A New Title?

Guess I should get a new title for my blog or start a new one. I'll do that as soon as I become more computer savvy. It should probably be something about recipes since that is all I'm writing about lately. Matt has requested another recipe so I'm only too glad to oblige. It's been so cold here lately that I'm into soups to warm us up. This one is simple, light and low in calories. Not an "amazing-you-have-to-try-this-tonight-recipe" but a good one. Since it is meatless, it is inexpensive, too. Found this one on the back of a can of beans and changed it up a little.

Butter Bean Soup

1-1/2 to almost 2 cups of celery, finely sliced
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 very large onion, finely chopped
Pieces should be big enough to recognize for what they are, but small enough to fit on a soup spoon.
Swirl of EVOO around the pan
2 cans (16 ounces each) Bush's Baby Butter Beans, drained and rinsed (look for the word "baby" on the can as they are a good size for this recipe)
4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth (one box of Swanson's)
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
dash of garlic powder
4 fresh basil leaves torn or 1 teaspoon dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Swirl some olive oil around the bottom of a large pot. Cook the celery, carrots and onion until almost tender. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the beans, garlic powder, pepper and a little salt. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, taste again for seasoning, and add the fresh basil. If using dried basil, you may add it when you put in the broth and tomatoes.

I served this with a hearty bread for a light supper. You would probably want to have a salad as well unless you know you'll be indulging in popcorn later in the evening as we did.

You're Going to Love This One

Three months without a posting. I know there are no longer any readers but I may gain a few back with this new recipe I found in Gourmet magazine. I served this guinea pig style (untested) over the holidays and it received rave reviews. Everyone was so crazy about it, I served it again three days later. Here it is:

Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vinaigrette

1 (2-1/2 to 3 pound) head cauliflower
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided use
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (or a touch more if you have enough) pitted, Kalamata olives (drained)and finely chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in the lower third of the oven. I have only five rows so I put my rack on the second from the bottom.

Cut cauliflower lengthwise into 3/4" thick slices. Put in a large 4-sided sheet pan and toss with 2 Tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Roast, turning once or twice, until golden and just tender, 25 minutes.

While it roasts (I put this part together a few hours ahead of time and left it on the counter, covered), mince and mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Whisk it together with the lemon juice, the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil, the olives, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Empty cooked cauliflower into serving bowl, pour vinaigrette over and toss to coat. Serve warm (although it is tasty at room temperature, too).

I doubled this recipe to serve 6 people. I served it both times accompanied by other vegetables, potatoes, meat/fish and a big salad. It may not serve 6 people under other circumstances.

Enjoy.

Brag, Brag, Brag

Since I was born and raised in Jersey, I figure that gives me bragging rights to be as proud of Jersey corn as though I gave birth to it. Last week while visiting my favorite farm stand, I asked the proprietor how she cooked her corn. Figuring she would just confirm what I already know about cooking corn, I was astounded when she gave me a very unusual recipe. She said a customer who was from Germany gave it to her a few years ago and everyone who tries it absolutely loves it. She made me promise to tell her how I liked it if I ever tried the recipe.

Here it is:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 ears of Corn (uncooked)

5 Scallions

Salt and Pepper

A big chunk of butter (about 3 Tablespoons)

Holding on to each raw ear of corn, stand it up in a large, shallow bowl and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife. The kernels will fall right into the bowl so there is no mess or loss of corn.

Wash the scallions well under running water. Trim off both ends and discard. Slice the green into 1/2 inch pieces and slice the white smaller.

In a large 10-inch saute pan, barely cover the bottom with olive oil. Don't use too much oil, just enough to almost cover the pan in a thin layer. Heat the oil for a few seconds and dump in the corn and scallions. Add salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, tossing often. Add the lump of butter, stir to melt and serve the corn piping hot.

The recipe as she gave it to me called for 6 ears of corn to about 5 scallions but I like it the way I made it. Of course, scallions are not all equal in size so you will have to figure out for yourself how many to put in. It's not rocket science so whatever you do it will be delicious. Definitely cook it in olive oil and don't skimp on the butter. This is not the time to worry about a calorie here and there. Don't eliminate anything.

Dave had purchased 5 ears of corn and I reserved one as a back up in case the recipe was a bust. I cooked it the usual way in boiling water for just 3 minutes.

After digging in to the new recipe and hearing lots of mmmmm sounds from Dave, I asked his opinion. He loved it as did I. Then we both took a bite from the ear cooked the traditional way. Also delicious. The final decision for both of us: we loved them equally but if you only get one or two opportunities a summer to have fresh corn, then you should be a purist and have it on the cobb. However, if you are lucky like we are and get corn for several months, then you should absolutely, positively try the new recipe. In fact, if you don't have access to Jersey corn, perhaps you should always use the new recipe as it somewhat changes the taste and may improve sub-par corn. You will not be disappointed. Writing this makes me hanker for some more. Think I'll drive over to that stand and thank the lady and get some more corn for lunch. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Yummy.

A Final Farewell to Mom

A few weeks ago we held a memorial service for mom. Since my blog is titled, "Caring for mom in Sun City Center Florida" and I have been writing about her for several years, it seems only fitting to post her eulogy as my final tribute to her.

Janet Elizabeth Roberts Smith

She was born December 17, 1915, and lived a full, rich life of 93-1/2 years.

She graduated from Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. She loved to tell the story of how she never got paid for her first job as her boss went to the track every day so there was no money left to pay her salary. That was one of hundreds of stories she liked to tell. She married at age 21 and had a beautiful love-filled marriage for 58 years until her dear Dan passed away. She often said how lucky she was to have him, that she got a good one. Even at the end of her life when her memory was gone, she never forgot her husband, her Dan. Neither dad nor mom had any siblings but they built their own family with three children, five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Perhaps the reason we're so sad at mom's passing is because she was such an extraordinary woman. Janet, Mom, the Gina, Grandma, Gigi...no matter what you called her, she was always available for you. She was a great talker, but also a wonderful listener. She brought comfort and a good listening ear to all who needed support. Whether good news or bad, she wanted to be in on it...she never wanted to be left out of the loop. She was very sympathetic and your pain was her pain. Your joy was her joy. She would listen and listen for as long as you wanted to talk. If you had a problem, she wanted to help solve it. She was like a second mother to Danny and Karen. She supported us all in every situation. If you were a friend or relative of hers, she stood by your side and didn't let you down. She knew how to give you her undivided attention and to make you feel special. She had a thirst for knowledge and loved sitting, listening and learning about people. Because she really listened to what you were saying, she also remembered it. Her grandkids would tell her about their friends. The next time they spoke she remembered to ask about their friends by name. Before Alzheimer's stole it away, she had an amazing memory. Mom could remember things about my life that I couldn't remember...and it was my life!

Because of her great memory, she was the keeper of the family history which she relayed to us with story after story. She could talk. Many of her stories began with, "I'll always remember", or, "I'll never forget." She had a story for every situation. In fact, we secretly called her, "Our Lady of Perpetual Stories." Now I realize that her stories were another way that she shared herself with us and I'm grateful to have heard them.

If I had to choose only one word to describe her, it would be, "sweet." She was a sensitive person who never knowingly hurt anyone. In fact, during the last year of her life when she would yell out in pain or fear when being moved by a caretaker, she would then apologize or even say, "Thank you." Whoever discussed my mother, whether it be friend, family member, or paid caretaker, the word they used was "sweet." Fortunately, I don't have to choose only one word to describe her.

Generous comes to mind. She always said it gave her great pleasure to give to someone she cared about. She was also generous with her time and attention to the family. Even while her health was declining and she was not enjoying her own life, she wanted all of the family to be enjoying theirs. She cared about us and was interested in how we were doing even while she was not in a good place. That kind of generosity of spirit is rare.

Mom was very intelligent and a voracious reader. She often said, "You are never lonely when you have a book." She was an educator. So often she'd start a sentence with, "I read an article" and then would tell us what she had learned. Although she was a fine secretary, she really should have been a doctor. She loved medicine and listened with rapt attention when anyone anywhere was discussing an illness. She soaked up medical knowledge like a sponge and was an excellent diagnostician of all of our family's ailments.

She was the keeper of the rules. She always made us abide by the rules. There was no grey area. If it was a rule or a law, then it was not to be broken. To this day, some of us are so trained to obey the rules that when driving a car we wouldn't dream of entering into an area that was marked as an exit. When you visited mom in Florida, she had a rule that you wear sunscreen at the beach. If you came home with any degree of redness, you were labeled, "Raw Meat!"

Mom was a firm believer in telling the truth. She would not lie. When we were teenagers, if someone called us on the phone and we didn't want to talk to them, we'd ask her to tell them we weren't home. There was no way she would do that for us because she wouldn't lie. She'd tell the caller she would look to see where we were while frantically waving at us to get outside of the house. Even in the dead of winter with a blizzard swirling around, we had to go outside. When we were completely outside and she felt comfortable that she wasn't lying, only then would she tell the caller we weren't there. She wouldn't lie for us or to us. She was trustworthy. She also kept her promises. I can't remember her ever changing her mind about something she had promised. She was as good as her word.

She was a worrier. She worried about everything. She invented a "worst case scenario" for the least remotely possible catastrophe and wanted to warn you to be careful to avoid it. She worried if the sun would rise or the sun would set. She worried so much you would think you didn't have to worry because she had it covered. She worried every day of her life and most of her worries never came to pass. We often tried to tell her not to worry, that she worried too much. When she was well into her nineties, she told us she was trying to change that about herself.

She was strong in various ways. She had strong opinions about right and wrong. she was strong in her love for her husband and family. She had a strong constitution and survived several operations and illnesses late in life. She showed her strength when she became a widow. She was independent as she never insisted on living with her children. She said we had our own lives to live and she would live with her contemporaries.

She was never moody. She had a cheerful attitude and was happy to see people enjoying themselves. She loved doing laundry and would sing at the top of her lungs while doing so. She knew how to make a chore into a good time. She loved animals but especially dogs. She had Mitzi and Penny during her marriage and enjoyed other family dogs as well. Her favorite dog of all is Betty who gave her great joy in the last few years of her life.

She was fun to be with and she was funny, too. She appreciated a funny story as much as anyone and often roared with laughter as she heard it. There aren't many people who could laugh at themselves so easily. She didn't take herself too seriously, and we all loved her for that. Being an only child, she wasn't used to teasing and never really liked it. However, Dave could always tease her and get away with it. One day a few years ago while sitting around the pool, Dave said that she could go in the water but skinny-dipping was not allowed. She roared with laughter. The last year of her life she still amazed us by some of the amusing things she said. For example, I told mom I had gained weight when our friends were visiting. She said, "I'm glad you had plenty to eat." She told me she was cold and I said I would make her warm. She burst out laughing and said, "Don't burn the place down!" Mom loved desserts and chocolate. Carolyn asked if mom wanted dessert. Mom said, "If I ever say I don't want dessert you'll know it's all over for me." Another time I asked her if she wanted a chocolate candy and she said, "That's a foolish question." One day she asked me, "How will we entertain these people?" There was no one there but the two of us so I asked her, "What people?" She thought for a minute and said, "Us!" Then she laughed and laughed at her own joke.

She saw many changes in her life but she always tried to keep up with the modern ways. She was not one for saying things were better in the past. She was accepting of the future and tried to keep up, at least in her attitude. She made a huge effort to connect with her grandchildren and tried to understand the world as they knew it. She had a big influence on all of us in one way or another. Perhaps each of us should remember what we loved most about her and try to meld that into ourselves. She was the most loving person. She just loved with all her heart. We miss her. We loved her. We're lucky to have had her and we won't forget her.

So to Janet, Mom, the Gina, Grandma, Gigi, we must say goodbye until we meet again. If she were here right now, the first thing she would tell us is to drive carefully. Then she would tell us how wonderful we all are. She would say how she hopes we will be o.k. because she doesn't want to worry any longer. That she wants us to find a way to embrace life; to be grateful for what we have and to live out the remainder of our lives happy and contented. Then she would tell us a story about how she has spread a little of herself into each of our hearts so we will always feel her love for us. Then she would say, "I'm with pop pop, my Dan now, and I'm at peace."

And They Said it Wouldn't Last!

Just kidding. Nobody said it wouldn't last. But, here we are, 40 years after saying "I do" and still together. We had to take this picture of ourselves with Dave's arm extended because we were alone. Perhaps that's how anniversaries should be celebrated, though...alone together. After all, we came into this agreement with just the two of us and it seems fitting to celebrate it with just the two of us.

How clearly I can remember our courtship as though it were yesterday. I remember the reasons why we fell in love and know it was a good decision to marry. Sure, sometimes during the 40 years it wasn't as easy as other times but the prize was always in sight; to stay together and live our lives through old age side by side. It helps that we had good examples. My parents were married 58 years until Dad passed away and Dave's parents are still together for 66 years and counting. However, I think it's more than that which has kept us together. I think that during times of stress it's remembering the good qualities in your mate. It's saying to yourself, "Well, this is annoying but how can I forget how wonderful he/she was when..." It's remembering that we, ourselves, are not perfect.

It's about sharing experiences and remembering to have fun together. And, that's what we did on September 6th. We carefully thought about where we wanted to have our special dinner. We made the reservation. We had a fabulous dinner at a new place so we experienced that together. Then, for old time's sake, we went to a favorite haunt and had an after dinner drink. While there, the entertainer of the night who knew us from many prior visits, greeted us warmly. Dave somewhat proudly told him we had come there tonight because we were celebrating our 40th anniversary. Larry quickly picked up on the news and gave us each a free drink card. Then his first song of the night was in honor of our anniversary. We were the only people on the dance floor and I felt proud to be in my husband's arms. In fact, we were so busy congratulating ourselves all night that we almost broke our arms, patting ourselves on the back. We are a bit of an oddity in today's world being married for so long. In truth, we always say we have only really been married 20 years since Dave travelled 50% of our married life. Hah! Well, now we are together 24/7 and making up for lost time. The secret, should you ask??? To laugh, to love, to communicate, to experience adventures together, to respect each other, to commit to each other, to build your own life while still sharing your life together, to come together in times of need and to support each other always. And, it doesn't hurt to say, "I love you" every day.

This 'n That

Haven't written since June 30th, almost two months. My thoughts are scattered all over the place.

Had tons of company here at the shore and loved every minute of every visit. Tomorrow our friends from Massachusetts arrive just in time for the potential hurricane, Danny, to arrive. Hope they don't watch the news tonight or they won't enjoy the 6-hour drive anticipating storms and beach erosion. Oh well, we love to play cards and Dominoes together so we will find a way to enjoy ourselves. I'm serving crab cakes with roasted red pepper sauce, Jersey corn on the cob and a salad tomorrow...an easy shore dinner. We had lobsters at home when both of our children visited so we may do that again this weekend. On the other hand, one of our favorite restaurants is having a special with two 1-1/4 pound lobsters for $28. No cleanup involved so that may be the way to go if Danny doesn't get too violent and keep us at home.

Our friend across the street had a death in the family a few days ago. Remembering how much it meant to me to have cards and condolences to help me through when my mom passed, I immediately brought over a card and a homemade dessert. The dessert had peanut butter in it so I put a big sign on it with a warning about peanut butter as an allergy alert. Odd, how I never in a million years would have thought to do this until this year when our youngest grandson was diagnosed with a peanut allergy. Now, realizing that it can be a life-threatening allergy, I am so aware of the dangers of eating food that someone has prepared when they don't know about food allergies. A word to the wise if you are ever giving food to someone who has a peanut allergy: beware of cross contamination. All work surfaces and utensils need to be thoroughly cleaned because even a trace of the allergen can cause death. Scary stuff, indeed.

On to cheerier topics...I celebrated my birthday yesterday. A fairly big one, too. Unlike some people who get depressed or grouchy at each passing year, I enjoy making it to one more year. We ate at a fancy restaurant in Avalon with old friends. I enjoyed an appetizer of seared scallops followed by rack of lamb. Yum!
It's the one day of the year you can indulge in decadent, costly food and not feel one bit guilty. At least I didn't. Life is short and I'm trying to make the most of it. The other wonderful thing about a birthday is connecting with friends and family through cards and phone calls. Simple gestures, but so important. Instead of a New Year's resolution, I like to make birthday resolutions because I'm reminded that time is flying by. Friends and family are worthy of my time and attention and I resolve to take the time to keep them prominent in my life.

Would you Like a Little Cheese With That Whine?

Tonight we grilled chicken and tried our son's recipe for zucchini on the grill. It was perfect. Wrapped 3 zucchini and one yellow squash which we cut into one inch chunks, one thinly sliced onion, dried oregano and basil, garlic powder and a little salt in tightly wrapped tin foil. We made a flat rectangular package and squeezed out the air. I also drizzled a little olive oil and a half shot-glass full of water over the vegetables before wrapping. Dave cooked them on the grill next to our chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes. They were really, really good. Better than steamed which is the way I usually cook them. Clean up was easy, too.

Earlier today I smelled an extremely strong smell of gas so we called the gas company to come right over. He checked all of our appliances, furnace, hot water heater and the main gas valve. No leak. Our neighbor was painting her garage door shortly after he arrived. He got very alert and asked if I smelled that paint smell. I remarked that I did but that was not the same odor I had smelled earlier. My neighbor and I told him that she hadn't painted for about 5 days prior to now. This is interesting I think. He said, when you paint with oil-based paint the fumes mix with the gas fumes and produce an awful smell, worse than just natural gas. This happens even weeks or months later until the paint finally hardens and cures. I didn't believe or trust him at first because it seemed like an easy way out. Here she was painting and he decided that was the cause of the smell. After putting him through his paces, I had to finally admit that he was right and there was no gas leak after all. I really grilled him and said if we die tonight, it would be on his head. He said he has been doing this for twenty years and he would absolutely make sure that we were safe. He added that if we were to die because of a gas leak he didn't detect, he would go to jail. That convinced me that I should no longer worry about the smell. He turned on all the appliances and left. About an hour later I tried to dry a load of laundry in my gas dryer. Nothing but cold clothes. I called several numbers at the gas company and after 25 minutes of being on hold, the gas company person said we'd have to wait until tomorrow between 7:00 a.m. and noon for the person to return to turn on the gas on the dryer. 25 minutes of cell phone time wasted listening to their annoying messages!

We were on our way out to get Dave's beloved Corvette inspected when we smelled the gas smell. He left to meet his appointment and I stayed home to wait for the gas man to arrive. The car hasn't been on the road for two years and we decided to enjoy it while we were here so we insured it last week. Unfortunately, it failed inspection because the driver's seat had one inch too much of play in it. Dave was not a happy camper about this decision of the Motor Vehicle Division.

I'm mad at myself for sleeping in too late and didn't walk this morning because it was too hot. How can I justify eating that sundae tonight?

Oh well. What is life unless you are mad, frustrated, sad, or happy. None of these aggravations are a big deal in the scheme of things. I'm on a four-month vacation at the Jersey shore. A vacation from my vacation in Florida where I play golf and enjoy life. Perhaps I'm adjusting to having nothing to fuss about since I no longer have to deal with the administration at mom's place where she lived. There is a great deal of empty time here at the shore in-between guests. As I write this, I realize I am annoying even myself. Such whining! I need a visit to a nursing home to get myself back in the proper perspective. Life is good. I am healthy, the sun is shining again and I have a wonderful family and friends. My simple daily aggravations are no worse than the next person's and certainly nothing like I experienced when mom was in the nursing home. As you read this, I'm slapping myself around and you will not hear any more self-pity from me. Go forth and enjoy your life!!! That's for me and for you, too.