sauvignon is all red raspberry, bright and fruit forward, but subtle. The Europa IV - 66% Cab Franc and 34% - has turned the corner and is ripening into what will be a wonderful vintage.

I was so beat when I got home, it was all I could do to throw together dinner, but I managed to grill steaks. I took Cindy's suggestion at Figs, Lavender and Cheese and put a smoked paprika rub on a couple of T-bones and grilled them, serving them with brown rice and steamed green beans. I paired it with a 2002 Llewelling Cab...perfect age, and mellow, raspberry, black cherry and tobacco......yum.

I'm catching up on old movies on TMC - a good night :)

Lazy Friday Night...and Shrimp Mediterranean

2009-04-10T17:12:00.001-07:00

The kids are at their father's, my brain was full from a hectic week from work, so when Friday rolled around, I knew I needed a quiet night and a little cooking to chill me out. I poured a sherry fino (Thanks to my friend Paul for turning me back on to this wonderful stuff!) and started to make dinner. I had seen a recipe for Baked Shrimp with Feta on Simplyrecipes.com, and knew that was what I had to have. I opened a lovely Pinot Grigio (small Italian vineyard) and cut a slice of crusty Italian bread - it was heaven!

I Have NOT Fallen Off The Face Of The Earth.....(it just looks that way)

2009-04-07T06:55:00.001-07:00

I work in a business that is a quarter by quarter race and our end of quarter was just insane. This quarter is off with a bang, so the daily pace hasn't slowed a bit. The winery has been super busy as well - I was in the fields stripping vines, which entails following the winemaker as he prunes the vines and pulling all of the cuttings off the wires so that they can be picked up by the tractor. If not there, then pouring tastings, stacking glasses and preparing to bottle. Forget about picking up a golf club, or even getting to the gym. I need a weekend to sleep and better calendar management ;-)

More when I have time...I have LOTS of recipes to share...

I Love Facebook....

2009-03-20T19:55:00.001-07:00

Why? Because I can keep in touch in with old friends. I used to work for the world's greatest research firm - unfortunately it was not a money making model and we got acquired by a much more successful organization. It's a great gig - believe me. I had to leave and come back to realize it. Still, the friends that I made at the old company have turned out to be some of the most cherished that I have. We may only see each other occasionally, but when we do, the years fall away.

Anyway....back to Facebook - the best part of this is that we stay in touch via Facebook - we were and are, a force of geeks and Facebook works for us. We can keep tabs on each other...and because of this, I was able to connect with my pal Paul, whom I adore, to let him know that I'll be in his neck of the woods for a business trip. Paul, because of the ease that Facebook allows, (or they may actually TALK to each other, but I can keep with my train of thought) Paul to reach out to one of my all time favorite guys Slaby, to get together and have dinner at a wonderful Boston tapas place. Isn't technology a wonderful thing?? This will make my whole trip :)

Weekend Recap

2009-03-16T17:14:00.001-07:00

I'm suffering from anti-camera-itis. Not sure why, I just forget to dig the camera out. The weekend was pretty quiet. R was due to have a sleep-over Friday night and one of her guests was grounded Friday afternoon, so that shot that. To make her feel better I made her a special wild mushroom and truffle pizza. It was gorgeous and tasted great - do you think I remembered to take a picture of it? NO!!!!! Simple recipe - roll out some frozen pizza dough (after it's thawed - obviously), brush with a little truffle oil. I buy mine from this local purveyor, JD Gourmet and it's pungent as all get out. Saute wild mushrooms, shallot and baby bellas in a little olive oil and butter. Spread over the dough, add shredded mozzarella and drizzle white truffle oil over top. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes and you're in heaven.

Saturday I had to run errands, get the car fixed and see my mom for a bit. The kids built my latest addition to the wine rack while I made dinner - can't even remember what it was now... Watched the Graduate and fell asleep on the couch.

Sunday, went into the winery and Louis told me I was ready to give tasting's. I did okay, still need to remember a lot more, but it was fun. The 06 Cabernet Reserve is drinking so well right now - smooth, full with nice berry and some plum, not the least bit tannic...it's drinking more like a Bordeaux than a straight cab. The 06 Chardonnay has turned the curve, it's getting more golden and is becoming more buttery than ever. All I can say is WOW. While we have a loyal following, this place is the best kept secret in NJ!

After we closed, Louis' mom made us some incredible pasta fagiole which we happily paired with the Cab Reserve. She's a lovely lady and my co-worker and I had a wonderful time eating and laughing with her in the kitchen of the tavern. A great ending to the day.

It never fails to amaze me....

2009-03-12T19:28:00.001-07:00

....When I hear from someone that they read my blog. I don't get a lot of comments, so in my mind, I have maybe a half a dozen pleasant, faithful souls who humor me and read my ramblings, but once in a while, there are a few things that make you realize you are out there far more than you realize. For example, I logged into my gmail account the the other day and received a lovely email from my favorite wine merchant - Mr David Moore of Moore Brothers wine shop. I had mentioned that I stopped into Moore Brothers to pick up some Chinon Cab Franc after visiting my mom in the hospital. Mr. Moore wrote that he appreciated the reference and that their thoughts were with me. I would recommend Moore Brothers (and have, many, many times) to anyone who loves and appreciates fine wines - but this small note, makes me appreciate them even more. If you are in the Philadelphia metro area, the Wilmington area or in NYC, go immediately to this wine shop - it is an education, an experience and an all around great place to experience wonderful wines that you may not see every day.

If that email were not enough, I was chatting with my old boss today who mentioned that my blog was enough to make him want to become a chef - and a Facebook comment also mentioned my blog. It warms the heart - I appreciate all of this so much. It's my passion and my joy and I'd write it even if no one read it, but c'mon folks, comment!

Look at what I woke up to this morning

2009-03-12T08:43:00.001-07:00

Plotting world dominance, no doubt.......if they ever decide to get up.....

A Discussion of Soups.....

2009-03-09T10:47:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine was disheartened to learn that Campbell's Tomato Soup, a favorite since childhood was full of corn syrup. So upset that he Twittered it. Of course a ton of us responded with well, of course it is - tomato soup isn't sweet...and several of us responded with recipes for a homemade version. I sent a Tuscan version that I loved - found it online somewhere and have been using it for a couple of years now:

2lbs tomatoes – use plum in the winter when the seasonal ones aren’t available (I've even used canned San Marzano tomatoes in a pinch)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (you will need more for serving)

2 large cloves of garlic – minced

6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Fresh basil leaves shredded for garnish (to taste)

3 cups of stale Italian bread cubed. (if you don’t’ have stale bread – which I always do, we don’t eat it fast enough – toast some in the oven until dry and hard)

Blanch the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of ice water. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and discard skins. Cut cross wise and seed with your thumb. Place the tomatoes and seed in a sieve and drain. Scrape the seeds against the sieve to extract as much of the juice as possible.

Heat oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat – add garlic and sauté until just fragrant – don’t let it brown! Add tomatoes and juices and the bread. Sauté until the bread has softened – should take a few minutes. Add stock, heat until boiling, then reduce to a simmer until the bread breaks down and the soup is thick. You may have to use a hand blender to smooth it all the way out. Taste and adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and add basil and drizzle with olive oil.

This got me looking at soups - I want to avoid the processed stuff as much as possible and besides, for the most part, canned soup is awful. To me, any weather is soup weather, but when it gets warmer, I look to lighter soups - a good thing too, because the weather here is starting to lighten up. I'm letting the kitties back out on the porch, which makes them happy as clams.

This past Saturday, I decided to make a lighter version of minestrone soup that I found in Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food (If you don't own it, go.buy.it.now. You won't be sorry). It's not that heavy gloppy soup that minestrone's often become; she had recipes for every season and because it was a warm day I chose the lighter option. It is such a simple and soothing soup. Yes, it took some work, chopping the veggies to a similar size, but the outcome was well worth it.

Alice Waters' Minestrone Soup

I c. Cannellini beans (Alice, being Alice recommended fresh which had to be soaked overnight and cooked separately - I didn't have any, and so I used canned organic - worked just fine)

1/4 c. olive oil (don't skimp here, it's critical to the richness and the lightness of the soup)

1 large onion finely chopped

2 carrots peeled and finely chopped (I also threw in a good sized parsnip too)

2 celery stalks, diced.

4 garlic cloves coarsely chopped

5 thyme sprigs (leave whole)

1 bay leaf

2 tsp of salt (again, don't skimp here)

3 cups of water (because I added extra veggies, I used 3 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of vegetable stock - you may need more - use your eyes to gauge it)

1 small leek diced (I had a medium/large leek and love leek, so I used it)

2 medium zucchini (I used a milder form of zucchini - I'm not a fan of the green zucchini)

2 medium tomatoes peeled seeded and chopped (I used the equivalent of grape tomatoes which I sliced - no peeling or seeding)

2 cups spinach coarsely chopped (left this out, too - the cupboard was bare!)

Heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, celery - cook for 15 minutes until tender - don't be tempted to do this over higher heat to speed up the process, you want to really sweat the vegetables.

Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf and salt and cook for another five minutes. Then add the stock/water and bring to a boil - I added the 3 cups and realized I needed more, so added about 1 1/2 cups of water. When the liquid is boiling, add the leeks. Cook for five minutes, then add the zucchini and the tomato. Taste for salt.

Drain the beans and rinse if you are using canned then add to the soup. I also cooked about a cup of whole wheat pasta separately and added that too. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Add a ladle or two of the pasta water if you need more liquid.

Ladle into bowls and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese over top.

Let the Pairings Begin...

2009-03-06T17:55:00.001-08:00

I have been given a task to start building tasting menus for Louis to begin pitching our wine/dinner pairings. This clues me in a a couple of things.

1. I have to build up my cellar a bit

2. I have to invite people over for dinner as I begin to plan pairings.

Before that can happen, I have to do some homework - which I started this week. I'm working on the triangulations of flavors. Those that know me well may scratch their heads and think, "Hmmm, now I've NEVER heard that word come out of Margo's mouth", and they'd be right. I don't mean to make this sound complicated - because I always believe that one should go with your gut, but I need to have the gut feel in the back pocket and the next level of more subtle matches. For example - I love duck with plum sauce. Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural blend with duck - both are hearty, but plums are a better match with merlot (and its plummy flavors)than a cab, which will overwhelm the plum. Duck L'Orange will stand up to a Cab, but a berry or a plum sauce won't. Hence triangulations.

I've been putting flavor mixes and trying to come up with matches, specifically, matches with Amalthea's wines. As I build my stores, I will put together more recipes, but to hone my taste, I'm working with both Amalthea wines and what I have in house. For example - tonight, after a long week(lots of work, ex giving my daughter a hard time about a band rehearsal, mom in the nursing home, etc), I decide to treat myself to dinner.

I didn't want to eat out, I'd been working in my sweats all day with a baseball hat on my head and wasn't motivated enough to change. So I decided to leverage the vegetables in the freezer. I've been pouring over Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food, and decided to make her version of Mushroom Ragu. Most ragu's that I've seen are very heavy on the tomato; Waters' recipe is more like a mushroom bolognese. It's a simple (pardon the pun) recipe and incredibly rich and delicious. Waters calls for heavy creme or creme fraiche, but I substituted half and half - it didn't hurt it at all. it was fabulous. I had also picked up some broccoli rabe and some beets at the market - I parboiled the rabe and the beet greens, then did a light saute with some garlic, olive oil and beef stock. It was wonderful and hearty - I put a dollop of greens on top of the dish. It was comforting and not too heavy.

I paired the dish with a cabernet sauvignon -

in this case, a Chilean cab that came in my wine club selection. The heartiness of the cab, marries well with the earthiness of the mushrooms and cuts through the creaminess that is the background of the sauce. A great way to spend a Friday evening.

Snow Day....

2009-03-02T19:17:00.001-08:00

We spent the day, not so snowed in. Yes, we got a good 8 inches of snow, and because of that it was a lazyish sort of day. The teens in their sweats watching bad TV, and me in my sweats working in the living room. I go the kids to shovel most of the walkway (if not my car). After the kids shoveled the walk and the drive, I made hot chocolate (cinnamon, hint of chili pepper) and lunch. Back to work for a few hours. Made a chicken shepherd's pie with carrots, turnips and bacon ( I will NEVER be a size 6 again, hell, 8 is a distant memory). This was a total throw together and it turned out great! For the real job, I managed to push out the outline for a webinar, answer a bunch of inquiries and started to outline a speech for March. I love this job - the wine is a love thaaang. If I could make money from the "mistress" my life would shift...;-)

I've been reading up on viticulture and starting to figure out my pairing menus. I'm starting to set up tasting nights. I'm lucky enough to have a pretty extensive cellar right now and can start tasting. I think I'll invite a few friends over for a more formal testing to take notes and start working out some pairings.

A Labor of Love.....

2009-03-01T16:42:00.001-08:00

I started working today at Amalthea Cellars vineyard. I've visited the place many times and always left wishing I could work there - and I finally got my wish. Today, I was in observation mode; I listened to Debbie (another wine lover) and Louis (the owner) take customers through tasting and a cellar tour, got to discuss future potential food pairings and the upcoming festivals. All I can say is that I was one happy camper - it was just slow enough today (impending snow keep the traffic light) to really ask questions and compare wines. I think I'm gonna LOVE this job!

I was starving by the time I got home, so I whipped up some pasta carbonara for myself and the kids, now we're settling in to watch W....good day :)

What Color Is Your Rainbow?

2009-02-25T19:11:00.001-08:00

I got this from Debra at

Your rainbow is shaded white and green.

What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. People depend on you to make them feel secure. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.">Your rainbow is shaded white and green.       What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. People depend on you to make them feel secure. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.'>Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History

Look Me, No Sandra Dee....I'm a...

2009-02-24T05:01:00.001-08:00

Bette!

What.A.Dump. (wild gesturing with a cigarette)

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

* Stand up for yourself... and me.
* Be confident, strong, and direct.
* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
* Give me space to be alone.
* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

* being independent and self-reliant
* being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
* being courageous, straightforward, and honest
* getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
* supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
* upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

* overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to (I sometimes forget there's a tact button)
* being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
* sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it (all.the.time)
* never forgetting injuries or injustices
* putting too much pressure on myself (all.the.time)
* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

* are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit (I was the feisty one)
* are sometimes loners
* seize control so they won't be controlled
* figure out others' weaknesses
* attack verbally or physically when provoked
* take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

* are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
* are sometimes overprotective (vigorous head shaking)
* can be demanding, controlling, and rigid (my kids laughed at that one)

http://www.helloquizzy.com/results/are-you-a-jackie-or-a-marilyn-or-someone

Update...

2009-02-23T06:13:00.001-08:00

Mom is still in the hospital. She's passing blood - something that had happened before several years ago, but this is different - without getting too graphic, it's not a blood and *use your imagination*, it's blood and mucus. Not good. The CAT scan showing some inflammation, so today they are going to follow up with a colonoscopy. I spent yesterday with her, bathing her and just holding her hand. She'll be 81 in a few weeks and it just seems as though her body is breaking down. This is a long drawn out affair, tough on everyone, but I can't even imagine how hard it is on her - for years my sister and I always said that my mother is childish and completely narcissistic. She is, but she is also far tougher than I ever imagined. We were talking about next steps and she just talked about how she would handle whatever treatment or surgery came up. It never occurs to her to just let go. I've always thought that if in her shoes, when I got to a certain point, I would just want to concentrate on the time I had left and to love my family as much as I could before I went. My mom doesn't feel that way. As long as there is a breath in her, she will fight.

On a lighter note - I stopped at Moore Brothers wine company on the way home from the hospital. It is my all time favorite wine store and I rarely get to go. I selected two Chinon Cab Francs and an Alsatian Pinot Blanc (mind you I have no.more.storage.space) and was in the middle of a tasting when my phone rang. It was the owner of Amalthea Cellars vineyard and he wants me to start working there on weekends! I have precious little time, but I really want to do this. I think my next career will be associated with wine - if I were ever to be in a position to follow this dream. Wish me luck!

Here We Go Again......

2009-02-21T16:59:00.001-08:00

Friday morning I received a phone call....my mom's blood pressure was all over the place and they couldn't get it stabilized. Long story short, they took Mom to the hospital and when they found that her hemoglobin was dangerously low, they had to transfer her to another hospital for transfusions and dialysis. It seems she's bleeding internally - again. This happened a couple of years ago - no cause was found and after a week or so, it went away. It's just that the maladies are coming closer and closer - you just learn to hold your breath day after day, wondering what will happen next.

I also had an small hiccup at work - I wasn't selected for a job - and I think the way I presented myself to the client had a lot to do with it. I was trying to help and challenge the customer to do the right thing, but I could have been a little less "Jersey" about it. All I can say is that it was a real learning lesson and I will approach these things in a much different manner from now on.

I had a little break this week. A very good friend came into town and we got to spend some time together. It was a life saver...:)

The Secret is In the Sauce.....

2009-02-20T05:21:00.001-08:00

What sauce? What is the secret? Can anyone help me out here? I recently signed onto the SITS blog roll, I visit some of the blogs on the follower list and have found some really great blogs, Such as Words of Wisdom From a Smart Mouthed Broad, Like Sand in an Hourglass and of course A Devonshire Design. So, my question is "Now What?" I'd like to create more visibility for my blog - any ideas? Just what is the secret in said sauce? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Adding a New Cookbook to My Top Ten List

2009-02-17T18:09:00.001-08:00

I'm a devoted reader of the Amateur Gourmet. His recipes are, for the most part, spot on, and his restaurant reviews are great. Adam often receives cookbooks and recommends several a year. He has a new sidebar on his blog that has a recommendation list and the other day, I noticed "All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Food" by Molly Stevens. His review was very positive so I jumped over to Amazon.com and checked it out, and every review on the site was superlative. That was it, I had to get it.

Today, the book arrived and after leafing through it for a few minutes, I could see why everyone is so high on this book. It's incredibly well written, the pictures are beautiful. I turned to one of the recipes, Braised Leeks and Halibut and decided to give it a try. I had thick filets of Steelhead Trout in the fridge and a few leeks left that I hadn't figured out what to do with. So I decided to give this recipe a try. In keeping with the recipe, I prepared the leeks by splitting them in half and chopping the halves into nice sized chunks:

Molly advises you to rinse twice and I followed that - I've had gritty leeks before and that is NOT a pleasant experience.

While the leeks were soaking, I minced two cloves of garlic and about 1 1/2 TBS. of fresh thyme. After rinsing and draining the leeks, put a small braising pan (or small saute pan that has a lid) on the stove and heat using medium heat. Add a 1-2 glug of olive oil, then add the leeks, garlic and thyme and stir to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until the leeks are glossy. Add a half cup of dry white wine (or dry vermouth) and bring to a boil. Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment paper that has been greased with a little butter.

Place a lid on the braising pan and put into a 350 degree oven on the center rack and braise for 45-50 minutes or until tender, you may have to add a little additional wine if the leeks are dry.

When the leeks are tender, remove from the oven and add about 1/4 C. of heavy cream (I used half n half, I would change it to light cream to make it a little creamier but keep the calories down) to the mixture and stir until smooth and creamy (I didn't measure the cream, I just eyeballed it).

I pan fried the trout and steamed some baby zucchini:

Excellent! Leeks, when slow cooked become mellow and almost sweet. R, who is not an onion fan, scarfed them right up!

Adam Roberts is sooo right about Molly Stevens.

Now that I have all of these wonderful cookbooks - I really have to get it together and make a weekly menu to make my shopping more efficient.

What was your favorite dish this week?

Weekend Ramblings....

2009-02-15T07:18:00.001-08:00

It's been a wonderful and weird weekend. I talked about my loverly Friday night in my previous post. Saturday, Devonshire and her hubby came down to a wine tasting at the vineyard where I may start working in the spring. As she mentioned in her post, not your typical Jersey wines (sweet fruit wines, yuck) - lovely varieties made in the Bordeaux and Napa styles. We came back after each buying several bottles and made an antipasto of Tuscan white bean salad, sliced red peppers, sopresatta and olives with sliced crusty seeded baguette. It was a great afternoon, watching golf and picnicking in my den.

After they left to to play chauffeur to their son, I got ready for a dinner party (already fooded out, mind you). I had invited a friend of mine who recently lost her husband and another friend to dinner. I made Tunisian Chicken with Olives, a basmati pilaf and arugula salad with blood orange and mint. We had Green Dragon Chardonnay and Clos D Bois Pinot Noir. It was a lovely dinner and we sat around chatting - except my widowed friend kept jumping up and either running out to pet the cats who were sleeping in the sun room, to the bathroom or to answer her phone which rang repeated through out dinner. We had good conversation, but I found that the repeated exits and entrances disturbing. I didn't say anything (I realize that she feels very alone and is almost neurotic about missing a call), but it really bothered me. Would you have said anything?

Quiet Friday Night......

2009-02-13T18:40:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow and Sunday are full days...meeting friends for a wine tasting in the afternoon, hosting a dinner party tomorrow night (not everyone buys into that junk- my sweetie and I call it St. Hallmark's day - romance is a more spontaneous thing), and Sunday I am taking my mom out for brunch and giggling. But tonight.....tonight is a quiet night all of my own. It's been a God-awful week; the company had a RIF and several good, good friends/associates (emphasis on the FRIEND part) were let go; we had to plan how to make money in a tough economy and the usual jam packed stuff that comes with the work week. I swear I worked in pajamas three days this week because I got started at 7 - the evils of working at home - and didn't look up until 4PM.

But tonight... I packed the kids off to their various activities and their dad and step-mom and settled in for a relaxing evening. On Demand is showing "Two Lovers" - mutual theater/cable release (it's mostly art movies, which is great - my local art house movie theater got bought out and turned into a showcase -bleccchhh) ....

It was a stunningly good film - makes you angry that Joaquin has gone off the deep end to focus on bad white boy hip hop. I followed that up with Six Degrees of Separation - I've never seen it all the way through (which I found interesting but a little over the top).

In retrospect, it was my pretentious movie night - and I loved it. Opened a great Spanish red, Navarra Azaratura Tempranillo, built a fire and sliced a little cheese and ate it with crackers and just relaxed. Life is wonderful when the little things make you smile.

Reconciling the Two Halves of My Brain....

2009-02-12T13:32:00.001-08:00

I'm writing this while listening to my team meeting for my job. I am an analyst with an IT industry research and advisory firm. I help companies save millions of dollars in software investments, better allocate their resources, and improve the quality of their applications. This job allows me to exercise the right side of my brain - thinking through big problems, forecast trends in the industry, write research, speak at conferences etc. If you're not in IT or software, what I do doesn't make a lot sense to many people, but if you're in IT, you know that working with companies like mine can help you save your job.

The left side of my brain is what I bring to this blog; my recipes, my thoughts on wine, life and politics. If there are a few folks who get something from this, that makes me happy.

Risotto for Lazy People

2009-02-11T20:16:00.001-08:00

I love risotto, but like many people, I generally made it for a dinner party or when I had time to stand over the stove. One night as I was setting up the rice cooker whilst making dinner, I wondered by a rice cooker couldn't play a positive role in bringing risotto into the mix as a regular player in the weeknight dinner mix.

With a little online research, I found that one could make risotto in a rice maker; the reviews were pretty good, so I figured, why not? Give it a try. I opted for a simple mushroom risotto to use as a baseline.

First, I gathered the ingredients:

I small white onion - chopped fine

1 cup of arborio rice

1 lemon ( for zest)

Dry white wine (use about 1/4 cup (give or take)

a few shitake mushrooms - I have two GREAT Asian markets near me so my choices in this area are just fabulous

Chicken Stock/Broth

I set the cooker to cook white rice and heated a little olive oil, then sauteed the onion

once the onion is translucent, add the rice and saute until the rice is translucent

Meanwhile, warm the stock until it is going at a good simmer on the stove. Regular rice mix for a rice cooker is one cup of rice to liquid at level 1 in the cooker - it's approx 1.5 C liquid to 1 c. rice. For risotto, use a 2:1 or even a 2.25:2 mixture...heat extra stock and add as needed.

And saute the mushrooms lightly with a little salt and pepper ( I forgot to rake a picture of that). Add the wine and the stock to the rice and close the lid to cook (make sure the white rice indicator is still on and is cooking)

Stir halfway through ...check if you need more stock, add an 1/8 cup at a time if needed

And add the sauteed mushrooms

When the rice cooker clicks to warm (it's an automatic thing - I can't give you times)

When everything is absorbed, pop open the lid and shave in some parmesan into the rice and stir until creamy. I served this with a mixed green, Kalamata olive and pecorino salad and Hawaiian butterfish with tomato coulis:

This will go well with a Sauvignion Blanc or a Pinot Gris as a cut to the creaminess of the dish; or, a Chablis or a steel fermented Chard if you want to highlight the fish a bit more. Yummy!

Finding My Way Back to Recipe Time

2009-02-10T18:35:00.001-08:00

I've been craving Indian food, but I have two kids who have very different tastes in food. My son loves clean, bright tastes that are pretty identifiable and he hates spicy food. My daughter loves spicy food and unusual presentations. M loves Japanese and Italian food and salads, R loves Indian and French food and won't touch anything raw. The only cuisines they both agree on are pub/diner food (read: hamburgers) and Mexican. So, when I'm craving an ethnic or vegetarian dish that is off the beaten path, if I'm not going out with friends, I usually have to get creative and make a variant of it at home so that I can reach a happy middle ground for both.

Tonight was that night. I was in the mood for Indian flavors, but not up for my usual Chicken Tikka Masala. So, I dug out my copy of "Indian Food without the Fat" and went to work.

Me getting ready to cook

Here are the ingredients:

Chicken - I used skinless thighs because they have flavor but less fat without the skin.

I crosshatched the thighs and rubbed in lemon juice and salt

While the chicken sat, I mixed the following into a blender

Pureed garlic (1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp of pureed ginger, 1 Tbsp chile powder, 1 Tbsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp of cumin and 1 Tbsp of turmeric, 1 small onion, coarsely chopped and 3/4 c. of plain Greek yogurt.

Puree in a blender until well mixed and pourable because you will be pouring it over the chicken to marinate. Some recipes call for marinating overnight; others call for two to six hours. I marinated for an hour (because I was busy on conference calls and got a late start).

Meanwhile I started rice in the rice in the rice cooker and preheated the oven to 500. Now this looks more yellow than other tandoori's, I've seen - I'm chalking it up to the turmeric. If color is a bother to you, up the paprika and cut back on the turmeric. Once the oven is ready, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on the sheet. Coat with a healthy spritz of cooking oil and put into the oven to heat (about 5 minutes). Remove the thighs from the marinade and shake off excess. Place on rack and cook for 10 minutes, then flip over for another 5-10 minutes (I flipped after six minutes). Turn the oven up to broil - Hi and broil just until the edges brown and char a little.

For a vegetable, I decided to make spiced green beans and carrots. Toast 1 T. of black sesame seeds and 1 T. of white sesame seeds until the white seeds are light brown. Pour into a mortar (or a coffee grinder reserved for spices) and crush slightly

Chop two cloves of garlic. Heat a little oil in a saute pan and add garlic with 1 1/2 tsp chile powder, 1/2 tsp of paprika, and a 1/4 tsp of turmeric. If you want additional spice, add a 1 tsp. of mustard seeds before adding the garlic, add the garlic when the seeds start to pop.

Add a bag of string beans and carrots (I used Green Giant) and saute until crisp/tender. Sprinkle seeds over the veggies and toss.

Voila!! Tandoori Chicken with Spiced vegetables:

Needing a Little Relaxation....

2009-02-09T16:28:00.001-08:00

It's been a stressful day - the economy has affected us at work, and I'm bidding farewell to a few longtime friends. So now, settled into my chair with a nice glass of Bordeaux, some cheese, a hunk of bread and some olives, I'm reading cookbooks. I read cookbooks like some people read novels. I love the notes and anecdotes that surround recipes, ooh and ahh over the beautiful photos and sometimes dog ear and make notes in the columns. I'm reading through "The Food You Crave" and "Spain - A Food Travelogue". I'm also reading a memoir of Julia Child's - "My Life in France" (along with A Traitor to His Class about FDR). So I've decided to start a Meme - see if anyone still reads this blog */;-)* - Name your top 10 cookbooks. I'll offer up mine:

1. The Barefoot Contessa Goes to Paris - simple, hearty French influenced meals showcasing straightforward ingredients. Roast chicken, beef tenderloin are stand-by's in my kitchen.

2. Tyler Florence's Ultimate - Everything in this book is just great - not a bad recipe in sight. Roast chicken, paella, chicken wings, steak - just eat the book, it's that good.

3. The Open House Cookbook -Sarah Lee Chase - Classic cookbook, I think it was one of the first foodie cookbooks (1984) worth finding just for the Rainwater Chili, Provencal Lamb Chops and the June Havoc chicken legs.

4. Bistro Cooking - Patricia Wells - I actually bought this at a book store in Epcot (I'm secure enough to admit it), and loved loved loved it. Fish recipes, potato recipes and tart recipes to die for. This book (and Open House) turned me from a fumbler to a foodie in the kitchen.

5. The Way to Cook - Julia Child - Many of the recipes are straightforward and many are not. Read it for the technique and do NOT be intimidated. Yes, Julia knew more than anyone.

6. Julia and Jacques: Cooking At Home - Jacques' burger recipes are killer, as are the recipes for Veal Blanquette, Beef Borguignone and pate. I received the book when I first started to really cook and I have to admit that I had to put it away for a couple of years until I became more confident in the kitchen and now it's one of my go to books. The step by step is great.

7. The Art of Simple Food - Alice Waters - I'm including this even though it's one of my newer books. It's just such a wonderful read and her dedication to fresh products is what has made me become a farmer's market devotee.

8. Field of Greens - Anne Somerville - It's a vegetarian cookbook that will appeal to carnivores. The side dishes are simply gorgeous and the main dishes won't have you missing a chop or filet. My favorite recipe is Fettuccine with Swiss Chard, Walnuts, Currants and Brown Butter - it is a perfect fall dish. Risotto is another wonderful dish.

9. Nick Stellino's Mediterranean Flavors - Before there was Food Network, there was PBS and Nick Stellino was a popular cook. This book is very straightforward and produces great, flavorful dishes. Devonshire was addicted to the Eggplant Caviar for a while and my sister loves the Tunisian Chicken Tagine with Olives.

10. The New Moosewood Cookbook - Molly Katzen - The original Moosewood is dog eared and stained. I love it with the nostalgia that you feel for an old lover, but the new and improved version is quickly becoming the one that I go to, because I like the lightening of the recipes that don't sacrifice flavor, the hearty dishes and the addition of fish dishes that are just flat out good. ZuCanoes are a family favorite.

That being said, I do look online for many recipes and I keep my Gourmet, Bon Appetite and other cooking magazines around for far too long, but when I'm planning a meal, nothing beats looking through a stack of cookbooks to plan a menu. What are your favorite books? I'm tagging Deb from Devonshire Design, Cindy from Figs Lavender and Cheese and Cathy from Noble Pig to offer up their favorites!

Updates...Updates...Updates....

2009-02-08T18:34:00.001-08:00

Whew...we have finally relocated Mom to assisted living. It's taken me three weeks of moving, cleaning, decorating and spending money to get Mom in and situated. Many, many thanks to Devonshire and her family in helping me to get Mom set up. But we've finally done it. The place is cute, she's got a lovely, private bedroom and she shares a kitchen and living room with her roommate. Mom likes it, but we all understand it will take some getting used to. What I've noticed is that with Mom gone, even though I'm making dinner each night for the teens, I'm starting to eat a lot less and imbibe less too...I can feel the stress lifting.

I've started yoga again and while I'm not doing it as regularly as I want, I am still making the effort to make it a regular activity. I've decided to focus on being healthy, versus stressing over a body image that is probably not going to change dramatically. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, I want to enjoy myself responsibly now. I'm beginning to clean out years of garbage, emotionally and physically - it feels good - I'll keep you posted as I go along - I'm dipping my toes back into my life.

On another front, I am keeping my fingers crossed. I love wine - to drink it, to pair it with food, to cook with it, to give as gifts and to serve it to my friends. Living in NJ, you'd think that unless I like blueberry wine, my only chance for decent wine is to drive to my local wine purveyor and buy the global best. A few years ago I would have heartily agreed, but that is starting to change. There are a few gems popping up here and there that are producing some really great wines and I, hopefully, will be pouring for one as well as doing food and wine pairings during the tasting. I don't want to say more - no jinx, but keep your fingers crossed :)

25 Facts About Me

2009-01-26T18:18:00.001-08:00

I was tagged by my friend LF (who does not have a blog, but luckily reads my blog), so I had to think long and hard about this. As those who know me know that I analyze everything but me. They may have impact on me, but me myself? I'm the great deluder (as opposed to the decider....). So, here goes....

I am a natural redhead - who helps it along because the grays are coming in fast and furious. My grandmother had a glorious head of white hair at a relatively young age, my hair is similar, but it's coming in too slowly to let it go natural.
My eldest is autistic. He's 18 now. There is so much information available now for parents, but my ex and I had to figure out more than we should have on our own. I always feel like I've made far too many mistakes.
When I was a teenager I was a very preppy kid - I still have a strong preppy streak (DD calls me CT. Housewife), but the older I get the more left wing hippy I become - albeit a left wing hippy with a good job and a love of personal hygiene.
I'm a good cook - a really good one, if I do say so myself. My big sister is a chef, and I've learned a lot from her, but I've done pretty well on my own, too.
I'm passive-aggressive when it comes to grown up activities. As for my small handful of readers or lurkers may know, I have had a lot on my plate the last few years. Caring for a sick parent, single parenthood (see #6) to teenagers - one with issues - a stressful career fills up the glass to the top. As a result, I let little stupid things go, like letting my EZ Pass get revoked, or forget to pick up dry cleaning for months, or let bills go sometimes. I hate that about myself because its extended to health issues and I need to change it.
I like my ex-husband more now than when we were married. Mostly because I don't have to live with him - I've learned what issues in our marriage were totally my fault and what traits of his are the reason we drifted apart, but we've been on the same page as parents since day one, and as a result, our kids are very happy and very secure in their distributed family.
I met my bestest when we were both 19 or 20, but neither of us remember it. We met again about 10 years later and have been tight ever since.
I have a secret crush on Keith Olbermann on MSNBC
I hate to listen to music in the car - unless I'm on vacation. Otherwise, it's NPR all the time. I love Talk of the Nation and Fresh Air.
I like bold art - little pastels of flowers, impressionists or poker playing dogs don't appeal to me. I also like black and white photography. Let's just say I'm running out of wall space.
My mother was a model in the 50's. She looked like Kim Novak. I look like Mickey Rooney, imagine our relationship.
I like the taste of liquor - now before you start thinking I'm a perfect candidate for AA, I mean I like classic cocktails where the spirit isn't masked by sugary sweet stuff.
My favorite food is Spanish - I love the fresh seafood grills, paella and tapas.
I love red wine - goes well with #13.
I used to love a good cigar, especially when I was skinnier and wore CFM shoes - it was a look! I pretty much abstain, but every once in a while DD's hubby can talk me into having one after one of their long dinners. I love it, but I sound like I should be working in phone sex the next day.
I'm addicted to MSNBC
I've had relations in unusual locations - and that's all I'm going to say.
I got stuck in an elevator and to this day get a little nervous when the door shuts.
I am great company whilst traveling, but dumb things often happen. I was chased down the Rock of Gibraltar (that's right kids, THE rock) by the RAF because I (along with a bunch of dumb American friends) was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I spent the better part of a night in a Roman police station when my room was robbed and because of translation problems, they were starting to think that I was the criminal. We finally figured it out. I called the police in Key West, insisting that my car was stolen. After a couple of hours, we finally realized that I just forgot where I parked it (easy to do in Key West). Many years ago, I had a budding Texan politician (not THAT one) declare undying love for me in New Orleans. I had jumped on the last ferry for Algiers' Point while he was standing on the dock. We had met much earlier in the evening at Pat O'Brien's in the French Quarter. We were drinking margaritas. I leaned over to blow a kiss and dumped the entire contents of my handbag into the Mississippi. Good thing I had my credit card and my license in the pocket of my pants. I never saw him again - I don't remember his name, but he was handsome :-) Traveling with me is fun, but do it at your own risk.
I love my job and had to leave it to realize it.
I met the love of my life.
I always wear one large silver ring - I have several of them and always wear one of them.
I. CANNOT.SING. but I think I can...when I'm alone.
I purge. Not eating disorder (one look at me and you can tell), but to get rid of stuff. I accumulate, then when it gets to me, I have to throw everything that I haven't looked at for six months out.
I'm on an unending search for the perfect mascara and perfect lipstick. I'm half convinced that the day I find them I will drop dead.....just kidding.

OK Devonshire, you're it.....

Conservatives Everywhere Are Throwing Up Their Hands......

2009-01-18T13:23:00.001-08:00

Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and a million hopeful people singing "This Land Is Your Land" on the mall in DC..... It's the dawn of a new day..... :-)

When The Mundane is Beautiful

2009-01-17T20:24:00.001-08:00

Today was mundane. In a beautiful way. Oil changes, buying a dish rack and a pan, going to the Asian market, and, laundry. Today was my first day absolutely alone since before Christmas; I forgot my phone when I left in the house and I reveled in the fact that no one could reach me for a whole afternoon. When I returned home I did talk to a couple of folks, but other than that, no contact. I needed this day to be with myself. I didn't listen to the radio, I tuned out as much as I could. The silence was nourishing - I felt my soul be restored by listening to my own rhythms, drifting to my own tune.

After my errands, I returned home and made dinner from the bounty purchased at the Asian market. Of course my camera wasn't charged, so there aren't pictures to share. They had wonderful mushrooms at the market, lemon grass and clementines. I chopped up Chinese eggplant, green onion and garlic, grated fresh ginger, sliced shitake, crimini and enoki mushrooms, then cubed tofu, leftover pork tenderloin. I made a stir-fry with soy sauce, mirin and a little fish sauce and red curry paste.

Speaking of the pan, I have to spread the news. I was walking through Macy's and meandered into the kitchen department (I love the kitchen department). Macy's is discounting everything. Now, I have a well stocked kitchen and do not need a thing, but I had been reading about the green pans and was interested in them. I looked at the clearance rack (which I love to do) and found a stack of Martha Stewart green pans. This isn't a Martha pan, but it looks similar:

Well, I have to say that I'm in love with this pan. I did a whole stirfry with less than 2 T of canola and there was no sticking; in fact the pan looked clean - it just did a great job. I will definitely look forward to using this pan in the future!

300

2009-01-13T20:47:00.001-08:00

No, it's not the number of posts in my blog. It's my car crash movie. I LOVE 300. Something about incredible abs and loincloths and slow motion blood spilling. "This Is Sparta!" can make me positively dreamy. Gerard Butler is hot in this movie, I don't care if there's more CGI than crunches at the gym. I share this secret love with my daughter. Not just for the man candy that is this movie, but also because it's so much fun to make fun of...or the little known facts about the movie. The sleazy politician was played by Dominic West who was so good in "The Wire" on HBO, and Xerxes, the big Persian god with the piercings who is "kind" played the kind and quiet Karl in Love Actually (and that is one of the ultimate chick flicks - another all time favorite). tonight, 300 was on HBO's On Demand...so of course we had to watch.

Anyway, we love to make up dialogue as we watch (usually about their briefs, the abs, pointy beards and the like), cracking on the dialogue that is just a little over the top....toward the end of the movie, after they've gone through horrible battles, one son gets decapitated and one guy (the narrator) loses an eye...Gerard Butler's character turns to the one eyed guy and says......Are you ready? and one eyed guy says of course sire....Gerard:...Good, because you have one talent that no other Spartan has.......

...to which R interjected....."you can sing...."

Morning Joe......

2009-01-13T04:06:00.001-08:00

I am an insomniac....ever since I turned 40, unaided sleep is a dream. Evidently, this runs in my family (another story for another time). Because of this, getting up in the morning has always been a struggle for me. Kids help, obviously, I need to get them out the door. I hate morning TV, but having the thing blaring in the background gets me going. During the elections, my sister got me hooked on Morning Joe on MSNBC. Now, it's a love-hate thing. I cannot STAND Joe Scarborough, he's a pompous, conservative ass, but I just love when people prove him wrong. Like a couple of weeks back:

Delayed....But I've been Tagged!!

2009-01-13T03:42:00.001-08:00

Deb over at Devonshire Design tagged me with bringing up the fourth photo in the fourth photo folder on my computer....so, here it is:

I don't know why it's sideways here, but I can't get it fixed. Basically, it's a photo that I sent to my sister explaining a new lamp purchase. How exciting, huh? Well, folks, it's a newer laptop and I've been so busy with work, I haven't uploaded many pictures lately. It's so lame, I can't even tag anyone.......

Happy Holidays Everyone.....

2008-12-28T21:14:00.001-08:00

A little late, but better late than never. The holiday rush so far has been quite hectic. My big sis came up with her darling little dog Josie, and we've all been oohing and ahhing over this sweet little dachshund. I've had some work to do, but mostly just doing necessary family bonding. Tuesday is a big meeting day - we're presenting some housing options to my mom - she's just about ready to get out of the nursing home, but my house isn't really an option. Wish us luck. I've already prepping for what I want to do in the new year and more frequent posting is one of them - so more to come....

A Different Thanksgiving.....

2008-11-24T09:21:00.001-08:00

....For us anyway. Small - intimate - trying to create an experience for my children and I when all of my loved ones are too far away.

I always used to say I belonged to a family that looked like the mid-Mia Farrow phase of Woody Allen's movies (Hannah and Her Sisters). I have two sisters, and within our extended family, we had large, rambling holidays. I loved it. There was always almost too much to do. Thanksgivings where tables groaned under the weight of what everyone had brought. One year we all watched the Philadelphia parade with babies bundled on our backs, only to return home to chaos as my mom tried to pull it all together (we pitched in and pulled it off). One year, we rented a huge beach house in Topsail and had what was the last family shindig we'd remember with everyone healthy. Last year, I drove the kids down to Durham and sat with my sister on the balcony of her little, too hot apartment, with 20 people inside - happy to be there.

We had Christmases where we were snowed in after reaching our destination and sat around a fireplace over steaming bowls of chili - followed by a big pajama party of sorts. Feast of the Seven Fishes at either my sister's hose or my best friend's family - I was a happily adopted child those years. Carols around the spinet (really!), long dining tables and laughter. Big open houses where friends and family would come by, the wine would flow and the glow of the holiday far outweighed the exhaustion of trying to put it all together.

This year....Mom won't be out on from the nursing home. My sister is working in Durham and can't come up - her partner's mother is fighting Alzheimer's and she cannot leave her alone, so for the two of them to come up, well, it just won't work. For the first time in my life, I will not see any of my family this Thanksgiving. The kids and I are going to have dinner together, and I'll bring up a platter to my mother later. R and I were talking about what to do as we shopped at Whole Paycheck last night to gather what we needed for Thursday. They're fine with it just being us - they've always found the holiday thing too overwhelming - while I'm spinning like a top, tears just behind my eyes. R made a suggestion - let's do something to create our own small tradition. Eating at our large dining room table, just the three of us, is a depressing thought. We're struggling with what to do to make this seem small, intimate and wonderful, not depressing. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.....

Catching Up......

2008-11-10T16:01:00.001-08:00

Whew....life has been moving quickly lately. Mom is settled into her nursing home, none too happy, but knows its the best place for her to be (at the moment). My feelings are mixed here - on the one hand, there is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders - no second guessing on parenting (from the woman who would have NEVER won the Donna Reed award - more likely the Joan Crawford award), I get to deal with my teens on MY terms. I don't have someone who, though I do love her very much just sucked the life out of me, demanding my attention every spare moment I have. It's a freedom that I enjoy, though I wish she were more comfortable. She's at the end of her life and she knows it and is choosing to be miserable about it.

Other news....I attended a reunion this weekend. It was a reunion of old friends and associates that worked for a research/advisory firm. We met up in NYC at an Irish bar on the Upper East Side. Apart from terrible weather on Saturday, it was a wonderful, much needed weekend. I spent the weekend with close friends, one especially close friend. I don't talk about him much because much of our relationship is undefined or defies definition, but he has a good chunk of my heart. One day, we'll get our acts together as our other commitments to job, kids and the like shift - but right now, we're both thankful for the time we get to spend together. We spent a rainy Saturday strolling, doing silly touristy stuff like visit Zabar's and the Met. Over drinks at the Plaza, we chuckled over silly things and smiled. He was a very good doobie, I threw him into the mix of these old friends and he more than held his own.. these are friends that can pick up after not seeing each other for months or years without missing a beat. We speak our own language, laugh uproariously at shared jokes and experiences, and wish for those that aren't present, knowing they are firmly planted in our hearts. It was pure joy.

I headed home Sunday to be nominated for VP of our club's golf association (why? I don't know other than I am tired of the junk that is going on), visited Mom and crashed. I need a weekend from my weekend.

Let THIS be one of the images that starts the next phase of what it means to be an American...

2008-11-06T11:36:00.001-08:00

...and I'm totally stealing it from my British friend Carl......

MSNBC Just Called Ohio for Obama

2008-11-04T18:31:00.001-08:00

This will be a nail biting evening....

Exercise Your Rights.....Vote!!!

2008-11-03T20:52:00.001-08:00

If you don't act, you're part of the problem. Whatever your politics, don't think this is tilted to any one side. Exercise your rights....VOTE

....Not that I'm trying to sway anyone at this late date....;-)

Sometimes Teenagers Are Actually Cool.....

2008-11-02T17:29:00.001-08:00

Tonight, the kids and I went to Bonefish Grill - we laughed over dinner and teased each other unmercifully. They clucked over their grandmother in the rehab hospital (well, M did as much as he could); and we went home and sat together for a while. When it got too girly for M, R and I sat and watched Bridget Jones and giggled. Sometimes teenagers can be soo cool....

Back to Some Recipes: Rotisserie Chicken

2008-10-27T20:05:00.001-07:00

I love me some rotisserie chicken. I like to use it in a variety of recipes, or just to have it in the fridge to pick on for lunch. What I don't like is that they tend to be very small, and if you don't get them just out of the oven, they can be dry and pretty awful. I actually have tapered off buying them lately because the last few I brought home were overdone and really salty, but I missed the wonderful taste of a good one. Devonshire Deb turned me onto A Year of Crockpotting. Some of the recipes look a little wacky for my taste, but most are just great. When she posted a recipe for homemade rotisserie chicken, I had to give it a shot.

Of course, no pictures - check out the blog - mine came out the same way and I have to tell you, this chicken was BETTER than store bought. It couldn't have been easier. I do heartily recommend pulling off the breast skin and any visible fat, you won't miss it and the juices are much leaner that way.

I also made oven fries that will be submitted for pictures very soon, because the kids loved them so much, they ate the whole dish! (Noble Pig - I will be submitting this one!)

A Change of Scenery....

2008-10-23T18:21:00.001-07:00

I've never liked my new template - it never totally felt like me.....so I've spent the last few days browsing through blogger templates to find one that felt more like me..and this is it. It looks a little like my office desk, with its ever present cup of coffee, pens, scissors and photos (ok, not my sailboats, but I do love them). I felt the need for the change. I hope you like it!

Update

2008-10-21T11:32:00.001-07:00

Mom is still in the hospital - another stroke. We're trying to get her into a nursing home, but it's proving to be a nightmare - most places won't take her because she was in less than 60 days ago and she's used up her rehab supplement - they don't want to give up a rehab bed for someone who probably is looking at long term nursing care - so they will charge us $125/day. Now I see how people can lose everything. We're applying for Medicaid but it's not yet been approved. Bottom line, don't get old without plenty of money in the bank or long term disability insurance. I'm at my wits' end. The red tape, a frightened senior citizen - kid problems (my son is autistic and turning 18, so we're dealing with guardianship issues). I need to be on the road next week and most of next month. I'm actually looking forward to that just to have a break. My family is far away, my friends - absent. I'm not eating right, forget exercise, I have had a stress headache for a week. I am at a loss.

What Do You Do?

2008-10-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

When the man you love is a (somewhat) conservative Republican and you're riding around with Obama Stickers on your car??

Answer (Our compromise - we'll put election signs for each party on our collective front lawn).

Your mom is back in the hospital again and you know its nursing home time, but you like her there in the house where she's safe and warm?

Answer - you hug, you kiss their foreheads and call social workers to try and locate something that everyone can live with

Your booking travel when life is totally up in the air.....

Answer - You pray that you find a hotel with a lenient cancellation policy

When did life get so complicated??

Up to my eyeballs at work

2008-10-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

I have three big deliverables all due within the next week and it looks like there will be mucho road time coming up. Sorry kids, I can't come out to play right now.

Kudos to My Girl at Caffeine Court....

2008-10-07T05:24:00.001-07:00

Truer words were never spoken. We love that you read - when there are no comments, we think we're talking to ourselves....I do it enough in the car and in the store. C'mon folks, SHARE!!!

In fact, I am making an end of year resolution to be better about leaving comments myself.

10,000 Steps a Day and Other Innocuous Observations

2008-10-07T05:07:00.001-07:00

I've started to walk 10,000 steps a day. It's approximately 4.5 miles per day. Wish me luck.

It was so cold this morning, I lit the fireplace to take the chill off the rooms. I love that.

Sourdough makes great french toast and if you use a boule style loaf, they are as big as a steak. Watching my 14-year old sigh with delight and bop while eating it (think Bill Cosby's bit about his kids eating cake for breakfast) made my day.

I'm too lazy to take pictures of said french toast.

I saw "Religulous", Bill Maher's new movie and I liked it - it was thought provoking and hilarious - and no, I'm not going to write about it. If you'd like to know my opinions of the movie, drop me an email.

I think Facebook's "SuperPoke" is highly over-rated.

I'm still madly in love with my coffee maker, I'm thinking of starting a Facebook community for Cuisinart Fans.

Now....wasn't that boring???? Given the pervasive nastiness of the comments left in some of my friends' blogs - and the snarky finger pointing in others, I figured it was safer to talk about the inanities of life rather than have an exchange of ideas. Come ON people - let's have a dialogue and let the politicians sling mud at each other.

Wish I Had Seen THIS....Sunday

2008-10-01T06:22:00.001-07:00

http://www.delish.com/food/grocery-products/

Would have saved me a couple of hours scrubbing my stove top....

BTW, Delish is a new food site (and is a sister site to Home Beautiful). Check it out, it's pretty good.

Oh Please.....

2008-09-30T03:35:00.001-07:00

Comments from the Speaker of the House wrecked the Bailout Bill? What have we come to???

What I Did This Weekend

2008-09-30T03:03:00.001-07:00

My sister came up from Durham for the weekend. We shopped, cooked, laughed and just hung out. On Friday, our friend Gary, the gifted artist of Mather&Smith Designs (whose wonderful work I showed in this entry) came up for lunch and shopping. I rearranged my sun room and needed a console table. We first Burlington Coat Factory - nada. We hit Home Goods #1 - nada. Stopped for noodle soup and coffee, then headed for Home Goods #2 (I live in shopping Mecca), and bingo - we found the console and an adorable little accent table, too!

Saturday - my sis went to our hair stylist - she's nicknamed her the "hair whisperer" and I stayed home to clean out my bedroom closet and hang new curtains in the bedroom. It's really starting to look to nice now. The new blinds are ultra-suede Roman shades..(note suitcase always in corner...the road warrior returns).

My new(ish) bed is leather...

We were supposed to go see Bill Maher, but I admit that after carting old hangers and donation clothes out to the garage, I was beat and I sorta fell asleep on the floor.

Sunday was Family Dinner day. The kids were coming home early, so we decided to make an early Rosh Hashanah dinner. Sis and I made brisket, potato pancakes, braised cabbage and noodle kugel. Ok, we bought the noodle kugel and I was sous chef for most of it, but here goes:

First we prepped and browned the ~~side of beef~~ brisket while preheating the oven to 300 degrees:

(note the chef's tongs expertly moving the brisket around the pan)

Next, we cut carrots and onion to put in the pan with roasting brisket

Then we browned the mushrooms:

and added everything into the pot:

Now, here is where the pain in the ass younger sister (me), complains how my sis trashes the kitchen whilst she cooks:

Her comment? All great chefs make a mess......

We covered the brisket with some veggie broth and crushed tomatoes in the pain (enough to braise), seasoned with salt, lemon pepper and bay leaf, then put it into the oven at 300 degrees and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours. At that time, she pulled it out and poured a can of coke *no diet please!!!* over the roast. Back in for another 2 hours.

We then set out to make the potato pancakes. We followed Joan Nathan's recipe.

Peeled potatoes:

hard to tell, but I cut my finger on the peeler....

Note my sister's exquisite knife technique - good to know that education went for something.....;-)

We cut up a bunch of scallions, grated the potatoes. Then, while sis was visiting with Mom, I squeezed the liquid out of the potatoes. Then I grated a LARGE Vidalia onion and mixed it in with the potato. Next, we whisked two eggs, sprinkled some flour in, salt pepper and scallions. Sis formed pancakes and set to work.

We heated a healthy dose of canola oil in a pan (NOTE - this is NOT health food).

After we finished the batch of potato pancakes, it was time to take the meat out of the oven. We made a roux and thickened the juices into a sauce for the meat.

We had red cabbage braising in the red dutch oven in the rear of the picture. Sis made that in the morning before I got the camera out. By now, the entire house smelled wonderful and we were all starving!! Sis plated and .......

VOILA!!!!

It was delicious! I would show you the aftermath in the kitchen, but Sis threatened to break the camera...

A Little Target Therapy

2008-09-28T08:17:00.001-07:00

The prep in me cannot resist a couple of new sweaters for fall.....

and....

And hoodies and sweater dresses for the kids....

In Memoriam.....

2008-09-27T08:45:00.001-07:00

Paul Newman died today at 82. He was an incredible, if under-rated actor, a husband, father and philanthropist. He was my first crush, and remained dear to me through out my adolescence, and as an adult, I respected his charitable activities, Newman's Own, the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang and his vigorous support of the Democratic Party. His work with the Westport Playhouse was also another passion.

I think I've seen most of his movies (Cool Hand Luke, Hud and Exodus were my favorites). I adored and continue to adore him. Not only because he was beautiful, with those incredible blue eyes and killer smile, but also for his subtle acting, his commitment to his wife, his children and his charities. In my eyes, he was perfect. Rest well Paul, you will be forever missed.

How Can We Handle This Delicately?

2008-09-26T19:47:00.001-07:00

I'm watching the debates and I'm sickened. By the way this debate is going. Not really answering questions, McCain won't look at Obama (which is f**king racist, if you ask me)...and the lousy atmosphere of debates where candidates have to bash each other, and not discuss the true issues of WHAT THEY WILL DO. I am outraged.....why is it that we cannot have candidates engage in a battle of ideas, not this dirty mess. I'll grant you, that it's not as obnoxious as the 2000 debate, but this is ugly. Perhaps I'm too much of an idealist.

A New Addition To The Family

2008-09-24T05:28:00.001-07:00

Isn't it cute?

A Crash Course in Foreign Policy?

2008-09-24T05:02:00.001-07:00

Sarah Palin meets with foreign leaders to get a crash course in foreign policy. Meetings with the leader of the Afghan leader Hamid Karzai and Columbian President Alvaro Uribe and an hour long cram session with Henry Kissinger (who better, right?) are little more than photo ops. Outside of introductions, what could she possibly learn? It was so orchestrated, so calculated, it had to make you laugh. Karzai and Uribe have close ties with the Bush administration, no surprise there. I'd like to see Palin meet with the leaders of the G8 (where half the leaders don't agree with us) and see how she fares. What I do think was interesting was the meeting with Kissinger. Obviously he's old school Republican, successful in the more subtle art of diplomacy - and also a Secretary State during the Vietnam war and rumored to be a major player of the bloody coup in Chile in the 70s. What could he tell her in an hour? Here's how to orchestrate a political coup and win a Nobel Peace Prize at the same time? Another photo-op. What was the point of this? It's obvious that McCain is experienced in foreign policy (although I don't agree with his views), and he's the one running for president - Introducing Ms. Palin to these leaders is nothing but a PR stunt and this PR stunt is, well, I don't want to bring up that awful joke again.

I just can't get started today.......

2008-09-23T07:35:00.001-07:00

....Could it have been the three glasses of wine and ...um....two martinis I had last night?? No, kids, I'm not sitting at home alone in the dark drowning my sorrows. I met my bestie, Devonshire Design, at a local watering hole that was having a "Wine, Women and Wisdom" night. Only, there wasn't much wisdom to be had - unless you count our pontificating on the woes of the financial crisis. After your second glass of wine, you're brilliant, right? Anyway, the event was an excuse to pour mediocre wine, consume many little hors d'oeuvres, and to wait for the hostess to call your number for a door prize. So, DD and I sat there and watched every table - and every person at every table - get called up to get a goody bag. They called the numbers before ours, and after ours, but not ours. Finally, the hostess announced that there were two tickets left in the bowl. DD and I looked at each other - that mean one of us HAD to win the last prize. She pulled out the ticket ...........and didn't call either number. It was someone else who had won. We just howled. It was our luck, wasn't it?*****

After the evening ended, we went down to the bar to chat about real things - DD is looking at downsizing (job, not her, she's already doing that and looks GREAT!), what the kids are up to, my new job and complicated life situations and our wandering roads of relationships (it hasn't been dull for either of us). That took the two martinis to complete. So, here I am, fuzzy headed and lazy this morning, not able to really concentrate on the work in front of me, but happy I got to waste an evening with my bestie.

***** By the way, the numb-nut of a hostess had pulled the ticket out of the wrong bowl! DD actually wound up winning lunch for two.

Returning to Recipes

2008-09-18T18:35:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted any recipes - While Mom was in nursing home, I ate out more often than not. Now that she's home, I'm back to cooking. It's like a bicycle, you never really forget.... ;-)

One of the great things about working at home is that I can actually make dinner and we can eat it together at a reasonable hour. R's high school is literally across the street from our house, so even with the clubs and activities, she's home pretty early as is M. Today, was a lovely spring day which made it okay to turn on the oven (when it's hot, I grill). I decided to make Mahi-Mahi in parchment paper, sautéed kale with beans and the lovely potato recipe I got from Cathy over at Noble Pig.

I prepped the potatoes - see the link above for prep photos.

Next, chopped the kale, a small onion, and some garlic.

I sauteed the onion first

When the onion was translucent, added the garlic, the kale, a little vegetable broth. Tossed in a healthy pinch of dried oregano, red pepper flakes and sage

Cooked it down a little and added a drained and rinsed can of beans and let simmer (note - I used pinto here, but you can use navy beans or garbanzo beans)

Put the fish filet on a large piece of parchment paper on an ungreased cookie sheet, sliced lemon and tomato and arranged over top, followed by capers and s few sprigs of thyme:

Voila - and guess what start to finish was 40 minutes!

I have officially become a geek.......

2008-09-17T11:41:00.001-07:00

I'm in love...I admit it to the world.....the object of desire is not a man, or my kids (especially not this week), a handbag, shoes, or a watch. It's a software program. That's right kids, a SOFTWARE program. You see, my thought process is usually something like this:

For an analytic person, I'm all over the place. I start with a premise thought and as I work through the details, it's not unusual for me to work through multiple iterations as I find new pieces of information or rethink a process (or remember something else that I was supposed to do) until I get to my final destination - and even then I may go back and rethink it again. My dear Boston buddy calls it navel gazing or rumination, but in reality, its rampant ADD. I can barely write a sentence without stopping to check out a website, read a headline, get a cup of coffee - honestly the inside of my head looks like a Family Circle cartoon where Jeffy goes looking for his lost sneaker. Back at the new job, my task is to research and write analysis - lots of unstructured time which can be death for someone like me.

To combat this, I have discovered Mind Mapper. It is a thought processing application that allows you to capture thoughts and arrange them in a flow chart/org charg/process chart that makes sense. It allows you to create relationships between thoughts so that you can support your hypothesis (Really sounding geeky now, aren't I??). Essentially, it allows me to capture thoughts and ideas in any manner and turn the above spaghetti into this:

Doesn't it look so orderly? It simply reeks of an ordered thought process. What you don't see is that I've jumped all over the place, finding bits and pieces of information and shoving it in there until I can arrange it to make sense of it. I've destroyed my last notebook. It will save my ass....at least until my Vyvance kicks in..

I thought Sundays were supposed to be quiet.....

2008-09-07T15:54:00.001-07:00

Saturday, T.S. Hanna hit NJ. We got a good 3 to 4" of rain. I was afraid that my new gazebo would float away (it's in the low area of the yard); nope, it was fine. Saw that as I walked into my kitchen - attempted to make coffee and found that the coffee maker broke. XE#R$@#)%^&$. As I struggled through a cup of tea (love tea, but first cup of the day HAS to be coffee), I was talking to my mom on the phone. She asked how we made out. My response?

"Oh fine........oh shit..."

I had walked out to my sun room and looked out the window to something that looked like this:

Only a lot more of it....and it looked a bit like this:

My son had carried in the cushions from the patio prior to the rain starting, but the poor kid forgot the umbrella (which was up). There was a microburst - high wind gusts. It must have lifted up the umbrella and slammed it and the patio table back down on the patio.
The glass top shattered all over my potted tomatoes and peppers and covered the patio. My son was so upset - he was beside himself that he had forgotten the umbrella. I had to actually calm him down before we could clean it all up. Thank God for shop-vacs.

After we got it cleaned up, I ran to visit my mom, as I stopped to get snacks for my daughters' band meeting, the phone rang. It was my mom, asking for hearing aid batteries - No problem there, there's a drug store next to the nursing home. I get into the drugstore and the phone rings again. Mom, again, asking for a salad from the local deli that's ten minutes in the opposite direction. I had exactly an hour before the girls got to the house for the band meeting. Twenty minutes out for a salad let very little time to visit Mom, who's been having a difficult time, but I said okay. Ran back, got the salad and run back to the nursing home (when you don't drive, you don't realize there's a GAS CRISIS going on). It's packed, so I have to park at the end of the employee lot and hustle my way up to see her. We get to visit for 22 minutes and then I have to run back. While the girls are setting up, I grab a couple of quiet minutes to scan the headlines, then book back out to buy a coffee maker - there is NO way that I will wake up tomorrow to a cup of tea. Got back replaced the coffee maker and started to pull together dinner. Noted the late time (after 5) and called down to the daughter to ask the game plan. "Well, would you mind if they stayed?" Of course not....Ordered a couple of pizzas (so great for my diet) and roasted a few veggies (have to give them SOMETHING healthy). Here are the budding superstars:

R is the drummer (Don't they remind you of Josie and the Pussycats?). After a few hours of playing, eating, drinking sodas, eating chips and salsa and blasting my stereo - an old Sansui stereo that still kicks ass, thank you very much - I started to look like this:

Note the eyes...the grimace...the fact that I'm thinking my Detroit Tigers' baseball cap is a decent fashion accessory. Ahhh...I think I found something that will remedy the situation:

It's called a Presbyterian, after all, it IS Sunday.......

Train to Boston

2008-09-05T05:41:00.001-07:00

I love taking the train. Early in my career, I would take it to NYC for work on Wall Street (Smith Barney, Gruntal & Co, Quick & Reilly - anyone who worked in finance in the late 80s knew those names). Later on, I would either go to Boston for my old/current employer, or to DC for my previous employer. The vibe on these trains are totally different. Now, when I had a lower per diem, it was Metroliner all the way - with parents, students, working folks. Then, when time became more of a premium, the Acela became my transit of choice.

I love the Acela - 90 mins to NY, 90 mins to DC - it was great. The trips from Philly from DC were always most interesting. I've shared many a commute with Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Spector of PA, current VP candidate Joe Biden and on the rare occasion, Governor Corzine of NJ (he tends to drive). I've sat with many lobbyists, junior office workers and software geeks like myself, trying to sell more software to the Department of Defense (weirdo seeing that I am a pacifist).

Today I'm heading back up to Boston to start back at my old/current employer. It's a long, now boring story on why I left, I'm just glad to be back. My point here today is the ride. It is the most civilized way to travel on the east coast. When you're a lucky enough camper to get the first class bump, it's as close to what I've read train travel was like in the 30s, 40s and maybe even 50s. You get redcap service. I've done the Acela route so many times, to both Boston and Philly, the redcaps recognize me and ask after me. There's no promise of extra service and that's not the point. It's the pleasantry, the politeness of the process that makes it so human (when was the last time anyone asked anything polite of you on an airline????). You get a drink, cocktail or otherwise and a menu. There is linen service and its human. If I got a PBJ, that would be fine because of the civility of the whole process.

I ordered a small bite, which was a wonderful smoked fish platter. It was fresh, the lemon was fresh - incredible. Looking out the window, I see Trenton fly by and in no time we're in Newark - which, if you ignore the grime, is a beautiful old station. There are exposed gothic beams, the flipping station numbers (anyone who stood in Penn Station knows that rat-a tat-tat sound of the train information rolling up the station board). Then you go over the Hudson River and into New York. it's not beautiful here, the industrialization has taken the natural beauty away, but the industrial workings here has a beauty of its own. It may be a New Jersey thing.

Connecticut is flat our beautiful. Your cell phone won't work - maybe its the income level ratio to cell phone tower, but forget getting a call in CT. Doesn't matter because the view outside your window is lovely. Lots of water, boats and it fills your mind with preppy thoughts. I would love to live in the flats down there, seeing water out of three sides of the house - it looks peaceful. Rhode Island, more of the same, then 20 minutes later, you're in Boston. You can work the whole way, if you have a mobile card, you're connected just about the whole way. With more then half of the flights between Philly and Boston delayed or canceled, why travel any other way?

New Beginnings and Old Demons

2008-09-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm back online. Let me clarify - I'm back online with a computer that I don't have to wrestle away from teenagers. I'm getting ready to leave in a couple of hours for Boston, to restart my old job. My feelings are mixed - I cannot wait to get started with the job - even though I know it can be overwhelming and full of pressure - I just really feel my best with this type of work and to get paid to research, write and express my opinion? Well, for me it's a good fit. I had to leave it for a while to realize that. We all laugh about nerd revenge - that is what this job is - nerd revenge. It's fun working with the smartest people you know. I set up my old office and for being in a lousy basement, it doesn't look so bad. There's a Brady Bunch rec room feel to it.

I spent most of August absolutely alone. Some of it by choice. I got to play more golf in the last three weeks than I have in the last two years. I needed it. Golf is therapeutic for me, believe it or not. I may be only an average golfer, but when I do connect - it's wonderful. My kids were off to finish various vacations and they are gone today. I spent a lot of time with myself. Because Mom is still in nursing home, I barely cooked, ate at my local golf club most nights - which meant I spent too much and drank a little too much. Not too much in a sitting, but more frequently than I normally would. With job starting in 24 hours, that has been put away as part of vacation lore.

I willingly shunned social activity - a couple of close friends who forced me to come over to their houses (and for that I am grateful) even when I hemmed and hawed. If you weren't in front of my face, you weren't going to see me. It took a hammer hit to the head to make me notice anything and I thank the few who physically came and got me and made me hang out - it was wonderful and I needed it. Was I contemplating my future? No - well, not really. Was I slowing down to read the teetering stack of books on my night stand? Not really - although I did get through David Sedaris' latest and found it not as good as earlier work. Read Jen Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat, which made me go the gym for a week. I spent more time with my kids, wandering through Philadelphia, going to farmer's market and going to the movies. I spent most of my time filing for Medicaid and was happy to see some of my old organizational ability has returned because it took me a week when it takes most people months to get it together. Mostly, I just was there, in the moment, whether I liked it or not.

I wish I could say that I emerged from the cocoon of depression that has been around me for the last couple of years. I don't think I've broken totally free - not just yet, but I think the cocoon is cracked open because I may see slivers of light. It could be just me doing a better job of coming to terms with the realities of my life and letting go of what I thought I wanted. I got handed a full plate and not with the pretty food I wanted. I'm sure my actions had much to do with what landed on my plate. I have come to terms with the understanding that it's ME who has to add the seasonings and spice to make it palatable. I don't have to love it - but the force above (God, Yahweh, the Lady in the Moon, whoever) handed it to me because I need that sustenance to get through. I need a way to figure out how not just to get by but to live. That's the demon that still has its claws dug firmly into my shoulders.

Yeah, Michelle - you go girl!!

2008-08-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Did you all watch Michelle Obama last night? Did she not rock the house? What a wonderful speech!. I've been following and reading about her over the last few months, so what was said was of no surprise, but it was an affirmation of the brilliant, funny, supportive woman that we would be lucky enough to have in the White House. You go, girl!!!

If by any chance anyone wondered where I've been - well, it was computerless for a while - which was wonderful - I actually did stuff! Mom is still in the nursing home and we're broaching assisted living with her. It's tough because she can't think about anything but how it affects her. She isn't thinking about how the stress of her daily care affects all of us at home. Give us strength.

Laying Low, Enjoying A Little Piece and Quiet...

2008-08-18T19:04:00.001-07:00

With Mom still in the nursing home and the kids off for their last trip of the summer, I've been laying low and enjoying a little time to myself. I've still been going to the nursing home every day - I think you have to have a presence to make sure your loved ones get proper care (the squeaky wheel - albeit a polite one), but I've been spending most of my time researching a prepaid burial (isn't that a fun task?) and trying to file for Medicaid. Oh my word, you could fill reams of paper discussing the maze of processes you need to work through - and I'm no closer to having a commitment than before. Oh well, I'll keep plugging.

In the meantime, I've been staying away from the computer, instead, I've been enjoying the Olympics, playing a little golf and NOT cooking a damn thing! My dear friend Lauren and her girls have been keeping us busy with said golf, a couple of barbeques and a movie night where we all feel asleep on Gone With The Wind....You can't possibly start watching it at 10PM with a bottle wine and think you're gonna finish it - the wine or the movie!

I've also been trying to get back on the exercise track - I lost two weeks to Mom's accident. I'm looking for a good walking track for my iPod. Any suggestions?

When the Light Breaks Through....

2008-08-12T16:45:00.001-07:00

It's been a really tough stay in rehab for Mom. It's not new to her, she's done it before, but this time she's dealing with a lot of issues - mortality, feeling alone, physical hurt from from the injury, etc. The net result of this is that she has been really clingy, crying when I leave, berating me for being "late" when I never said when I'd be there (mind you, I've been there just about every day) and getting really nasty when I told her I might not be available one night because I was picking up my daughter from the airport and wanted to spend the evening with her. The staff of the place has been great, they all love her and can't do enough for her. For me, frankly, it's been a bitch.

Yesterday, the light broke through the clouds. During a contentious visit, I wheeled her out to the courtyard. As we were chatting, I noticed an elderly woman standing a few feet away from us, tending to her husband. She looked familiar - it turns out she was our neighborhood from my childhood home. Her husband is staying in the same place recovering from a stroke. Her daughter and I were very close friends all through elementary and high school. We talked for a while and I wheeled Mom back. Later that night, I picked up R from the airport and we headed back to the nursing home to see Mom. It was a different Mom - she reconnected with these neighbors and urged me back to the courtyard to talk with my old friend. I just missed her, but her sister (another friend) was there with the parents and we all sat and talked for a long time - it was like old home week. It made Mom feel so much better to have a connection and it made me feel good to know Mom felt better about being there, and to reconnect with old friends.

The Car Crash Explained....

2008-08-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

Everyone has a car crash....no, not a literal car crash, but something they cannot help but watch. My bestest Devonshire's family and my family, have long had conversations about our "carscrashes" - a car crash is something that is not artistically appreciated, but you love it and have to watch or read. Now, the important thing about a car crash is that it is a movie that takes itself totally seriously, but is so bloody awful that when you say that you like the movie everyone, and I do mean everyone, groans audibly. Car crash can apply to the following: car crash movies, car crash tv shows, car crash books.

Example: The all time classic is "Valley of the Dolls", as noted by this catfight:

Valley of the Dolls Catfight

By now you probably realize that Valley of the Dolls is my car crash movie - it is soooo bad, but I LOVE it. If I had to name another one, it would be Dying Young with Julia Roberts and Campbell Scott

- it is so awful, but I just have to watch it every time its on.

My car crash TV show (as of right now), is Gene Simmon's Family Jewels.

There is something about this show that I absolutely love - the fact that his public image is misogynistic, yet he is so absolutely devoted to his family and is so sentimental about them makes it dsyfunctionally charming to me. If you were to view Simmons and Shannon Tweed back in their heyday (the 70's of my youth), you'd never believe that they have a committed relationship and would raise dynamite kids. I hate to miss a show.

I think I'll tag myself for the five car crash songs you absolutely love - but first, what is your car crash movie, and what is your car crash TV show?

Marketing Mailing Lists - No Se Habla Espanol.....

2008-08-08T19:33:00.001-07:00

My surname is sorta Spanish, although when people take a look at my WASPY visage they always ask if it French. It is a Spanish surname, a Filipino one, yet no one believes it of me.....it's almost like they swear my name is Sutton Averell Townsend or something......

What amazes me is how marketing mailing lists classify someone based upon the assumed heritage of their last names. I receive La Latina, Hispanic and Ole news letters without ever having requested them. Seeing that I am a nice girl whose parentage is half Southern Gothic WASP and half Eastern European Jew, I always find it amusing; especially if you consider the fact that my ex, while a hippy, is one of the whitest guys I know.

Has anyone else gotten on the wrong end of a mailing list?

Schizophrenic sense of style

2008-08-07T19:22:00.001-07:00

Women that are my age (46....so anywhere in that generation), do you find that your sense of style is a little schizophrenic? What I mean is do you have preferences that draw from many different interests or influences? Do you even have influences at this time in your life?

I have noticed that my style has increasingly become preppy/hippy/outdoorsy/shabby chic. What the hell does that mean? My taste in clothes run from LL Bean preppy (which I have been since the 70's - just ask Devonshire Design) to hippy chic. My jewelry is either as classic as classic can be (pearls - I love them) to tibetan silver, while my clothing is a cross between LL Bean and the Sundance Catalog (body by Spaghetti precludes Vicky's these days). My home is decidedly eclectic. I guess I wonder how some folks fall under the decorating by major chain (Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, et. al) and some fall into the accumulated along the way. Is it generational or is it state of mind? What do you think?

test

2008-08-07T19:15:00.003-07:00

I should be working but......

2008-08-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

I'm gonna get a lot of mileage out of this picture...

There are days when I feel like there is a distinctly gray cloud over my head.

2008-08-04T13:30:00.001-07:00

I got up Thursday and noticed that the house was warmer than usual. I held my hand over the vent in my living room and felt that the air coming out was lukewarm. I turned down the temp. and went to work. That night, no real difference. The next day - hot as hell. I called the heater guy and found that my external unit was shot - it was at least 20 years old, so I was bummed out, but not terribly surprised, it has been wonky for the last couple of years. I asked how much to replace and heard $3100.00. Ooof. When he suggested that I cool it over night and let the condenser reset as a first recourse, I went for it.

Saturday - NO LUCK. I have a separate unit in my porch, so I turned that on and had everyone, Mom, R and M sleep downstairs. luckily I have three couches (it's a big house). I settled down to sleep myself. 2:30 in the morning, I hear a horrible crash. I run into the living room and find my 80 year old mother crumbled to the floor. Her head was bleeding profusely, and her wrist was broken. She tripped getting up from the couch to take her medicine. Called 911 - followed the ambulance to the hospital where she was in the ER for five hours before they admitted her. When I heard they were admitting her, I left and crashed on the couch for a couple of hours before I took R to the airport to ship her down to NC to visit her aunt. Back to the hospital, find out my mom will be in at least overnight. Take my son out to dinner and a movie to keep his mind off the fact that it's the 8th time my mother has been rushed to the hospital in the last four years.

Monday - got the final price quote for the unit - it's 3600.00 total, but hey, I get a 10 year warranty. BFD, I'll be lucky if I'm living here in another four years. Go meet with R's counselor at school to get the low down on her 504 plan (she's ADHD kid), did I mention that I have only two days left at my job and gee, I won't be in the office for either of them?? Arrghh. Head to run errands for Mom and wound up buying this to make me feel better:

(Yes Devonshire, it IS Vera Bradley - I've officially regained my prep status, but c'mon, it's Pucci inspired and you know I love anything retro 60's Italian - god knows I have a body by spaghetti).

Head back to the hospital - only information I can find out is that they cannot do a cat scan because her kidneys cannot handle the iodine, so they have to find out another way to see if there is still bleeding in the brain (or if there is any to begin with). Mom says they keep looking at her eyes to see if there is bleeding - I only know that they are bloodshot. She has sten units on her feet to keep them pulsating to prevent clots. They set her wrist, her fingers are swollen and a bit bruised looking. They keep icing it to keep the swelling down. She'll be in there tomorrow for dialysis (it's her dialysis day), and maybe then they'll let her actually stand up. I actually hope they decide to put her into a step-down unit for a week to help her get her strength back, but I doubt it will happen.

A couple of things - my sister and I have taken to calling this the curse - let me explain before you think I'm cold-hearted. I was due to leave Thursday morning to go to Topsail Island. Every, and I do mean every, time I schedule a trip down to visit my sister in NC, something happens that puts my mom in the hospital. It usually happens right after she whines to my sister that she doesn't want to be alone. Mind you, she never complains when I go to work, only when I go somewhere for myself. Do I think she does this on purpose? Not really, but I sometimes wonder if some weird cosmic powers are in force here.

It's now 87 degrees in the house - I was going to cook, but forget it, it's too hot to do anything here. This mini sabbatical before I start the new job is going to break me.

I'm wondering if I have done some really bad shit to people in my last life to have so much that keeps falling on my plate. Not that I can't handle it with fairly good humor, but geez, it would be REALLY nice to have the load lighten up a little, y'know? I'd like to find some space on the plate so to speak.

Oh yeah, the diet?
Not so good while this stuff is going on.

The Big Read, Vol. 2.....

2008-08-02T17:37:00.001-07:00

Thanks to spcoleman, who pointed out another reading list. This one, from National Endowment for the Arts (my list was one compiled from the BBC), can be found here. Their list is comprised of the following:

Bless Me, Ultima

Fahrenheit 451

My Ántonia (at last, Willa Cather)

The Great Gatsby

A Lesson Before Dying

The Maltese Falcon

A Farewell to Arms (Thank you for including Mr Hemingway)

Their Eyes Were Watching God

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Call of the Wild

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Shawl

The Grapes of Wrath

The Joy Luck Club

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

The Age of Innocence

The Big Read

2008-08-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

I lifted this from a blog I found today:

"Below is a list of books printed by The Big Read, an organization that---according to their Web site---hopes to 'restore reading to the center of American culture.' They say, though, that the average American has only read six of the following hundred."
Here are the rules:
1) Bold the books you have already read
2) Italicize the books you intend to read
3) Notes in parentheses
***********************
1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (hated it - I just cannot get into Austen)
2) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
3) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (indulgent - not that there is anything bad about that).
4) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
5) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6) The Bible
7) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8) Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
9) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (The trilogy that includes the Golden Compass - it HAS to be better than the movie.
10) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
11) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
12) Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
13) Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
14) Complete Works of Shakespeare (I haven't read EVERY single work, but Twelfth Night is my favorite)
15) Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (didn't finish it though)
16) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
17) Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
18) Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
19) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
20) Middlemarch by George Eliot
21) Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
22) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
23) Bleak House by Charles Dickens
24) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
25) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
26) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
27) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
29) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
30) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
32) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
33) Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
34) Emma by Jane Austen
35) Persuasion by Jane Austen
36) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
37) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
38) Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
39) Memories of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
40) Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
41) Animal Farm by George Orwell
42) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
43) One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44) A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
45) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
46) Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
47) Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
48) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
49) Lord of the Flies by William Golding
50) Atonement by Ian McEwan (Liked, but didn't loved it)
51) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
52) Dune by Frank Herbert
53) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
54) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
55) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
56) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57) A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
58) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
59) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (Loved it!)
60) Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
62) Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
63) The Secret History by Donna Tartt
64) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
65) Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
66) On The Road by Jack Kerouac
67) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
68) Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
69) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
70) Moby Dick by Herman Melville
71) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
72) Dracula by Bram Stoker
73) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
74) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
75) Ulysses by James Joyce (I highlighted and italicized because I have started this book a dozen times yet have never finished it.
76) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
77) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
78) Germinal by Emile Zola
79) Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (horrible movie!)
80) Possession by AS Byatt
81) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
82) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
83) The Color Purple by Alice Walker
84) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
85) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
86) A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
87) Charlotte's Web by EB White
88) The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
89) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90) The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
91) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
92) The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93) The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
94) Watership Down by Richard Adams
95) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
96) A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
97) The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
98) Hamlet by William Shakespeare
99) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
100) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I actually did pretty well - over 70 of the top 100 - but I think the most telling is if I went back and said which of these have I read in the last five years and that number would drop precipitously. I just don't read fiction that much anymore - I tend to lean toward biography, nonfiction political or social works. I think life's stresses has either pushed me to read more garbage (although I still haven't read Bridget Jones' diary, yet).

The other thing I noticed is why are there no works by Hemingway, Faulkner, Ferber, and all of the other works of the great authors of that period? Why are two works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and only one by Steinbeck? Or NONE by William Faulkner? None by Tennessee Williams? Willa Cather, Edgar Alan Poe? Why only the Great Gatsby and not Tender Is The Night (which I thought was a better book); I'm not denigrating the list at all - I'm sure I'll go back and find more that I will want to read, but I cannot conceive a list of great books without A Farewell to Arms, The Sound and the Fury or Appointment at Samarra (John O'Hara).

Summertime....and the living is loafing

2008-07-31T16:23:00.001-07:00

I had the loafiest day today. It went beyond lazy into pure, unadulterated loafing. Caught up on news, gossip, blogs and movies. Even the cats were loafing:

Happiness Is.....

2008-07-27T17:37:00.001-07:00

Watching the Philadelphia Soul win the Arena football championship. Not that I am into arena football - but Jon Bon Jovi is the owner of the Soul and they kept showing close ups of him and Richie Sambora. It was enough to keep me on the treadmill for 45 minutes - I just don't know if it was the increased MPH or the close ups that had the heart rate up!

A side note - when I was bored today, I chose not to eat, or have a glass of wine (and eat), instead I chose to go to the gym. And I actually liked it. R made me a great play list and it really made the time go by....:-)

Wow....

2008-07-26T17:25:00.001-07:00

It's a real smack in the head when you haven't written anything in your blog when you even bore yourself....boy, that needs to change.

I actually have quite a lot going on - I soon will be changing jobs - going back to a career that I really loved, but was a bit burned out on - it took going away from it to realize that what I needed was not a new career, but a sabbatical. As I move into it, I'll write more about it. I'm just thrilled to go back and work with some of the smartest, funniest and maddening people I've ever known. I'm just not ready to write about it in detail because I want to get settled into it first.

I'm shipping my daughter off to North Carolina to stay with her aunt for a week. My sister just moved into a new place and needs some help straightening things out. R will help her and in return will get a few days at the family beachfront villa.

Weightwatchers is a struggle - I'm working out like I haven't in years - 45mins of cardio almost daily. Writing everything down, for good or bad, but its mostly good. The scale, she ain't budging. This is a repeat of every attempt in the last year. I've stuck with this longer and am even in the stage where I'm enjoying the workouts again. I won't give up the activity, but I'm beginning to wonder if there is something medically keeping me from shedding the pounds. I'm going heavier on cardio than I am on weight training, so I know (because I've done this before) that it's not building muscle mass - as they say, something just ain't right.

I had my day in court.......among other things

2008-07-22T14:14:00.001-07:00

Blogging in the summer is a bitch - I'm not around often enough to post regularly - right now all my discipline is going into managing my food and working out. So, the good thing is, despite a not so great week with this WW thing (worked about a gazillion hours this week and only worked out twice), I still managed to lose a half pound, so I'm down six so far (yippee!!). I am on a break from my personal trainer, but with her blessing - I'm focusing more on cardio and building endurance right now, once I start getting a good rhythm down, I will go back.

On to the most exciting part of my week - my day in court. As you may have read, I was pulled over and had my Pathfinder impounded. Today was my day to appear. I was in court 12 years ago to finalize my divorce, so needless to say, I am a neophyte in this area. I headed out and went into the court administrator - who told me there was no court today...but wait, it's on my Blackberry! Oh shit....didn't I tell you? I got ANOTHER ticket that week (it was bad karma car week) because I drove over some crossed yellow lines at the beginning of the passing lane - after three other folks who'd done the same thing, but I was the one the cop picked - must have been that big peace sign magnet on my car - with my Chico's outfit, I must have SO LOOKED LIKE A RABBLE ROUSER. I digress... I realized that I had crossed the two dates in the calendar. So I had to run back, pick up the necessary paperwork and skedaddle over to Edgewater Park court. I knew I'd be late, so I called the court. I explained that my situation and was told "Oh, don't worry, honey, our regulars sometimes don't roll in here till noon!" I assured her I had no intention of becoming a regular but thanked her for letting the court clerk know.

I arrived at court (not at all late - the judge was running a bit behind); and found it FULL. I entered my plea with the clerk and asked to speak with the prosecutor. I took my seat and watched the circus begin. This town is essentially a blue collar town that borders a low income area. While there are some lovely areas that are being restored (the kids' dad bought in on that restoration trend), there are still many more areas that are home to a lot of immigrants, first generation Americans, and a transient population. As a result of that, this town has a pretty tough reputation that may or may not be deserved and the police don't cut many breaks. All I can say is that it was a surreal experience - watching the "regulars" trot up to the judge, greet him and because of their "experience", they have an astounding knowledge of the law. Two guys were up there because of restraining orders - one, the parents of the victim were vouching for him and he ticked off what was permissible and what wasn't, and the other guy had a mediation agreement not to see some other guy's kids. They were back in court because the father had seen this other man with his kids, taking them to the bus stop and in the supermarket (I'm assuming the man with the mediation agreement was the present boyfriend of the kids' mother - it seemed there was a relationship between them and she yelled out in the court room). The kids' father had taken out the complaint and when the judge questioned the defendant, the defendant noted that the father had CALLED him and asked him to pick up the kids! The father allowed that he had not seen the man around the kids in some time (since the phone call) = there was no crime. The mediation turned into a court order and the men dismissed. You could hear them out in hallway screaming at each other.

When they called for everyone that wanted to talk to the prosecutor to make a plea agreement, I went with the crowd. I do mean crowd. The line stretched through the ENTIRE building. It took an hour just to reach the guy - by the time I got to him, he was cranky and ornery, but I got the charge reduced to failure to present insurance and registration, and because it was a first offense, charges were suspended and I only had to pay court costs. Cool! Great! I can just go pay and leave, right? No lady, he says, you can just go wait back in the court until the judge calls you.

The next drama was this guy who sauntered up when called and knew as much about the penalties for driving on the revoked list as the judge - except for one thing - when he cockily told the judge he wasn't worried, it was just a 10 day sentence - the judge told him, "Wrong, for you, it's a 20 day sentence" Everyone in the courtroom cracked up. The rest of the day went on with DUIs, vandalism and the like. Three hours later, I finally get called, questioned by the judge and sentenced to pay the court costs. I leave to go to the court clerk and find an absolute party down by the clerk's office - This one woman who was pressing charges against one person, and trying to get another bailed out of jail had her three kids in tow, her boyfriend trying corral the kids who were bored, tired and hungry and therefore screaming their heads off. She was chatting with the 20 day guy who was entertaining the crowd....it took another 30 minutes to just get to the window to pay the ticket. My head was splitting, because one screaming kid was positioned on a bench, right next to my ear. The clerk told me, "I told you this was old home week - what a party!" I smiled, paid my court costs and said, thank you so much for your help, but this is one party I hope to never attend again!!

Unsettling, Satire, Fear Mongering....Take Your Pick

2008-07-14T10:25:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have not seen the cover of the latest New Yorker, here it is in all its glory:

Now, I love the New Yorker. I agreed with Miranda in Sex in the City, when she called the New Yorker her porn. I've been a subscriber for years. It's smart, it's thought provoking, it can make you incredibly angry or laugh right out loud. I've turned my kids onto the New Yorker (which means I'm lucky if I even get to read it on a regular basis - I usually have to ferret it out from under R's bed two weeks late), and I usually save back issues to savor again and again.

This cover is gives me pause. I realize that its meant to be satire - and heaven knows there were enough pundits to say so. Many of them said sneeringly, "it's just a joke - the New Yorker audience gets this sort of thing". Well, I AM the New Yorker audience, and I DO get that it's satire, but I would have felt a whole lot better about it if the cartoon, entitled "The Politics of Fear" were an accompanying article about that very subject - instead, there is an article about "Making It" how Chicago shaped Obama. It's an excellent article and I think on the whole, pretty positive, if you agree with the fact that in order for Obama to rise as meteorically as he has, his practices are much more than those of a studied outsider. The article paints Obama as a master of the political game, albeit one with a social conscience and is genuinely concerned with doing the right thing. I'm fine with that. I'm not naive enough to think that you can be successful in this day and age without mastering the art of the game. I respect Obama for that and that's why there's an Obama '08 sticker on my car (and I live in one of the few overwhelmingly Republican towns in a blue state). It's satire out on its own with no content supporting it that, I think, is a problem.

One of the other things that gives me pause here is that while the New Yorker plays to a particular audience, it is a nationally distributed publication that reaches audiences that are more Fox News alarmists than those who think themselves sophisticated. It's been demonstrated over and over again that we are a nation that is educated by sound-bite and those sound bites are easily manipulated - swift boats anyone? Some yokel, flipping on the news will see this cover, not bother to listen to some or any of the description of the satire and firmly believe that Obama is a muslim terrorist. Think I'm kidding? The Pew Foundation released the results of a survey last week noting that 12% of Americans still think that Obama is not a Christian, but a Muslim. Hell, 1% think he's JEWISH!! We are fed so much information and misinformation, that its difficult for even the media savvy to sift through the dreck to get to the heart of the real story - let alone to digest it and form an opinion of it. No, we basically receive a sound-bite where the political views of the network brass place a subliminal message to bubble up some time later. Whether we question it or not is can determine the outcome of an election.

All that being said, I'm conflicted about criticizing this. I think satire is good, especially political satire - we should expect to think about all the garbage that whirls around us in political campaigns. It forces us to separate the speculation and the partisanship from the issues. We SHOULDN'T buy everything we're told. However, we should also avoid hate mongering at all costs - and I think this doesn't just satirize the politics of fear, I think it plays into it.

First Weigh In

2008-07-14T07:52:00.001-07:00

Down 5.5lbs!!!

Cardio/Weights - 3x a week.

From experience I know that it won't be like this every week, it'll be more like a 1/2 lb to a 1lb - but for me, this was important to me psychologically. I tried to do WW a year or so ago, and when I did a 1/4lb the first week - and nothing the second - it was so disappointing that I quit on it almost immediately. I had to see some movement in order for me to keep up the motivation. This is a good start.

Which Austen Heroine Are You?

2008-07-13T17:44:00.001-07:00

"> '>I am Elinor

A Wonderful New Discovery

2008-07-10T14:15:00.001-07:00

Today, I'm going to give a shout out to a great new blog that I found, called The WW Chick. She combines vegetarianism with Weight Watchers. How dynamite is that? (sorry if I date myself horribly, but it was my birthday last Saturday and now I am. officially.older.than.God. but younger than my mom, who is WAY older than God).

As the few loyal souls who read my blog know that I've been struggling to get my ass back in shape, it's been somewhat of a losing battle. Yeah, I feel a lot better and I was making the attempt to exercise, I wasn't giving up certain things that are crucial to weight loss.....like many glasses of wine, the occasional (ok, not so occasional) french fry. Dropping the meat was great, but adding some more of the grains actually added about 10 pounds.

Well, over the last few days, I've had a few close friends remark that I'm not my old self, I'm a good bit more than my old self. These are the folks who can tell me anything and it's okay - it's done with love and yes, there are many times when I NEED to be told ~~off~~ what to do. I was not hurt by this, okay, yes, it's always a stinger to hear it, but instead of a slap, it was like a light going off. You see, I am the queen of rationalization. If I look in the mirror a certain way, or go for those skinny mirrors, then I can kid myself that I don't look so bad (come on, you know you've done this), so it's okay to have another glass of wine - or a cookie. I have PMS, and I'm thankful that I still HAVE a period, so chocolate is okay. The executive team of my company must have had group lobotomy rates, and they took advantage of cheap surgery, so I really need two martinis. See where I'm going with this?

Anyway, my bestest is on WW and is doing great, she looks FABULOUS, not only do I envy her great skin, but now I get to envy her figure. She offered to support me in going back to WW (where I lost a person about 12 years ago and kept most of it off until last year or so). So, I'm taking her up on it. I've started back online and if I feel like I need even more support, then I'll go back to the meetings. I've also started to haul my ass into the gym more than just when the trainer wants me there. Say a prayer, kids, that my resolve stays strong....

Anyway - back to WW chick. One of my concerns was that I'd have to go back to meat. I'm not anti-meat at all, I'll eat it occasionally -primarily fish or chicken, but I like to keep that to a minimum. WW chick's site offers tips, recipes and vegetarian ones at that. She rocks!!

And the story almost ends.....

2008-07-08T18:11:00.001-07:00

Well, $250 later, my Pathfinder was returned to me. Two registrations, compounding fees and the eventual tank of gas later, my Pathfinder is parked in front of my house. I am considering selling it, it's had a good run, but I really don't need a second car.

I have a court date later this month in which I fervently hope I can reduce the tickets by producing said insurance card and registration. Geez, I feel like such a slacker kid...if I could only fit in those size extra teeny jeans they wear....;-)

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

2008-07-06T16:34:00.001-07:00

It's the end of the weekend. I'm sitting here, spent. I'm utterly exhausted. Thursday, I picked up my sister and her partner at the airport - we stopped back at home to see my mother and my kids, then the three of us went out for sushi at this little place in Haddonfield. It was pretty good, but very expensive.

Friday, we shopped, ran around and bought up groceries we needed for our party scheduled for Saturday. I ran errands while my sister began prepping for the party. We barbequed burgers and dogs and sat under my new gazebo and just talked - I've really missed my sister and it was lovely catching up. After dinner, my daughter decided to meet her friends at the high school to catch the fireworks. We live across the street from the high school, so I strolled over with her then walked back to the yard - we were so lucky, we could sit in my backyard and watch the fireworks without having to fight the crowds.

Saturday, was the big party day. It was also my birthday. We had a huge spread (pictures to come - I took them with my daughter's camera and I think she took the camera with her on vacation). We had quite the spread - Thai chicken wings, carnitas, marinated skirt steak, tossed salad with red/green leaf lettuce, mesclun, red onions, grape tomatoes and queso fresca. We had grilled tortillas, corn vidalia salad and watermelon and jicama salad. Everything was fabulous.

The wine and the sangria flowed. We made white sangria, with watermelon, strawberries and peaches. It was a very eclectic crowd - my best friend and her husband, my sister's friends, my neighbors, golf partners and friends - everyone mixed quite well. The night went on and on, we finished the night at 3 am after a couple of logs in the fire pit. Folks slept over and we all woke up feeling pretty fuzzy. The was the beginning of the ridiculous.

The ridiculous became surreal pretty quickly. I had to drop the kids at their dad's house by 10. We jumped in my SUV and drove off. I noted that my car was due for inspection - hmmm, I didn't recall getting my registration in the mail, I made a mental note to go to the DMV the next day. I dropped them off and saw that I needed gas and due to the hangover, I was in dire need of a diet coke and a hamburger. I pulled out onto the highway and headed off to McDonalds, grabbed my burger and returned to the highway. I was driving the speed limit and a few minutes later flashing lights popped up into my rear view mirror. I pulled over and when the cop approached me, I asked what was wrong - my registration had expired! I reached over and dug out my registration, damn, if she wasn't right. I next took out my insurance card....sinking feeling in my stomach. It was the card that expired a few months earlier. Shit. I had the clear memory at that moment of laying the insurance card on the table in the front hall. Two. Months. Before.

I'm sure you know where this is going. A second cop pulled up - a nasty, arrogant guy. Told me to get out of the car, and leave my keys because they were going to tow it and impound it. I asked if I could drive it over to the diner (about 20 yards up the road) and park it. Nope, it's illegal to drive it without the proper paperwork. I said, leave it here on the road unlocked? But what if it gets stolen? It's on you, he replied. Are you going to leave me on the side of the road? I could, he replied, you have to call someone to come pick you up because you can't walk along the highway. I'll get the other cop to give you a ride to the WaWa convenience store. I asked a couple of more questions and he started to give me real attitude about my needing to stop wasting his time. I said back to him, hey man, I have never had a ticket before, I have no idea what to expect. Well that's too bad, you know well enough that it's illegal to drive this car. Ok, but can't you just manage my expectations here?

Get OUT of the car. Ok, Ok. I got out of the car and stepped up on the curb and began walking back to the first cop car. He yelled at me "where are you going???" I replied that I didn't want to walk in the road and risk getting hit. What a jerk. Opened the back door of the cop car and wasn't the most gentle guy helping me in.

The woman who was the first cop, took me 20 YARDS up the road to the diner and let me out. She was almost apologetic for the idiot's behavior and let me know that if I brought the appropriate stuff to the police station tomorrow, and to court in a couple of weeks, I would have the charges reduced. She said, look this stuff happens, you just have to take care of it - take it easy okay?

I think women make for better cops.

Warm Weather Musing......

2008-06-24T17:56:00.001-07:00

Today was just gorgeous - 82 degrees, sunny, lovely breeze. After a crazy, unnerving day in the office, coming outside and feeling a soft breeze against your face can revive the most tired spirit. If I could just bottle this weather....how wonderful it would be.

Good Night.......

2008-06-19T19:31:00.001-07:00

We are a sleepy bunch.....

I don't know about you, but......

2008-06-18T08:25:00.001-07:00

I WANT this woman to be our next first lady:

Please take a moment to read this article in the NY Times:

Michelle Obama Looks for New Introduction

A quote in this article really resonated with me:

“I looked out at my neighborhood and sort of had an epiphany that I had to bring my skills to bear in the place that made me,” she says in the interview. “I wanted to have a career motivated by passion and not just money.”

So many of us say that, but for a variety of reasons, lack of opportunity, lack of motivation, fear of failure, keep us rooted in jobs that will bring in the paycheck, but not the joy. I applaud her for doing just that - creating a career that helped the disadvantaged. Realistically, she wasn't completely altruistic; she also wanted to earn a living...and she did it in the smartest way - when you do what you love, the money often follows.

Did anyone watch Gore's announcement of his endorsement of Obama? I've been an Al Gore fan for years - I voted for him in 2000, and I supported him in his mid-80's run when he lost to that firecracker Dukakis (groan, groan, groan). I'm a little disappointed that he won't be actively campaigning for Obama, but I understand why - 2000 did in his taste for partisan political activities. But wouldn't he make a spectacular head of the Department of Energy?

Interpretive Dance, Vol. 2

2008-06-16T10:51:00.001-07:00

I uploaded some pictures from my camera and found this........

Gene Kelly has nothing to worry about - from either kid.

Recipes and Brown Bagging It

2008-06-15T17:18:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to discipline myself to brown bag it more often. We're really not eating out all that much anymore - too expensive, gas wise and everything else. I always make enough for leftovers and I have been carrying a tote bag with little bits of this and that tossed into plasticware, but I wanted something a bit more organized. I've recently started reading Vegan Homemade, and I liked the idea about her laptop lunches and the containers looked like it kept everything separated. I did some research online, and was ready to order when one day I stopped into the local Koren/Japanese grocery and.....Voila - my bento box:

What you can't see here is the lid that snaps on. It actually keeps stuff in place, one of the things I read were an issue with the laptop lunch case. no place for chopsticks or plasticware, but I have them in my office, so it's no matter. In this picture you see the leftover mango noodles salad (with kiwi because we ran out of mango), some BBQ tofu, hummus, carrots and a peach.

My lunch tomorrow will most certainly have this:

Lentil Salad (courtesy of the Moosewood Cookbook Low Fat Favorites)

Salad:

1 1/2 cups lentils

1/2 cup chopped red onion (chop it fine)

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

4 cups of water

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

Note: I didn't follow these measurements exactly. I wanted 1 cup of lentils and I chose to cook everything in my rice cooker because I had to run errands this afternoon. The recipe calls for chopped red onion and white onion, which I thought would be killer, so I substituted a leek which definitely softened the flavor. If you have a decent rice cooker with the fuzzy logic (I have a sanyo) just program it like white rice. If you're going to cook it on the stove, combine the lentils, the leeks and garlic with the water on the stove, bring it to a boil, then cover, lower to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until tender.

Dressing

1 cup plain yogurt

3 T chutney (jarred is fine)

1 1/2 tsp curry owder

2 tsp finely minced red onion (I omitted because IMHO there was enough onion in it already).

Juice of one lime.

Mix ingredients together and set aside until the lentils are done. Optimally, you'll let the lentils cool to room temp. You can speed this up by refrigerating them until they are room temperature.

When everything is room temp, mix together and serve on top of lettuce leaves. I added some pepadew peppers and sliced radish to balance the sweet taste of the lentils.