Reading - The Friday Night Knitting Club

I'm getting very frustrated. See, I caught a cold a week before Thanksgiving, and was well enough to celebrate that holiday. But now I think this cough and cold are going to be here for a while. Every time I think I'm better, I will try to do something, anything - decorate, cook, clean, talk - I start coughing and can't stop.

So, I'm thinking that maybe this is the way my body is telling me to sit back and do nothing. Even though sometimes it feels as though that is all I do. Thankfully we have mostly decorated for the holidays, and after Patrick left for work last night, I could curl up on the couch with the glow of the lights, a cup of tea and a book - "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs.

I don't know how to explain how deeply this book affected me. I had tears streaming down my face by the end of the book. Don't get me wrong, I have cried over books before. But for some reason the story of Georgia Walker and her daughter has hit some nerve ending for me. Even after I had crawled into bed, I couldn't get the story out of my head. I woke up several times last night, thinking about the story. Then this morning, I opened up the third book in the series - "Knit the Season", and by this afternoon I had it finished. Now I'm kicking myself that I didn't get the second book "Knit Two".

The funny thing is that I didn't think I'd like the books. I have seen the first book in bookstores before, and even though I knit, the book never seemed to call to me. I bought them because I was in the mood for some holiday reading, and thought "Knit the Season" would be a nice easy comfort read. I bought the first book just because.

I've been thinking about these books all day, and trying to analyze both the books and my thoughts. I read. A lot. So why did this book strike such a chord with me? Do I think I can relate with one (or more) of the characters?

This makes me think again of starting both a reading club, but also a knitting club. I've toyed with the idea of starting an online reading club - any body want to join?

Still upacking, and now the holidays are here

Well, we are in our new house, and still trying to get settled. This is the largest house we've ever lived in, and it is strange to be able to have space for all of our belongings. We are not fully unpacked yet, but the main level of the house doesn't make me cringe any longer, so that's a good thing. One of these days we will get around to hanging pictures, but I do wonder if we will ever be fully unpacked. No matter what size house I move into, whether it's smaller or larger than the last place I've lived, I find that I always need at least one piece of furniture or something in order to fill that one space. You know that space - that area that your eye invariably moves to that just seems wrong, empty. There are a lot of spaces like that here, yet in an odd way I'm enjoying the emptiness.



This picture was taken a few days after we moved into the house, and it shows all of the open space that surrounds us. You can't quite make out the cornfields that can be seen from our backyard, but they are there. Perhaps it's the open space around that is opening my eyes and helping me enjoy some of this stillness.

Several friends and family have asked for pictures of the house, and I should have taken pictures of the house the day before Thanksgiving, when we celebrated the holiday with Patrick's mother and the house looked good. But, I didn't. Yesterday because we were having leftovers, we thought we'd get a jump on the decorating and pulled out the boxes of Christmas decorations. Now there are decorations everywhere, but nothing is decorated. Our thin false tree that we bought for our small condo in Norfolk is standing in our living room without any ornaments looking quite sad and lonely. Let's hope I can get this posted and the decorations up!

Speaking of the leftovers...




We very rarely have the same recipes year after year for the holidays. Both of us love to try new recipes, and experiment with different flavors. This year the only thing that we have made before was Creamed Corn Gratin that I got from Bon Appetit magazine. It is so good that we have made it every year for Thanksgiving since I found it. The first time was part of a Thanksgiving meal we prepared and delivered to some of Patrick's co-workers that were working on the big day while we were stationed in Italy.

I was impressed with all of the side dishes we made this year, and I will be making them all again. I have always found that most Thanksgiving Sweet Potato recipes are too sweet, but the Sweet Potato Puree with Brown Sugar and Sherry that we tried this year was fantastic. I'm looking forward to using the leftovers to make sweet potato ravioli or gnocchi, or perhaps both!



I particularly loved the Cranberry Nut Rolls . I am going to be making these again and again to have with soups, but especially for breakfast. I had a wonderful breakfast of leftover rolls toasted with butter - um, yum! The only thing that I may do next time is make them a little smaller, to maximize the crust.


The Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples were very easy to put together, and would be good as a side dish for any fall or winter dish.

P.S.
Just click on any of the links to get the recipe links! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Memories and Faraway Friends

I have been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving and what it means to me. I'm not sure if it's just because of the upcoming holidays, or "holidaze" as I like to term it. I think it is because we are so far away from most of our family and friends, and I miss spending time with them. I especially miss cooking for them.

Most people spend the holiday with the family and a select few friends. Before I was married, I only knew the holidays as time spent with family. Gatherings around the table with family, that always ended with discussions about politics. Sometimes fun, but always loud! The food for my family was never the most important thing, it was the gathering and the the love. My grandparents were originally from the New England area, and the dishes I grew up with were all traditional New England Thanksgiving dishes. I miss spending time with family, but I have to admit I do not miss Creamed Onions!

Then I was married, and we were gone. First to Seoul, South Korea where we celebrated with friends. I can't remember many of the details of our first Thanksgiving there, other than the panic of preparing my first big meal for a group of people! We knew how hard it was to be away from family for the holidays and decided to invite anybody who wanted to come. Now that I think about it, it wasn't a huge party, I think there was a over 10 people. But that was more people than I had ever served, and we had to buy more plates, silverware, napkins and glasses! The second year we co-hosted Thanksgiving for a group of mostly single sailors and marines with my friend Chasity who lived 3 floors below us. It was great, and besides the fun, I remember it was the first time I had ever had pecan pie!

Since then, I have celebrated Thanksgiving in 3 different countries, and at least 7 different cities. I've been lucky enough to celebrate through the years with all sets of our families. We've traveled to Dallas to celebrate with Patrick's father and step-mother. Soon after I met my father, he became ill, and we came here to St. Louis to spend the last Thanksgiving that my father got to see with him and his family.

I think about all of the friends that I have fed at our house, and all of the friends who have fed us at their houses. I also think about good friends that I have not had the opportunity to celebrate with. For all of the times that family is far away, friends have become family, and I miss everyone of them.

This is for every member of our immediate families, as well as our friends that are like family: Chasity, Danielle, Tara and Marvin, Crystal and Rob, Shazi and Bernard, Shastie and Ed, Tammy and Marvin, Maureen and Tim , David, Valarie, Michelle and Dan, Craig and Mikal, and Sean and Shay. I'm sorry if I forgot anyone. I love you all!!

Moving and a simple recipe

It has been over a month since I've sat down with the computer, and tried to write something here. I wish I had a good excuse, but I don't think there is such a thing!

Things are still in flux, but we are not moving from the St. Louis area. The last time I wrote, we were most likely moving to DC. Well, the negotiations fell through for that job, so we decided to stay here. Within a week of realizing that we weren't moving to DC, a friend and co-worker of Patrick's put their house on the market. We have been to their house before and loved it. They bought in a little over a year ago, brand new, and he put a lot of work into the house. The biggest reason for wanting this house was the finished basement that Jim did. He put in a spacious bar and pool table which is staying with the house! SO... we put a contract in on it. We are moving right before Halloween. Which is VERY soon!

Now, the house that we are renting is the first actual house that either of us have ever lived in. We've lived in apartments, condos and townhouses - but never a house. And now we are going to have one of our very own. It's in the country, but close to Patrick's work in Illinois. You can see cornfields from the backyard! I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust to it, being the city girl that I am. But, I'm so excited. We finally are going to have room to put all of our stuff. We have so many beautiful things that we have picked up from our travels, and we've never had them all out. Plus, we are going to have room for guests! So, pack your suitcases, and come to stay for a while... I am looking forward to having visitors that I can cook for!

I haven't been cooking very much for the last month or so. Mainly just heating things up. But I was standing in line the other day at the grocery store, and was staring at the magazines, when I saw a picture for Ravioli with Apples and Walnuts on the cover of the October issue of Real Simple. So, I bought the magazine, and tried the recipe last night. It has been so long since I've served something good or even thought about writing, that I didn't think about taking a picture of the finished product, but it was absolutely delicious. I have to say I was a bit unsure as I was putting the ingredients together, because it didn't seem like much. But one bite changed my mind. I can't describe how the ingredients come together, but wow. This is definitely something that we will be making again, and soon!

Click on this link to get the recipe from Real Simple.

Life is a work in progress

I don't know about you, but lately I've been re-evaluating just about everything. I believe that my life has always been a work in progress, but for some reason now more than ever. I have never felt very comfortable with myself, physically or otherwise. I'm trying many different things, and one of them is that I joined Weight Watchers. I don't know if it has been apparent by the types of recipes I've posted recently, but I've been doing it for a few months now. I have lost 15 pounds so far. I still have a long way to go to where I would like to be, but it's O.K. I'm happy with how it is going.

We also may be moving, again. It is not definite, but it is a very real possibility. St. Louis was not originally in our thoughts as to where we would end up once Patrick retired from the Navy. So, moving is not a huge shock, but I did think we may be here for a bit longer than we have been! As always, I am excited for the new adventures awaiting us. However... I am not looking forward to moving only 9 months since our last move. In the last 14 years we have moved 7 times. It's always fun to live in new places, and experience new things. It's the actual moving I despise. The packing, organizing, the angry cats, finding a new home, and then the unpacking and trying to get everything in it's place.

We have collected so many objects and art from all of our travels, that we had over 11,000 pounds of, well, crap when we moved here. One of my many goals for the next month (HA, who am I kidding, next year) is to go through most of this stuff we have accumulated and to donate the things we do not need or want and throw away the things that no one else could possibly want. Sometimes I wish that I was one of those people who only had a few things and could move with a small moving truck. I've read several articles about the 100 Things Challenge. These people downsize their belongings to 100 articles. Some people have adjusted this a bit, and count a collection of say, books as 1 item. I know that I will never be able to downsize that much and truly I don't think I would want to downsize that much. I like my things too much, but I do think it is time to scale back and only keep the things that I need or love. There are some great articles and blogs out there about this, and the following are my favorites:

How to Live with Just 100 Things
The Art of Zen Living
Guy Named Dave's 100 Thing Challenge

I have been mulling over how to put into words some of the thoughts that are jumbling around in my head to end this particular writing, and nothing I type makes sense in the way that I was hoping. So, I found this quote that I thought was very apropos of both this blog and this tangent that my mind is on!

Every possession and every happiness is but lent by chance for an uncertain time, and may therefore be demanded back the next hour. ~Arthur Schopenhauer

Pasta with artichokes and carrots

I know it's been much too long since I've stopped by to say hello. I have no real excuses, because honestly, I haven't been very busy. The only exciting thing that has happened this past month was that we got to go to the All Star Game that was held here in St. Louis. How often do you get the advantage of living in the city in which something big like that is happening? Patrick is a huge baseball fan, so we knew we had to go. We had a great time, and got to spend some time with friends who came from Virginia to see the game.



When we took this job, we knew that Patrick would be doing shift-work, and that the rotation would be every 3 months, switching between days, swings and mids. So, when his schedule changed again we weren't too upset. He is now working the swing shift which means he leaves the house just before 1 in the afternoon, and gets back home about 10:45 at night. The only real problem with this, as I'm sure you can guess, has been the change that I've had to do in order to get lunch and dinner ready. We like to have lunch before he leaves for work, and he normally takes his dinner in to work. I've come to realize that I don't like to do a lot of cooking at 9 in the morning. I'm just not quite awake enough to be wielding a knife with anything but trepidation before I've had coffee. Breakfast items are O.K. at that time, as are getting things started that need to cook for hours such as pasta sauce or a roast. But to cook the main meal at that time, and then eat immediately afterwards is just a little daunting at that hour. I really don't know what we have been eating, although I have vague recollections of some less than appealing foods. Things that I've tried to pull together as well as - horror of all horrors - prepared foods. Which hopefully explains my absence!



Needless to say, what I am attempting to do is begin cooking the day before. Which means that in the morning I'm not rushing around trying to get lunch ready. For the following dish - Pasta with artichokes and carrots, I made the sauce last night, so this morning all I had to do was cook the spinach fettuccine and crumble the goat cheese. I normally would prefer to use fresh artichokes, but this time I took the easy way out and used frozen. I love artichokes, but they can be unwieldy to prepare. This is a really great dish, very light tasting, which is great for the summer, but it is also very filling and best of all good for the waistline.

Pasta with artichokes and carrots
From "The Mayo Clinic Williams Sonoma Cookbook"


1 pound dried spinach fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 oz frozen artichoke hearts, cut lengthwise into thin strips
8 carrots, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup crumbled soft goat cheese

Fill a large pot three-quarters full of water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the artichoke hearts, carrots, and red pepper flakes and saute until the carrots are tender, 5 - 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add the vermouth, lemon juice and thyme. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds longer.

Remove 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta thoroughly. Add the reserved cooking water and pasta to the vegetables. Stir and toss to combine.

To serve, divide among 6 individual plates. Top each with an equal amount of the goat cheese.

Open faced wasabi-horseradish crab melt

It has been almost 10 years since I first tried an open faced crab melt sandwich. Patrick and I had just moved back to Seattle, after living in Seoul for two years. It was a stressful time because Patrick was gone for almost a year of the year and a half we were home. We were living in Ballard, and because he wasn't home very much we weren't able to go out very much.

It was an unusual evening because Patrick was actually home, and we wanted to get out of the house and do something, but we didn't know what we wanted to do. We were not starving, but wanted to get a little something to eat - not a full meal. We got in the car and started driving around. We spotted this dive bar on the water, and it looked like a great place to hang out. I wish that I could remember the name of the bar that we stopped in, although it may not even be there anymore! It was a dark and smoky bar with a jazz band playing, and everyone seemed to know each other. I cannot believe that we only went there once, it was just the type of place we like to go to. We ordered some wine, but also wanted a little something to munch on. That was when we saw the open faced crab melt on an english muffin. As soon as we took one bite, we knew we had found something wonderful. I'm not sure if I can do justice in describing the seemingly easy combination of flavors that make up the delicious flavor of a crab melt.

Because it is a very rich dish, I haven't made them in a very long time. But the other day, when I realized I had leftover crab from the crab and avocado quesadilla I had made for dinner, this was the first thing I thought about.

If you have never tried Bay's english muffins, I highly recommend them. You find them in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, and they are my favorite.

Some crab melts use a lot of mayonnaise and cheese, but I wanted to put a different flavor on these crab melts and make them a little healthier. I decided that a wasabi-horseradish would add some heat and flavor, and allow me to use less mayonnaise.

In order to cut some of the cheese, I used just a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan to the top of the melts to give just a touch of flavor. I plated the tomato to the side of my crab melts, but I put the tomato on top to eat.

Open Faced Wasabi-Horseradish Crab Melts on English Muffins

This is what I did, but you may need to adjust the seasoning to your tastes. If you do not like spicy food, use all mayonnaise in place of the wasabi-horseradish.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, finely mined
1/2 pound lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon creamy wasabi-horseradish sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
4 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
2 english muffins, split and lightly toasted
1 tomato, sliced

Preheat the broiler, and arrange english muffins on a baking sheet. Saute the onions, bell pepper and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is translucent. Combine the sauteed vegetables, crab meat, mayonnaise, wasabi and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice if needed. Mound the mixture on top of each english muffin and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Broil the melts for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are warmed through and the tops are caramelized. Serve with tomato slices.

Old Clothes and Photography

Ever since I started this blog, I have been fighting with myself over what my intentions are. There are so many wonderful food blogs out there, and I doubt if I have read one-tenth of them! Some read like wonderful short stories, some have you drooling over the dishes that they describe, and most of them have fantastic photography.

Once upon a time, I loved taking pictures. I even thought that I would not make a half-bad photographer. But somewhere along the way I seem to have misplaced that particular talent. Some of this is for lack of trying, I didn't pick up a camera for years. And now that I started this blog, I am forgetting to take pictures of every step of the cooking process. Sometimes even forgetting to take pictures of the final product! I have been getting very frustrated with both the lighting in this house, and the cameras that I am using. I would love to lay the blame on them, but perhaps it could just be user error.

My intention is to write at least once a week. A recipe that I want to share with everyone, with beautiful pictures and intelligent writing. I haven't been living up to that intention, but I am going to try harder.

This particular dish is a prime example of my forgetfulness. I made this last night, and did not even once think of taking a picture. I know that Ropa vieja, or "old clothes" does not make a pretty picture, especially if you are taking it the next day without much fuss. But it is a wonderful dish. This version is not a traditional Cuban recipe, but it is one that I came up with one day when I didn't want to go to the store. My onions had gone bad, and I had no bell peppers, but I did have a beef brisket in the freezer, lots of spices and some rice. I know it takes a long time to cook, but it is something you can put on the stove and almost forget about. I try to make this a few times a year and stash some in the freezer for quick meals. I usually serve at least a few servings over rice. It is terrific in just about any Mexican or Cuban dish, nachos, quesadillas, burritos or tacos. It is also fantastic added to scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast.

Ropa vieja or Shredded Beef over Rice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 4 pound boneless top chuck roast, trimmed of all visible fat
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato puree
2 cups water
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

rice, for serving

Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper, and place carefully in the hot oil. Brown all sides of the roast.
Combine all remaining ingredients, except rice and pour over the meat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Check the liquid occasionally and turn the roast to get all sides in the liquid. Cook for 4 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove roast from the liquid and shred meat. Return the meat to the juices and increase the heat to reduce the sauce, if needed. Season to taste, and serve over rice.

Heat makes me crazy

I think I must have been delusional when I found out we were moving to St. Louis. For some strange reason, I thought that St. Louis in the summer would be cooler than Washington, DC or Norfolk, Virginia. Ha! I'm not sure why I thought that, maybe it was during one of the heat spells in Norfolk that I thought that. St. Louis is HOT. I think of this as the beginning of summer and with the heat index it is 108 right now outside. I'm really afraid to know what August is going to be like!

I don't know if it's my Irish blood, or the fact that I grew up in mild Seattle, but the heat does strange things to me. Not even taking into account the fact that I burn in under 10 minutes, but if I am out in it for any length of time, I get light-headed, dizzy and downright odd in the head. I am really thankful that I am not working, and I don't have to go out much if I don't really want to!

Thankfully we have central air conditioning, which is something almost unheard of in Seattle. Whenever I think of central A/C I can't help but think of the scene from the movie "Dogma" with the demon Azrael. "No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater than central air...". I whole-heartedly agree with that!

But, because this is an older home that we are renting, there are some rooms that don't cool quite as well as others - the kitchen in particular. My kitchen is 80 degrees right now, while it is 75 degrees in the dining room, where I am right now. As you can imagine, I haven't been wanting to spend too much time in the kitchen, but I have to spend some time in the kitchen - we have to eat!

Which brings us to one of the most recent dishes I've made. I did have to heat up the kitchen to make Rotini with Salmon and Roasted Garlic from "Everyday Pasta" by Giada De Laurentis, but I ate the leftovers cold the next day! If you can remember to roast your garlic earlier in the day or the day before, this comes together very quickly.

But, you can also use the heat of the oven to make on of my favorite side dishes - roasted asparagus. Just rinse and dry your asparagus, and snap the ends off. Place them in a roasting dish large enough to lay the spears flat. Drizzle them with just enough olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Depending on the thickness of your asparagus, they will take approximately 6-12 minutes to cook.

Rotini with Salmon and Roasted Garlic

from "Everyday Pasta" by Giada De Laurentis

2 whole heads of garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound rotini or fusilli (corkscrew-shaped pasta)

1/2 cup Marsala or white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 pound salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons drained capers

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the heads of garlic in half crosswise and place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up and around the garlic, making sure it stays flat, and fold the edges to seal into a tight packet. Roast until soft, about 60 minutes. Let the garlic cool slightly, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash half of the roasted garlic cloves into a paste with the back of a fork. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine the Marsala and chicken broth in a large heavy skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the mashed roasted garlic and stir to dissolve. Simmer uncovered for 4 minutes, then add the salmon, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add the remaining whole roasted garlic cloves, the lemon zest and juice, rosemary and the cooked pasta. Stir to combine; add the extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir once more. Serve immediately.

Our lives for the last month, or so...

Hello again. I think it is a good thing that I don't have a lot of readers yet, with my recent absence. I with that I could say that I won't be away for that long again, but life has a way of throwing curve balls at you.

It has been a whirlwind month. Both Patrick and I are exhausted. Joyce, my mother-in-law, went into a nursing home last Tuesday. This has been one of the most frustrating and difficult situations that we've dealt with in our lives.

I am finally able to sit down in a silent house. All I have heard for the last month is the constant noise of the TV and an oxygen machine. I sometimes forget that I am unusual (in so many ways). Most people need background noise - the TV, radio, etc. I love music, but I need silence in order to relax. Perhaps I should really consider spending some time at a Buddhist Monastery. Before all of this happened, I had been trying to do yoga and meditate, although I haven't had the time nor the energy to do anything lately! I think my favorite thing that has happened in the last month, is the reply to a Facebook entry I made about trying to relax from my friend Shazi -she told me that my new nickname was "Zen Jen". I like it!

It all began on Sunday April 26th. Patrick was off, and we were running errands and trying to explore St. Louis when he got a call from his aunt. His mom was in the hospital. I guess I should fill you in with some background before I go on. Joyce has a myriad of health issues. To summarize, she has been diabetic since 1983, she had a triple bypass in 1999, she has macular degeneration and is legally blind, and has been going through kidney dialysis 3 times a week for the last 3 years. For the last 1o years or so, we have been trying to convince her to move into a facility of some sort. At first we were trying to get her into a senior community, and as time went on, and her health problems got worse, we tried to convince her to go into an assisted living facility and then a nursing home. She didn't want to do that; she did not think she needed to go into any sort of home. Ever since before Patrick retired from the Navy, we had been talking about moving her closer to us. With all of the uncertainties we were facing: where we were going to be, what his job would be and would we like the area, we didn't make any definate plans. We were going to address the issue once he was permanent in his new job and had vacation time. That was going to give us plenty of time to find a community for her to live in. Before the 26th of April, she was still insisting that she could live on her own in an apartment. Then the doctor called us and told us that she could not live alone any longer, and that if we wanted her to be close to us, than it was better to do it soon. Very soon.

So began the scramble. Patrick worked 10 days straight so that he could have 4 days off to bring her to St. Louis. On Thursday, May 7th we drove out of St. Louis after Patrick got off work to pick up my mother-in-law, Joyce (from now on referred to as MIL) in Alabama. We had to be back home by that Sunday (Mother's Day) so that she could make her dialysis appointment on Monday, and Patrick started work again on Tuesday.

We knew even before getting home that having her stay with us for an extended period of time was not going to work. Now, you have to understand that we are renting an old house, with stairs at both the front and back entrances. My MIL needs the wheelchair lift to use the bus, because she can't go up those stairs. Within the first week that she lived with us, she fell 5 times! She did get a nasty gash on one of those falls, but thankfully she never truly hurt herself.

We soon realized exactly how much care she needed.

I think that many young girls dream of being a nurse. I was never one of those girls. I respect nurses. More now than I did before. The last month I have administered her medication, been her aid to and from her three times a week dialysis appointments, bandaged her boo-boos (her words, not mine), tried to cook food she would like according to her renal diet (I'll be doing another post on that), tried to keep the house clean and do laundry, cleaned up fecal matter, helped her in and out of the shower, put cream on a rash on her butt... this list could go on, but I don't want to get into too much detail.

We have realized that I have more patience than I thought I had, and that Patrick has less than he thought he had.

And then you have the difference in personalities. My MIL has always been a bit childish. I think that has something to do with her size. At 4'7", she is a small woman, and her voice is very high (think a little lower than the munchkins in "The Wizard of Oz") . I know that people always mention how cute and adorable she is, and I think at some point in her young life she decided to play that up a bit. She seems to be regressing more and more as she ages. She talks with baby-talk, allot. She refers to her "tummie", when she is hungry she wants some "yummies", things are "all-rightyyy", and any sore is a "boo-boo".

Those of you who know me well, know that I don't watch much television, and when I do I prefer quirky films and programs. Shows such as "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", "The Soprano's", "Weeds", etc... Because of her health issues, my MIL can't do much except watch television. Her favorite things to watch are Disney cartoon movies, John Wayne films and the Andy Griffith show. I found out in the last few weeks that she also watches the Hallmark Channel, Foodtv, and the Price is Right.

We did have a home nurse that came out several times a week to check her vital signs and make sure that everything was OK. That was nice until she told me that my MIL should not even be getting out of a chair or her bed by herself. My MIL sleeps most of the day, and is up at night. I didn't know how I was going to be able to be there all the time that she needed me. Needless to say, I have spent the last few weeks on pins and needles. Scared that I was going to find her on the floor, again. I don't sleep well normally, but I have been constantly thinking of what needs to be done next, and did I give her the right medication, am I cooking her the correct food, what should I cook her next...

Food - sigh. She has the will-power and self-control of a 3 year old child left alone in a grocery store. When I first met her, 14 years ago, she ate McDonald's for breakfast every morning (remember she was diabetic) and from what I can tell she hadn't stopped that, even with being a kidney patient. She doesn't like plain water because it tastes "ickie". She only likes chicken fried, she always wants sweet things, and she salts everything, most of the time before tasting it -including fruit. I felt like I was a nanny again, trying to get her to eat healthy food. Nothing I cooked or did was right, or good enough for her.

Although I am happy that she is in a nursing home, I feel guilty for putting her there. She is not happy and she does not think that she needs to be in a nursing home. I constantly have to remind myself that the nurses know that she needs to be there. Whether she likes it, or knows it, it is where she should be.

The adventure is not quite over yet. She is in a home, but we still need to apply for Medicaid, so that she can stay there. Then there will be the complaints. Neither of us are looking forward to that, but it will be really wonderful to be able to go and visit her once or more a week, spend an hour or so with her, and then come home to silence.

Ahh... silence!

In the mood for Asian

I've been thinking a lot about how my cooking styles have changed lately. When I was first learning to cook, I was very unsure of myself and only tried very easy dishes. You know the type, the ones in which a can or two of cream soup are involved. It didn't take too long for the foodie gene to hit me, and I started trying many more types of recipes.

I think that most of the time what we cook is in direct relationship to how much time we have to devote to the kitchen. Although, I am rethinking that since I have all the time to cook that I may need or want, and yet I haven't felt the creative urge to do something time consuming like baking bread like I used to. There are so many recipes and techniques that I would love to master, and yet... I find myself doing something else. Is it all in one's frame of mind?

All of this thinking made me remember how many Asian -inspired meals I used to make. At least a couple of times a month, if not once a week I would cook something, whether it be Thai, Korean, Chinese or an Asian fusion meal. That stopped when we lived in Italy. I remember trying to cook Pad Thai on a warm summer day in our small kitchen in Italy, and it just didn't feel right. There is a reason why a certain food or wine tastes exceptional in one geographical area but only just okay in another.

Even though we have been back in the Continental U.S. for some time, I have only prepared Asian meals occasionally. Which is such a waste because there are some wonderful reasons to cook Asian food. It can be very quick and easy to prepare and healthy as well!


Both of us have been craving some Asian inspired food, and so last night I decided to dust off my cooking skills and try some easy dishes. Like many of my favorite dishes, I have several recipes for Szechuan Chicken. This is my lower fat version and is from Canyon Ranch Cooks by Barry Correia and Scott Uehlein. Because I did not feel like getting out my indoor grill, I sliced the chicken into bite sized pieces before placing them in the marinade and stir fried them in a large skillet. To make your next day's meal easy, you can double the recipe for Chicken, and make extra rice in order to make stir-fried rice, which is what I am doing for dinner tonight!

I have had this recipe for Sweet and Sour Carrots for more than 10 years, and I cannot remember where I found it. All I know is that I started cooking it for just about any Chinese inspired meal I would make when we lived in Korea.

Szechuan Chicken

From Canyon Ranch Cooks by Barry Correia and Scott Uehlein


For the marinade:
3 tablespoons low sodium tamari sauce
1/2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon chili sauce
pinch of black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 skinless chicken breast halves, boned and de-fatted

Combine marinade ingredients in a baking dish. Place chicken breasts in marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare coals for grilling, preheat broiler or heat up an indoor grill. Remove chicken from marinade and grill or broil 3 to 4 minutes a side. Chicken is done when juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Sweet and Sour Carrots

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound carrots, cut on the bias into 1/4" slices
1 small onion, cut in half, then into thin slices

In a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup broth, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside. Place the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and when it is hot add the carrots and onions. Stir- fry for approximately one minute. Add the 3 tablespoons broth and reduce the heat to medium; cover and cook until the carrots are crisp tender.

Increase the heat to high and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Let sauce boil to thicken. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Sometimes easy comfort food is what is needed

It has been a bit stressful around here lately. This past weekend, we found out that we have to drive to Alabama in less than 2 weeks to pick up my mother-in-law and move her to St. Louis to stay with us, for what we are hoping will be a short time. I know that doesn't sound nice, but her health is not good at all, and I have never wanted to be a nurse. As a matter of fact, I am probably the last person you want around during a crisis! When I panic, I have a terrible habit of laughing and babbling uncontrollably. So, we are trying to find all of the information about the local nursing homes. We are finding it difficult with her not being in state, and not having any local doctors. I never knew how hard it was to find nursing homes.

So, you can say that we are in definite need of comfort food. Comfort food is different to everyone, it depends mainly on what you grew up with. There are so many different dishes that I personally define as comfort food - chicken pot-pie, dhal, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup... for me this could be a very long list.

I think that most people would not think of Sloppy Joes as a comfort food dish. My memories are of my mom every once in a while making a batch of Sloppy Joes, from a can of course! I remember those days as being special. Don't laugh - I told you that my mom wasn't a very good cook!

In doing research online, I found this wonderful Ode to Sloppy Joe that helps sum up some of that comfort food feeling that people get towards this dish. I guess that I am not the only one with fond memories toward this messy sandwich.

It has taken me a while to come up with a recipe for Sloppy Joes that I like, and I actually have two different versions. The one that I am giving you today is my full fat version. When you need comfort food, a lot of times you need the full fat version!I also love this dish because it's quick and easy. I like to serve this open-faced on lightly toasted good bread with an extra coating of garlic. I used to make a double batch so that I could freeze the extra in individual servings in order to have for those busy days when I don't want or feel like cooking.

Sloppy Joes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, finely chopped (any color will do, I like red bell pepper personally)
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup beer
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 - 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium high heat, and saute the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the celery and the bell pepper and continue sauteing until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Push the vegetables to the side and add the beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the meat is cooked through and no pink remains.

Add the beer, Worcestershire, catsup, tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer approximately 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened up and the flavors are blended. Season to taste, and serve either open faced on bread or within hamburger buns.

It's Spring, so it must be Risi e Bisi

I knew when I started this blog that once April came, I would write about Risi e Bisi. I love making this part soup, part risotto dish of goodness. Risi e Bisi is an Italian dish, no, scratch that, it is a Venetian dish. It is the most Venetian of Venetian dishes as Nigella Lawson writes in "Forever Summer". It is traditionally served on April 25th, St. Mark's Day using the first new sweet peas of spring.

Both Patrick and I have a love affair with Nigella. For different reasons of course. She is a beautiful woman who loves cooking and food so much that it shows in everything that she does. Patrick loves her because, well - she's Nigella! I love her for her endless enthusiasm for food and life. You can find some wonderful recipes and much more about her on her website Nigella.com

"Forever Summer" is where I first read about Risi e Bisi. I made it almost immediately because like Nigella, I love frozen peas. I always have the ingredients on hand to make Risi e Bisi, it is a pantry staple of mine. It is served as Primi (or starter) in Italy, but I normally serve it with some good crusty bread and a salad on the side as dinner. This is a quick and easy dinner that I hope you will join me in making on the 25th!

Risi e Bisi

Adapted from "Forever Summer" by Nigella Lawson

3/4 cup frozen petits pois, thawed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, very finely chopped

1 cup risotto rice (arborio, Vialone or Carnaroli)

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

In a small pan over a gentle heat, saute 1/2 cup of the peas until tender. Put in a food processor with another tablespoon of the butter and a tablespoon of the Parmigiano and puree.

In a heavy bottomed wide saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter together with the olive oil and gently cook the onion until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the remaining thawed peas and turn into the buttery onion. Stir in the rice until all the grains are coated, just like risotto. But here's the easy part: rather than adding the stock slowly and stirring all the while, with risi e bisi, you add all the stock at once. Stir everything together, add the petits pois puree, cover and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Pour into a large warmed bowl, and stir in the remaining Parmigiano. Season to taste. Serve in shallow soup bowls with additional Parmigiano at the table.

Espresso Chili Glazed Ham

I got this recipe from Tom Douglas' "Seattle Kitchen" when we lived in D.C. It is a great cookbook with wonderful recipes. Plus, when I am really homesick I can look at all the pictures of home and imagine myself back there. I have always admired Tom Douglas, but unfortunately have only eaten at Dahlia Lounge once. We have not had the chance to visit any of his other restaurants on our trip home, no matter how much I wanted to. I think back to the time when I lived in Seattle, and wish that I had spent more time enjoying Seattle's incredible food scene. Life is full of many would have, could have... isn't it? But as I remember back, I was much too young and much too broke to fully enjoy the pleasure of a truly wonderful meal out.

Now that is something that I have become better at. We are trying to enjoy the St. Louis restaurant scene, which may not be as well known as Seattle's, but is definitely lively. St. Louis has a terrific local restaurant scene, with many good places to eat. We have been to a few wonderful restaurants, and I am looking forward to trying more the longer we are here. They even have a free magazine and website called Sauce that is a terrific guide to eating out here in St. Louis. Hopefully I will even get around to telling you about some of them.

Every time I make this recipe, I wonder to myself why I don't make it more often. It is such a delicious combination of flavors, with the orange, chile and espresso adding a depth of flavor to the ham. Plus, ham is such an easy meal to prepare. It makes a wonderful presentation, it's less expensive than the larger cuts of beef roasts, and it is wonderful to use in leftovers. It is also very easy. I was cooking this for Easter this, in between working out in the yard! I served it with roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. Tom recommends serving it as an Easter brunch with scalloped potatoes and hot cross buns or with warm cornbread.

Espresso Chile Glazed Ham

from Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen


Half a fully cooked ham (about 8 pounds)
1 quart fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon Chinese chile paste with garlic or sambal olek
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 shots (about 1/4 cup total) brewed espresso or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, like Medaglio d'Oro


Preheat the oven to 325F. Cut the thick layer of fat and the skin from the ham and discard. Place the ham in a roasting pan. For easier cleanup, line the pan with aluminum foil, because the glaze will drip off and burn on the bottom of the pan. Roast the ham for 1 hour.


While the ham is roasting, make the glaze. Combine the orange juice and zest, brown sugar, Kahlua, chile paste, and pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mixture until it is reduced by about half and is as thick as maple syrup, about 35 minutes. Whisk in the espresso or espresso powder. You should have almost 2 cups of glaze. You are going to use half of this glaze to brush the ham while it is roasting and reserve the other half for brushing on the ham after it is sliced.


After the first hour of cooking, brush the ham with the glaze. Roast for another hour, brushing with the glaze every 15 minutes. Since the ham is already cooked, you just need to warm it all the way through. Check for an internal temperature of 130F to 140F using an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove the ham from the oven when it is nicely browned and warmed through.

Another holiday, this time it's Easter

When I was a kid I would celebrate the holidays much more than I do now. I have a vivid memory of being in high school and putting together a big Easter basket for Shazi. It had all the usual candy items that Easter baskets normally have, but then I also put in make-up and nail polish to make it special for her. I was originally planning on putting together a big basket and include things that I would want in an Easter basket. Books, and perhaps new kitchen utensils, handmade truffles and other candies. But as I thought about putting this basket together, I thought about the fact that I don't really need anything, and I especially don't need to eat all those handmade candies!

Instead, I decided to put together this small Easter basket to commemorate the season. We don't normally do much for the holidays - any holiday really. We usually cook a good meal, and open a nice bottle of wine. Now that I think about it, that doesn't sound so bad!

Tomorrow I will be making Tom Douglas' Espresso Chili Glazed Ham. It is a fantastic dish that I have made quite a few times. I think that you will like it, and I will write all about that on another day!

Happy Easter!

To the joy of friendship

I don't spend as much time on the computer as I probably should. I can usually find many other things to do with my time - reading, meditating, cooking and cleaning (well, perhaps thinking about cooking and cleaning is more apt) are the activities that take up most of my time. I spend a lot of my free time thinking of the many things that I want to write about - I even have lists dedicated to these ideas.

But one thing that I have really enjoyed about the little bit of time that I have spent online lately is the re-connecting with friends. With all the moving around that we have done in the last 13 years, we have lost touch with many of our friends. I have a suspicion that even if you are not in the military and moving around as much as we were - that would still be the case. I think it is normal to get so busy with life, that you don't realize that one or even ten years have passed since you spoke with a good friend!

I have been trying to be better at keeping in touch with friends, and I think that I am. I have been chatting online, calling and even getting a chance to see some friends. A few months ago I found my friend's Todd and Kathy on Facebook that we were stationed with in Korea. We had not seen or spoken with them since 1998. This past weekend they were here in St. Louis for their daughter Nicole's Rugby tournament. We got a chance to meet up with them and catch up and watch some Rugby. If you are like me, you may not have even known that their was women's rugby - but trust me, there is, and they can be as brutal as the men's teams! The weekend was of course, much too short - but it was great to meet up with them again, and I am hoping to be able to see them and many of my other friends much more often!

(Just as an ending, I really need to remember to take more pictures. I am still getting used to this, and that I need to take pictures of everything. I did not get any pictures of all of us together - or of their family together. Sigh... I am learning, even if it is taking me a while!)

Ginger Love

Do you love ginger? Than you need to talk with Patrick. He LOVES ginger. I am a little more ambivalent about ginger. I like it in moderation, but I wouldn't use the term love for it. When I say that Patrick loves ginger, I truly mean it. He has been known to eat or drink something that is defined as being ginger-y - ginger beer is a good example - and comment that it is not ginger-y enough. In Korea he used to drink this ginger honey tea, that made me gag, but he couldn't get enough of it. Ginger Altoids, ginger chews, candied ginger... you name it and he loves it.

Which is the one of the reasons why I decided to try this recipe for Pasta with Shrimp and Ginger Cream from "Fish Without a Doubt" by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore. As I'm sure you've heard, if you read anything about healthy living, that eating seafood several times a week is very good for your overall health. When I read about this book from "Gourmet" magazine, I realized that I needed to own it. Not only because we are trying to live healthier but also because I need to overcome my fear of fish!

Seafood is something that I have never been very comfortable cooking. I have had more practice cooking shrimp than I do any other forms of seafood. Whenever I think of serving seafood, I remember my mom's attempts at cooking fish, and quickly think of something else to cook! As I've mentioned, my mom is not a good cook - she will be the first to say it. I decided that I must overcome this fear, and this is a start. I am planning on trying to cook fish at least once a week, and will be sharing my trials and tribulations with you. Wish me luck!

Now, before I go on with the recipe, let me say that the ginger is very understated. The soaking of the ginger in the wine mellows the flavor. I was a little afraid when I took my first bite of the finished results and thought "Wow! This is really good." I think that you will be pleasantly surprised. It made a great light spring dinner, with the snow peas and tomatoes. The plum tomatoes did not look great when I was at my local store, so I bought grape tomatoes, and they added a wonderful extra sweetness to the dish. As for the fat content... well, we've got to splurge every once in a while, don't we?

Pasta with Shrimp and Ginger Cream

From "Fish Without a Doubt" by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore

1 (4 inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks

1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

Olive oil

1 pound large (21-30) shrimp, shelled and butterflied

Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 pound thin spaghetti

1/2 pound snow peas, tipped, strings pulled, and cut on an angle into thin julienne

1/2 pound plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Soak the ginger in the wine for about 15 minutes

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the skillet's hot, pour in a slick of olive oil. Add the shrimp, season with salt and white pepper, and add the butter. Saute the shrimp until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Put the skillet back on the heat and add the ginger and wine, the shallots, and champagne vinegar. Bring to a boil and boil to reduce the liquid to about 3 tablespoons. Pour in the cream, season with salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the cream simmers actively and cook until the cream has reduced by one third. Add the shrimp and any juices from the bowl.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta. When it is al dente, add the snow peas to the boiling pasta and then drain.

To serve, make a mound of the pasta in the center of four dinner plates. Spoon some of the sauce on the past and the rest around it. Arrange the shrimp in a circle around the pasta. Garnish with the tomatoes and serve immediately.

Good Intentions

I had good intentions, really I did. I've been mulling over in my head so many different things I want to tell you about - books I'm reading and recipes I'm trying. But I haven't written anything. The only excuse I have for you is that Spring is making it's first appearance here in St. Louis.

Plus, my good friend Jana came for a visit. She was happy to be out of Seattle, since the weather there has not been Spring-like at all. We relaxed, talked and even enjoyed a

St. Patrick's Day lunch at Llewellyn's Pub in the Central West End.

I was going to do a post for St. Patrick's Day of cornmeal shortbread. I even bought this beautiful shortbread pan to make them in. As I'm sure you can tell by how unused the pan looks that I have failed to even use it yet! Sigh... I guess I will post a recipe and pictures once I use it.

Happy Spring!

Pizza, Pizza

Just about everyone likes pizza. But every one's idea of a good pizza is different. Some people like their pizza very simple with only one, maybe two toppings and some like their pizza chock full of different tastes and flavors. There are many different styles of pizza - thin crust, thick crust, deep dish Chicago style, Italian (which you can further vary by Neapolitan, Sicilian, etc), New York (I'm not even going to go into the different styles up and down the East Coast!), California, St. Louis ... this list can go on and on. I have two dough recipes that I use when I make pizza, it depends on who I am making the pizza for and what kind of toppings that I want to use. One is a thin crust and the other is a thicker crust. It is all about what you like.

I was lucky enough to live in Italy, and had access to the thin crust Neapolitan style pizza just about everywhere I went. With only a few toppings, this pizza is so wonderful. But I will be honest that while we lived there, the American in me did miss the thicker crust pizza with more toppings every once in a while. The most popular thin crust pizza is the Margherita which has the colors of the Italian flag - tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella and fresh basil. Another really excellent one to try is the Primavera, with fresh arugula leaves added after the pizza has come out of the oven.

But when I make thin crust pizza, I have to make at least one with mushrooms and garlic. In Gaeta there was a restaurant called "The Bunny Pub". We would go out with friends, and have dinner enjoying several bottles of wine. The first time I went there with Crystal, she told me that I had to try the mushroom and garlic pizza. I tried a mushroom and garlic pizza once before, but I had forgotten how the flavors meld together so wonderfully.

I am not going to give you exact measurements for the toppings, just some rough ideas. Please use your imagination and personal taste to decide what you want on your pizza! The dough for this pizza is from Todd English's cookbook "The Fig's Table". It makes 4 pizzas which serve 1 -2 people per pizza. This dough is much wetter than you are probably used to. Try to use as little flour as you can, and try not to overwork the dough. You can wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap to freeze for future use (up to two weeks).

I have not always had a stand mixer, a baking stone or a pizza peel. You can easily mix the dough by hand and use cookie or pizza sheets to bake the pizza on.

Fig's Pizza Dough

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling

2 teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 2/3 cups lukewarm water

Place the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. While the mixer is running, gradually add the oil and water. Knead on low speed until the dough is firm and smooth, about 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into four balls. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place two balls on a sheet and cover with a damp towel. Let them rise in a warm spot until they have doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

To roll out the dough: Dab your fingers in flour and then place 1 ball on a generously floured work surface and press down in the center with the tips of your fingers, spreading the dough with your hand. When the dough has doubled in width, use a floured rolling pin and roll out until it is very thin, like flatbread. The outer border should be a little thicker than the inner circle. Pick the dough up with a spatula or the back of a knife, allowing it to fold up almost like an umbrella and transfer it to a paddle. Do not worry that the pizza is not round, you are looking for an 8 - 10 inch shape, a cross between an oval and a rectangle. If you get a hole, simply pinch the edges back together.

To top and bake your pizza:

One hour prior to cooking, place a baking stone in the oven and preheat it to 500F. Roll out your dough and place it on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal helps the pizza slide off the peel. Cover the surface of the dough with 1 teaspoon of olive oil to prevent the dough getting soggy.

Now comes the fun part, use your imagination to what types of cheese and topping you would like. Here are just a few examples:

• My Favorite - with a simple tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced garlic and mozzarella cheese, and a shaking of hot pepper flakes on top (I sometimes add additional cheeses, depending on what I have on hand)
• try different sauces - besides a typical pizza or marinara sauce, you can use pesto sauce, or no sauce, just cheeses for a white pizza
• try different types of cheese - fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, Asiago, Cheddar, Provolone is really popular here in St. Louis
• sliced or diced ham, pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, smoked turkey, cooked and crumbled sausage
• sliced onions, peppers, olives

Finally, a dish to share with you

We've been having some computer issues, but I think all is well now. For a while there I thought I would finally be getting the Mac that I have always wanted - but alas, Patrick was able to fix our laptop. Although I do want a Mac, I think it's a good thing because I wasn't ready for the expense of a new computer quite yet.

Honestly, I haven't had a lot to write about anyway. It's not that I haven't been cooking, but none of the dishes that I have made have been good enough to tell you about. It's not that anything was horrible, but nothing I've made had a big "Wow!" factor. There has been a perfectly fine roasted chicken, a grilled chicken and roasted red pepper sandwich that needs some work, a decent spaghetti all'arrabbiata, and an edible spicy Thai chicken pasta dish. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not in love with any of these dishes. I needed to cook something that I just had to tell you about.

And I hadn't cooked anything that good until last night. I have been thinking about making Kofta for a long time. They are a very highly spiced Middle Eastern style meatball, normally made of lamb. When I was young, I practically lived at my friend Shazi's house. Her house is where I first tasted Indian/Pakistani cooking, and where I started to learn to cook. My mom was not a very good cook, and it was such a wonderful change to go there and taste such highly spiced and good food. Shazi's mom cooked spicy - some would say too spicy (and they were her Indian friends!). The first time I tried dhal, I thought my mouth was on fire. It was so hot. It didn't take me too long to get used to hot food, and now I can't do without it. She would cook all the time, but like most people she would cook even more so during the holidays. Shazi's mom would spend days in the kitchen cooking, and Kofta were always part of those meals.

Over the years, I have tried to re-create many of the dishes that I used to eat at their house, dhal, spinach, spicy meat and potatoes - but I had never tried to make Kofta. Last night I finally tried to replicate them, and for my first try, I think they turned out quite well. I don't remember if Shazi's mom used rice in her Kofta (it has been more than 14 years since I've had her meals), but after looking at several recipes, this seemed to be the closest to my memory. I adapted the meatball recipe from "Everyday Asian" by Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele. I served them with a Yogurt and Tahini sauce from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. This recipe makes a large batch, which is great to have in the freezer for additional meals. I served them on top of a basic rice pilaf, but they would be wonderful in pita bread with sliced tomato, cucumber and romaine lettuce.

Middle Eastern Spiced Meatballs

Adapted from the recipe Meatballs and Yogurt Sauce in "Everyday Asian" by Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

2 eggs

2 cups cooled steamed rice

1 cup caramelized finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon toasted ground coriander seeds

1 tablespoon toasted ground cumin seeds

1 tablespoon toasted ground cardamom pods

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cayenne

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons canola oil

Mix together the beef, veal, pork, eggs, onion, spices, salt and pepper with your hands. Preheat the oven to 350F. Form the mixture into 3/4 inch balls. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear and brown the meatballs in the canola oil in batches to avoid crowding. Transfer the browned meatballs to an oven safe dish and roast in the oven until they are fully cooked, approximately 15 minutes. Serve with Yogurt Tahini Sauce.

Yogurt Tahini Sauce

From "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison

1 clove garlic, finely minced

salt

1 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and the grated zest of lemon

Make a garlic paste by sprinkling the minced garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt and press the flat of the knife blade into the garlic to form a paste. Place in a bowl and stir in the tahini. Gradually add the yogurt and the lemon zest. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt.

Researching recipes brings Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp

I've never been very good at research. There are only a few things that have ever kept my interest for very long - books, recipes and food. (Hmmm, perhaps Patrick is right when he says that I am A.D.D.) When I first started getting interested in cooking when we were stationed in Korea, I would go to the library and check out cookbooks. Chasity and I would usually sit at her kitchen table and copy down recipes. Patrick could access the Internet from work, and he would print out recipes that he thought I may like. I still have binders full of all of these recipes, and as the pack-rat that I am, I can't seem to get rid of them!

It took us a long time to get a computer - we finally got one in 1998. I used to fight getting one because I am an old-school, fountain pen kind of girl, but I bended, and of course now I can't imagine not having one. I'm trying to get better at research, and I have to admit I am spending more time than I ever thought I would on the computer. But I am finding myself enjoying it, most of the time at least.

The reason that I am going on an on about research is because I spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday searching online. It all started because I had to make Melissa Clark's Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp that I had seen on The Wednesday Chef a few weeks ago. I have made roasted broccoli before, but never thought about adding shrimp. I've been thinking about it ever since I saw that posting, and had decided that was what I was cooking for dinner. While I was online, I just kept looking at different blogs and different recipes. I found so many recipes that I want to try out! I also realized that I need a better system for keeping track of the recipes I want to try. Ah for another day!

I'm not going to post the recipe for Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp, but please follow the link above and go to her wonderful site and try this fantastic dish. If you don't feel like shrimp, please try just plain roasted broccoli. Either way you will be not be disappointed!

Roasted Broccoli

This is a very simple thing, barely a recipe, but you will be amazed at the depth of flavor that roasting gives broccoli!

Preheat oven to 425F. Trim 1 large or 2 small heads of broccoli into into florets (or spears for a nice presentation). Place in a large baking dish or sheet pan. Drizzle with approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt pepper and 2 -3 cloves of garlic chopped or sliced. I also like to add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Mix well and roast in the oven until the broccoli is tender and the edges are crispy golden brown.

If you like garlic...

I received the wonderful "The Cornbread Gospels" by Crescent Dragonwagon in the mail the other day, and have been reading my way through this marvelous cookbook. I love cookbooks that are as much fun to read as they are to cook with. "The Cornbread Gospels" is full of many different styles of cornbread from all over the world, and has a lot of ideas of what to do with leftover cornbread and the "fixin's" to serve with it! I haven't finished reading the cookbook yet, and already there are many recipes that I am looking forward to trying. I've only made two recipes so far, and that was for dinner last night. Dinner was Lentil Soup with Garlic and Greens with Gold and White Tasty Cornbread on the side. I had to have 2 servings of the cornbread because it was so good!

I never thought that I would be so interested in a cookbook that is predominately about cornbread. When I was growing up the only cornbread I ever had was from the little box of JIF. I have to wonder if she ever cooked it, because I'm remembering that it was always there in the cupboard, but I don't have a clue as to what she would have served with it! In reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that I don't make cornbread enough! For many families cornbread is a daily bread, and I only make it a few times a year.

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew that it had to be one of the first recipes I tried. Not everyone shares my love of beans, or my love of garlic. Thankfully Patrick loves garlic as much as I do. If he didn't I'm not so sure our marriage would have lasted this long. This recipe has so much garlic in it, it made me hum with joy.

Although we share a love with garlic, he is not as passionate about beans as I am. I try to keep many different styles of beans in my pantry, and I use them all. Sometimes he asks me to cook "Something with meat, please!". For many years I tried to be a vegetarian, but with having low blood sugar and being slightly anemic... it's hard for me to eat a totally meat-free diet. I still like to eat vegetarian meals often.

The only note that I would like to say about the following recipe is that I did add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes after I added in the sauteed vegetables. I didn't add a lot, just enough to give it a little something. The combination of flavors in the soup reminds me of an Indian dinner I make of Dhal and Braised spinach and onions. Ah - another post I must do!

Lentil Soup with Garlic and Greens

From "The Cornbread Gospels" By Crescent Dragonwagon

1 pound lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 bay leaf, broken in half

About 2 quarts (8 cups) vegetable stock or water

vegetable oil cooking spray

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 head of garlic, peeled

2 carrots, sliced or diced (optional)

1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and diced (optional)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound fresh spinach, well washed, stems finely chopped, leaves sliced

Cornbread, for serving

Place the lentils in a soup pot with the bay leaf, and cover with the stock or water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are very soft, 45 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a large cast-iron skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat. When it's hot, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, then the onions, lowering the heat slightly. Saute, stirring often, for about 8 minutes. Between stirs, coarsely chop about half the garlic.

When the onions have reached the 8 minute point, add the carrots and celery, if using. (You may need the additional tablespoon of olive oil at this point.) Continue sauteing for another 2 minutes, then lower the heat, add the chopped garlic, and saute, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes more. You want the onions very soft but not browned.

By this point the lentils are probably about half-cooked. Scrape the vegetable saute into them, deglazing the skillet with a little of the lentil cooking liquid. Let the lentils continue cooking until very soft, then add salt (you'll need quite a lot) and freshly ground pepper to taste.

When the lentils are soft, scoop out a good ladleful of them and transfer them to a food processor with the remaining (raw whole) garlic. Buzz to a puree and transfer this wonderfully heady puree back to the soup. Give a stir, add the spinach, and stir again.

Turn the heat down still lower, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the greens have softened and the flavors have blended, 10 to 15 minutes more. Taste again for salt and pepper and serve, hot, with cornbread.

Gold and White Tasty Cornbread

From "The Cornbread Gospels" by Crescent Dragonwagon

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup unbleached white flour, preferably Hodgson Mill brand

1 1/2 cups stone ground white (or yellow) cornmeal, preferably Hodgson Mill brand

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

1/2 cup canned creamed corn

Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with oil, and set aside.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Break the egg into a second medium bowl, and whisk it well. Whisk in the buttermilk, vegetable oil, and creamed corn.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.