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Dear Mama,

September 1, 2010 in Family, Food by Sara | 6 comments

I owe you an apology.

I had no idea how hard you worked when we were kids. I have had two weeks straight where I have struggled to get any kind of food in front of my children at night. And while I have not resorted to feeding my kids from a concession stand, it’s probably only because I didn’t think of it. More often than not, I’ve fallen to the siren call of take out or a bowl of cereal.

It’s fortified with 10 vitamins and minerals, right?

I don’t know how you did it. You worked all day, came home and had dinner on the table by 5 or 5:30 EVERY night. And while I do remember a few nights of hamburger helper, most of the time you managed to put a real meal on the table. Meat. Two vegetables. Bread. Really sweet iced tea. The works.

Oh, I was not grateful enough. I should have bowed down and kissed your feet with every plate of spaghetti or slab of meatloaf or…….dare I say…….even the marathon of stuffed green peppers we endured one fall and winter. What I wouldn’t give to be able to grab a few of those out of a big black garbage bag, pour some Ragu over the top and pop those babies in the oven. Instead of mocking them, I should have been astounded by your ability to have a meat, a veggie, and a starch (there was rice in the stuffing) all in one neat little package.

Like most things you did, I’ve had to grow up and have my own kids to really appreciate them.

So I beg your forgiveness.

Think you could whip up some stuffed peppers on your next visit?

Love,

Your grateful (better late than never) daughter.

Ready For Winter

August 2, 2010 in Family, Food, My People by Sara | 2 comments

One of the best things we did while visiting my family in Tennessee was to can green beans for the upcoming winter. Last year we did the same thing and it just about killed my mom and me. I was kind of dreading it, to tell the truth, because what I remembered from last year was spending hours and hours stringing and breaking beans while my mom labored over the hot stove and two pressure cookers and the house was a thousand degrees and felt like a sauna by the time we were done.

But there is nothing like green beans from the garden in the dead of winter when there is snow on the ground and summer feels a million days away. So we decided to do it all again.

This year was completely different. My mom and I kept looking at each other saying, “Why is this so much easier this year?”

One things was that we had a lot of hands helping with the work this year.

Three generations of bean breakers

We plowed through those two bushels of beans in not time flat. Now I know why farming families in the olden days had so many children. More hands = more work done quickly.

It still took most of the day to get them all processed. I guess the only way to speed that part up would be to have an industrial size kitchen with 10 pressure cookers going all at the same time. But it will be so worth it.

Thanks, Mom. Maybe next year you’ll even let me run one of the pressure cookers, huh?

The One Where My Husband (Almost) Loses His Plumber’s License

July 19, 2010 in Family, Food, Friends, Home, Marriage by Sara | 4 comments

Our kitchen faucet had been broken for months. At first it was just a little bit broken. By that I mean that the little thingy on the top that tells you which direction to turn for cold and which to turn for hot kept falling off. Not really a problem as I still have all my sensory capacities in my extremities and had memorized “left for cold, right for hot” a while back. Then the pull down sprayer started acting wonky. It would suddenly just stop working and would only begin again after you punched the little black buttons on the side about a million times and said a few cuss words (out of the children’s hearing, of course). Then it wouldn’t turn off unless you shut it off and then pushed down on the middle of the turner offer thing. Then there was the constant explaining to guests on the proper off and push antics required each time you used the crazy thing.

And yet we let this go on for MONTHS.

Mostly because the thought of buying a new faucet did not bring me great joy. I’d frankly rather buy another pair of pajamas.

In the end, I took my friend Betty to Lowes and we picked out a new faucet. (Not before I’m sure she was ready to kill me for agonizing over the decision for so long.)

JD replaced it last weekend. Works beautifully. Simple to turn off and on. Delightful.

But you do remember this, right?

JD and the girls were at his folks for the weekend, leaving me alone in my house for about 4 days. So I threw a little girl’s only party Friday night and we had a wonderful time. We all brought cold or room temperature salads and they were yummy. The last gal left abut 10:45, I quickly cleaned up the kitchen using my new faucet and trusty garbage disposal to get rid of some excess arugula from one of the salads. I headed downstairs where I watched a couple of shows I’d DVR’d and then headed off to bed thinking of the wonderful Saturday I had ahead of me where I could do anything I wanted. A long walk/run with Lucy. A visit to the farmer’s market. Perhaps even a movie in the afternoon. The day was mine……..

Oh, what’s that? The light in the laundry room was on. So I opened the door, stepped inside and

SPLASH!

Right into 4 inches of arugula strewn water.

And so I did what all good southern women have done since Scarlett O’Hara set the example. I decided to think about it tomorrow and after making sure it wasn’t getting any worse, I went to bed.

The morning found most of the water gone but bits and pieces of salad from last night’s dinner stuck firmly to the floor.

I then made a decision which shall haunt me the rest of my days and is sure to give my family ample opportunity for mocking me.

I put a load of sopping wet towels in the washing machine and turned it on.

Wait. It gets better.

I then put Lucy’s leash on her and we went for a nice one hour walk around the neighborhood.

I KNOW!

What in the world?!

It will come as no surprise to you, gentle reader, that I arrived back home to 4 more inches of water in the laundry room. Luckily, while on my walk I ran into my neighbor who gave me the number of the best sewer and drain people in town.

The very nice man on the other end seemed so pleased that I had interrupted his Saturday morning with my pesky drain problems. And so to teach me a lesson he gave me a lecture on garbage disposals. His speech went on for several minutes. I’ll condense it for you. Basically it boils down to this.

Garbage disposals are from the devil. They should never actually be used. If you do feel you just MUST use the devil’s machine, you must feed it carefully only one tablespoon of food at a time. You must then follow this with copious amounts of water, ice cubes and perhaps a cup of bleach.

And then he says, “You know I’ll have to charge you time and a half to come out today and fix it.”

Exactly what was I supposed to say to this? “Oh no thanks, then. I’ll just leave water and rotting food in the basement til Monday.”

If he had attempted to extract a promise of my firstborn, I probably would have agreed.

Two hours later a nice young man named Michael (who appeared to have crawled through many sewers and drains already that morning) made a lot of noise and cleared out the drain.

Turns out it was sludge, food and lint from the dryer causing all the problems. Not a thing to do with JD’s recent plumbing job.

So he shall keep his plumbing license for now. He’s going to need it.

Somebody’s got to get rid of that darn disposal.

New Favorites

July 16, 2010 in Fashion, Food by Sara | 1 comment

I am very picky about my pajamas.

Clearly, this is going to be one of my more serious posts.

But now really. It’s hard to find just the right thing to sleep in. I have friends who solve that problem by choosing to sleep in nothing. I have a fear of the house catching on fire and me perishing because I’m too ashamed to run out of my house naked.

These are perfect. Light and cool and loose but not too loose.

The perfect thing to wear should you ever have to vacate your house in a hurry.

I’m making this tomorrow night for a little girl’s get together I’m throwing. Should be just the thing to cool us all down after the hateful hot and humid weather we’ve been having. Come on over and I’ll pour you one.

My Non-Reality Weekend

June 14, 2010 in Bloggable Moments, Food, Friends, Travel by Sara | 3 comments

This weekend caught me several times shaking my head and wondering, “How in the world did I wind up having these experiences?”

My dear friend Julie from Virginia asked me about 6 weeks ago to join her and a few friends for a weekend in Philadelphia. I didn’t give it much serious thought because it was the first weekend after the girls were out of school, Katie has softball games EVERY FRIDAY night, etc., etc., etc.

But my dear husband said, “Why don’t you go? I can handle things here.”

So Friday found me boarding a plane from Dayton heading to Philly. I really hate the taking off part of flying but I thought perhaps this time would be okay since there was a nun boarding my flight and I just couldn’t imagine God letting a plane crash with a nun on board. I have actually been known to hold the hand of a complete stranger while taking off and this time it looked like I was in luck. A very handsome man sat down next to me. But it was not to be. A few minutes later a woman who smelled very much like stale popcorn booted him right out of that seat and took his place. So I settled for putting my ear buds in and listening to the Jayhawks and praying without ceasing.

Because Julie works in the hotel business, we were able to stay at the Ritz-Carlton without taking out a personal loan. It was mighty fancy, I tell ya. There were about six layers of sheets on the bed that were a bit of a puzzle to me at first. Finally I just slipped in between two of them and called it done.

We were also fortunate enough to get to see the final performance of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s performance of Romeo and Juliet. Now, previous to this weekend my sole experience with the ballet had been a couple of performances of the Nutcracker at the community theater. So I was pretty much prepared to dislike the ballet. I was really wrong. It was so beautiful. The costumes were beautiful, the dancers were beautiful, the set was amazing. Best of all, Julie knew (because Julie knows EVERYBODY) the conductor, Beatrice Affron, from music school. They met when they were 6 and 7 years old, went to music school together for many years, lost touch for a bit and then in a very cool way reconnected. She was lovely and smart and was kind enough to take us backstage during one of the intermissions. There we were able to see the dancers close up. They were warming up for the next act and let me just say that if you or I attempted some of those stretches they were doing we would be in traction for the next six months. It was painful just to watch them. And the ballet guys in their tights up close. I felt vaguely like I should avert my eyes.

We were able to eat some amazing food. The food at Alma De Cuba was nothing short of spectacular. The flavors were out of this world. The downtown market provided breakfast the next morning with a variety of egg dishes, po boys, apple fritters and mac and cheese (I think it should be made an official breakfast food). We topped if off Saturday night with dinner at the Ritz whose chef just happens to be Jennifer from last season’s Top Chef. I had some baked halibut that came out of the kitchen looking like two fluffy marshmallows and tasted like nothing I’ve ever had in my life. (This was the only part of my trip that impressed Elena andyou should have seen how big her eyes got when I told her.) I have clearly passed my love for reality TV on to my youngest daughter.

So you can see why I call this my Non-reality weekend. It was about as far from my normal life as I could have possibly imagined. And I didn’t even tell you about the the Comic Con convention that made for unusually entertaining people watching, the part where one of our party crashed one of the many wedding receptions going on in the hotel and brought us all back pretzels to eat, the hostess that may or may not have been a man in woman’s clothing, or the Egyptian cabbie that I will be friends with forever.

Maybe it really was just a dream.

Perfect Midweek Dinner

May 27, 2010 in Food, Friends by Sara | No comments

Here is a foolproof recipe for a wonderful midweek spring dinner.

Get fresh asparagus from the farmer’s market.
Invite a couple of people over. Make sure one of them can pick out excellent wine.
Include people who have kids older than you do. You can learn a lot from their experiences.
Make this. Trust me. Make it now. (Come borrow the weird spices from me.)
Have mixed berries for dessert. Strawberries are just coming in. Delish.
Thank your lucky stars for such a blessed life.

Glee and Lime Butter Sauce

May 21, 2010 in Food, Kids, Mothering by Sara | No comments

I was tempted to write about an article I read today in our paper. It was all about the show “Glee”.

Now, JD and I just recently watched the first few episodes of season one (thank you Netflix), and I’ll admit that I’m enjoying it very much. However, it is not something that I would ever consider letting my kids watch. It’s got some very mature themes and for those of you who might be thinking that it’s just another “High School Musical”, let me just say.

It is not.

The article said that people are pretty much in agreement that there are some pretty racy scenes not meant for elementary aged kids. However, this has not stopped kids this age from watching it. In fact, it has a huge following of tweens.

This is the quote that got me riled up. One father said this about letting his 8(!) and 11(! )year old watch it.

“They just kicked up such a fuss that I gave up.”

Really.

I didn’t know that was an option as a parent. You get tired of dealing with an issue so you just give up?

And this is where instead of launching into a screed against feckless parents and getting myself all worked up, I’m choosing to share something I discovered today that made me really happy.

Lime Butter Sauce.

This may well be the easiest yet most flavorful and versatile sauce I’ve ever made. 5 ingredients, a quick whiz in the blender and you have something that can go on fish (we had it over grilled salmon), rice or pasta, any vegetable, or chicken.

I can’t really think of anything it wouldn’t go well on.

For those of you that may well gasp at the amount of butter (Hi Kathy!), let me assure you that it only takes a wee little bit to flavor whatever you want to use it on. I probably used less than a teaspoon of it on each piece of fish and just a tad more stirred into the rice. Besides the fat in the fish (good for you omega 3) it was the only fat in the meal.

Too bad I can’t say the same for the iced brownie I bought in a weak moment while picking up the fish……

Lime Butter Sauce from Epicurious

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (don’t be tempted to use bottled)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter: melted

Throw everything in the blender and whir it about for a bit until it’s all nice and thick and emulsified.

It’ll keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. But I bet you’ll find enough things to use it on that it won’t last that long.

Again, just like that darned iced brownie.

Deviled Eggs

May 19, 2010 in Food by Sara | 3 comments

I can’t think of a time in my life when deviled eggs didn’t play a big part. From our monthly Wednesday night suppers at Ewtonville Baptist Church to Christmas at my Mama Hitchcock’s house to every funeral spread or celebratory meal, there was always a plate of them looking decidedly unglamorous but undeniably delicious. I learned quickly to get in the front of the line as the worst thing in the world was to be right behind the person who reached over and plucked the last one off the plate.

In my childhood, most of the deviled eggs where made from eggs gathered right in our backyard. Or at least in someone’s back yard. A hard boil, a quick stir of the yolks with mayonaise and maybe some pickle relish and you were good to go. Simple is good.

I’ve become recently enamored with a cookbook called, “The Gift of Southern Cooking” by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. I would have loved to sit at her table and eat one of her meals. It seems that I am a day late and a dollar short. She died in 2006.

But she left behind a recipe for deviled eggs that will ensure that no one ever forgets her. Or at least that I won’t ever forget her. Although it is a bit fussy, it is so worth the trouble.

If you can find fresh eggs from someones chicken house, this is the place to use them. I scored some farm fresh specimens at our local farmers market and made these for a last minute get together with a couple of our neighbors and their families. I’d love to show you what they looked like but a couple of over sized teenage boys swooped down on them and I had to fight for the chance to eat my own eggs. Make them and you’ll understand why that was way more important than taking a picture.

Deviled Eggs adapted a bit from The Gift of Southern Cooking

1 dozen large eggs

a glug of vinegar (about a tablespoon)

salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup mayo

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons finely chopped chives and or chervil

Hard boil the eggs. Place them in a large pan. Cover with water at least an inch over the eggs. Add the vinegar (helps them peel more easily). Bring to a hard boil, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Immediately pour out the hot water, run cold water over the eggs and when cool enough to handle, peel, halve and place the yolks in a medium bowl. I’m am a big believer in this method. Since I started using it about 2 years ago, I’ve had nary an undercooked or overcooked egg.
Here is the fussy part. My grandmother would shake her head in disbelief that anyone would go to this much trouble for a lowly deviled egg, but take my word for it. This step makes the yolks unbelievably smooth. Don’t skip it. Take the yolks and put them in a fine sieve or strainer. Using a wooden spoon smash the yolks through the strainer. It takes a couple of minutes for it to look like you are getting anywhere. Don’t give up! Then add the sugar, mayo, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (I used white wine vinegar cause I was out of the apple cider vinegar it called for) and stir until it is very smooth. Stir in the cream and taste for seasoning. Add more of whatever you think it needs. I was a little heavy handed with the salt (“nonsense” my mother just said under her breath) and would scale it back just a bit next time. Don’t be afraid of the sugar. It doesn’t make them sweet at all. Just gives them a little something you didn’t even know they needed.
Stuff the eggs and just before serving sprinkle with the herbs (or paprika if your 11 year old daughter insists).
Behold your masterpieces and make plans to hide them from teenage boys and/or husbands who try to get at them before dinner starts. If you are really smart you’ll hide a couple up in the cabinet out of sight……..or so I’m told.

Girl’s Night

May 13, 2010 in Food, Friends by Sara | 1 comment

I love my husband. Given a choice of who I’d like to be stranded on a desert island with, he’d win, hands down. I’m also very, very fond of my friend’s husbands. There isn’t a bad one in the bunch. We have a ton of fun when we all get together.

But every so often, a girl just needs to gather her women friends around her and have some girl time.

It’s good for the soul.

So that’s what we did tonight. Two of my long time friends and one new friend all came together for supper. I made this cobb salad which was very different but just as delicious as the one I made for the family a couple of weeks ago. We added some crusty bread and (I cannot lie) opened a couple of bottles of wine and had ourselves one whale of a good time. Fresh berries with a brown sugar/sour cream sauce was the perfect ending to a perfect night.

Treat yourselves to a girl’s night soon.

You won’t be sorry.

Food: North vs South

May 6, 2010 in Family, Food, My People by Sara | 3 comments

Oh we did some good eating while the folks were here. It was a family affair that had all of us lending our culinary skills to the mix. Kathy made both an apple and an apple rhubarb pie. Yum. You really have no idea what you are missing. Her crusts are amazing and the apples are always sweetened just enough. Her apple pie tastes just like an apple and while you would think that would be the goal with all apple pies, you’d be surprised how often the mark is missed.

JD smoked some mean pork shoulder on Saturday and Mom made some yummy slaw and Daddy put his two cents in on the dressing for the potato salad. His main concern is that the potatoes be cut up into JUST the right size bites. He’s particular that way…..

I made this on Friday.

Halibut yummy-ness

You can find the recipe here. Don’t bother searing the fish in a cast iron skillet unless you want your house to smell like fish for 4 days afterward. Just throw it on the grill and be done with it. And if the thought of fish makes you a bit queasy, just substitute chicken or even thinly sliced flank steak. It’ll still be delicious. If you do decide to use fish, any thicker white fish like halibut or swordfish will do. Don’t use thin fillets like tilapia or snapper….it’ll fall all to pieces on the grill and make you cranky.

All this making of food of course led us to talking about food. We recalled our favorite foods from childhood. And this is where the split between north and south became quite evident. We southerners talked about Ruben sandwiches and cheese toast. Scrambled egg sandwiches on white bread with a fresh from the garden tomato. Fried bologna sandwiches. Oh my.

Then it was the northerner’s turn. Kathy (100% Dutch pedigree) told of a supper called “Dutch supper”. This is a meal where potatoes are boiled and then the potato water is thickened with corn starch to make gravy.

Yeah, I know. Gravy in the south has nothing to do with potato water and corn starch and everything to do with some sort of fat mixed with flour and milk. Preferably with some sausage thrown in for good measure. But we’ll just let them pretend that potato water makes gravy, shall we?

Anyway, you then take wax beans and hard boiled eggs and I believe you but vinegar on the beans and then you put it all on your plate and eat it.

This recipe sounds similar to the meal that my father in law requested soon after returning home from the hospital after heart surgery. Potatoes are once again boiled, cod is poached, gravy is made (ahem) once again from the potato water and once again you put it all on your plate and there you go.

The Dutch appear to be fond of the monochromatic plate.

But I am willing to give the Dutch supper a try. I love vinegar and hard boiled eggs and I love my mother in law so I’ll be happy to have it the very next time we are in New York.

As long as she makes apple pie for dessert.

And I can make sausage gravy for breakfast the next day.

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