A Memorable Evening on Memorial Day Weekend!

It was Sunday afternoon and Peter and I finally headed to the Jersey Shore.  After opening up the cottage and letting some ocean breezes fill the house with fresh air, we set about doing the things you just gotta do when you’ve been gone over a week.  Read Peter you have to mow the lawn, fill the bird feeders, wash the sidewalk and and and…. I put away food, clean linens and laundry, unpacked bags and then decided to open up my computer and there was a Happy Memorial Day post from Joe!  WITH an invitation to stop by for a drink if we were in town. What a delightful idea!

I called Joe to say we would love to stop over, have a drink and take another look at the magnificent renovation/construction that had been done on his house over the winter.  Joe said he and Michael had a couple of friends staying with them and they were going to barbeque and we were certainly welcome to join them.

NOW, you see this is what I think makes a holiday memorable.  Friends are woven into the  fabric of your life.  We didn’t have any plans for the evening and then along comes a delightful invitation as a complete surprise from our friends, Joe and Michael.  What I love about them besides the fact that they are the  most perfect Yin and Yang couple is their generosity  of spirit.  They had house guests, close friends visiting from out of state and without  a moment’s hesitation, they included us in their party! 

I offered to bring dessert and with specific instructions about the importance of chocolate I went shopping.  I happened to be going to Costco and for some reason, this day, the bakery area was a bit shy in the chocolate department.  They had Black and White cookies but those only have some chocolate frosting and that’s only on one half;  The bakery also had shortbread cookies which are to die for but again only half the cookie has some chocolate coating.  Finally I spotted some Red Velvet Chocolate cupcakes.  They were huge and looked good, however, for good measure as the saying goes, I  tossed a bag of dark-chocolate-covered acai blueberries.  I don’t think you can ever have enough chocolate on hand, especially if it’s dark chocolate.

A barbeque at Joe’s is an event!  First of all, there were the guests;  we met Kelly who lives in LA and Austin and is a freelance commercial producer.  She spends considerable time on East Coast in NYC also and as of today is on her way to Prague to produce a Dove commercial.    And Lisa, who lives in Oakland and also works in advertising and has been Michael’s friend for years.  I had the opportunity to sit next to Lisa for part of the evening and really enjoyed talking to her.  Monica who is a neighbor was there and it was good to see her again.  She is a lively soul and has a very cute Yorkie who visits Madison regularly.  Monica, Christine and Rich had dinner plans elsewhere so I’m glad we got there early enough to connect with them all before they left for Taka.

Joe and Michael are among the MOST GRACIOUS hosts.  I want to call it Effortless Entertaining BUT I know it takes a lot of effort to plan and prepare an evening meal with many components.  They work seamlessly together;  one is cooking, the other is filling bowls, one is making drinks, the other is placing dishes and silverware out.  Really it is amazing to observe this culinary choreography!

We drank, we snacked, we drank some more, we ate, we drank a bit more and ate dessert.  Hours had gone by, I couldn’t believe the clock when I looked at the time!  We had to go but hey we were the altacockers anyway!!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention how perfectly private the patio is now that Joe has redone the landscaping (again).  We were secluded behind beautiful greenery. 

A Good Host Takes Time To Listen Too!

Lisa, Kelly and Michael

First corn of the season, juicy tomatoes your choice of several kinds of grilled meats. Yummmmm

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Busy Busy in The Conservatory Gardens

If you were a bee, bumble or otherwise, The Conservatory Gardens  is where you’d want to spend a productive afternoon.  Murray Head, our favorite photographer, captured several of these busy busy little creatures at work or play, you can never be really sure.

Bee in a Bell Flower

Little Bee, Big Flower

Yellow Jacket on Yellow Flower

Sitting on Top of the Flower

Investigating Your Inner Flower

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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It’s National Wine Day – No Whining Please

Could be Chianti, or a Bordeaux or a Pinot Noir Mmmmm

Today’s the day to celebrate the grape! Nectar of the gods, fruit of the vine, delightful, delectable and divine is WINE.

I grew up in an Italian household so drinking red wine with meals was de riguer and when I was married the first time, we drank red table wine every night with our dinner.  It’s funny to think back on that now as it seems it was truly another lifetime ago….

Here’s what Punchbowl has to say about today:

National Wine Day

Today is National Wine Day! Wine has been an important part of human history and culture for thousands of years. Regardless of whether you prefer red, white, pinot, or cabernet, everyone can appreciate today’s celebration. Spread the news about this unique occasion with a free Wine Day eCard!

Archaeologists in Speyer, Germany discovered the oldest bottle of wine in existence while excavating two Roman stone sarcophaguses in 1867. The bottle dates back to at least 325 AD! It is now on display at the History Museum of the Pfalz in Germany.

To celebrate National Wine Day, find out if there are any events going on at your local winery or plan your very own wine tasting party for you and your friends!

However, if wine is not your thing, other reasons to celebrate today include, National Brown-Bag-It Day, National Tap Dance Day and International Geek Pride Day.   So if you’re going to the office today, bring your lunch, tap dance down the hall and give your IT guy a hug!

Related articles

• The Oldest Bottle of Wine… (douglasgreen.wordpress.com)
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A Milestone Birthday – A Charming Story Told

English: A gold charm bracelet worn on the arm. Visible charms are a heart-shaped locket, seahorse, crystal, telephone, bear, spaceship, and grand piano.

Well I just celebrated the BIG ONE and I mean BIG!  I may have even slipped past being a woman of a certain age…well let’s not go that far!

My husband gave me several pieces of jewelry and while putting them away, I came across a red velvet bag.  Of course I knew what was in the bag and was glad to put my hands on it again.  In it lie bits and pieces of my life – Charming chapters as it were – Let the memory live again.

I untied the red satin ribbon and reached in to pull out a very heavy, very clangy charm bracelet.  I don’t know how popular charm bracelets are these days…I think not.  But, in the 1960′s, well just about all my girlfriends had one.  My first charm bracelet was a narrow chain link and had several charms, many of them given to me by my friends as a birthday or Christmas present. 

I don’t think I wore my charm bracelet in college, however, some years later and married, I realized I had acquired some more charms and discovered meaningful trinkets in my possession that would make appropriate charms.  This was going to require a heavy duty charm bracelet!  I purchased a sterling silver triple link bracelet and set about adding pieces and parts of my life.

Maybe my determination to create my life’s story in trinkets was a foreshadowing of my life to come:  That is one of collecting way too many things and displaying them for all  to see and the writing of a blog which is yet another way of exposing yourself to the world.

These are the charmed chapters of my life: (not in chronological  order or of  importance).

Crossed Tennis Racquets     Tennis was a large part of my life when I was married to my first husband.  Much of our social life at the country club included mixed doubles as well as tournament play.

Cape Cod: I went to Cape Cod with my then fiancé (first husband).  I remember feeling liberated and wild until the fire horn went off in the middle of the night. It was on the wall of the motel (hence the cheap price I guess) and I thought we were in the middle of an air raid! Oh the shame – caught in an illicit act!

Pelican: My son Joel attended Loomis Chaffee , a private high school in Connecticut.  The school’s mascot was a Pelican.

Democratic Donkey:  I was in my very early twenties when I got interested in local politics.  I worked for the Democratic Town Committee in our small predominantly Republican town.  I actually ran for office, alas defeated.  Still, invited to and attended Ella Grasso‘s Inauguration Ball.

Cowboy Boot:  There was a period in my life as a newly single woman when I would frequent a Western bar, and dance the night away. I was a pretty good Texas Two-Stepper!

State of Connecticut:  Not my birthplace but where I grew up and lived until I was 51.  Life in Connecticut was great and I’m glad my children were brought up there.  However, once divorced and single, my little town was no longer for me.

Baby Cup:  (engraved Baby Bob) Those wild years between marriages – Baby Bob was someone I dated for about a year.  He was QUITE a bit younger than me and I and my friends affectionately  referred to him as Baby Bob.

JCL medal:  I belonged to the Junior Classical League in high school.  I swear I can’t remember what the club did or was all about.

Cross with a Diamond Chip:  As part of his strategy to surprise me with an engagement ring, my first husband gave me a sterling silver cross with a teeny tiny diamond chip in the middle for my 19th birthday!

Five Card Flush: I’ve always loved to play cards, I grew up in a card-playing family.  In High School, it was Hearts and Set Back, in College it was Set Back and Poker.  In Avon, it was Bridge and Gin Rummy.

Devil in Cocktail Shaker: This is one of my favorite charms.  I think I got it when I was out of college and working.  Just thought it was cute at the time.

Riverboat & State of Louisiana:  I’ve been to New Orleans several times and  Orleans and enjoyed my stay in The Big Easy every time. Loving me some po’boys, oysters and Hurricanes.

Martini Glass:  This one even has an olive on a toothpick in it.  And it’s presence is probably self-explanatory!

Graduation Cap:  This one is a survivor of the first charm bracelet as is the JCL medal.  1965 Graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School.

1940′s Earring:  This one bears explanation.  I always remember that my mother had a pendant necklace which was a silhouette drawing of a tropical beach with a crescent moon. It was drawn on a butterfly’s wing. I found an earring with a tiny circle drop pendant with the same scene and adapted it to hang on the charm bracelet.  This one represents my mother who died when I was 9 years old.

No Parking  Sign: This is a remnant of the first bracelet and is about to be removed because the base of the sign is gone.  No Parking was a definite High School charm which needs no further explanation.

Class Ring:  The ring is a tiny replica of my High School class ring.

Varsity Banner:  I actually had earrings which were small banners inscribed Woodrow Wilson and painted maroon and gray, our school colors.  This didn’t get added until much later when I was scouting around for representative pieces.

Cigarette Lighter:  Soon to be eliminated to make room for another and certainly no longer relevant, this tiny lighter actually worked.  You had to add lighter fluid and a flint and it would light.  But it has to go…

1964 World’s Fair Medal: The 1964 World’s Fair was held in New York City and I believe my father went and brought this charm back for me.

The Empire State Building:  When I moved to New York City in 1998, I bought this charm.  Moving here was the beginning of what I call the second half of my life!  Loving life in The Big Apple.

Wishbone:  I’m not sure if this charm is a leftover from the first bracelet when someone gave it to me for Good Luck or one that I bought because my Dad and myself always broke the wishbone from the Thanksgiving Day turkey.

Flamingo:  NOT for the state of Florida!  I have a fairly good-sized Flamingo collection so of course I had to put one on the charm bracelet.

Happy Birthday Hanging Sign:  Clearly this needs no explanation but to say it is a survivor from my High School charm bracelet.

Anchor:  As a remembrance of my Dad, a Navy man to the end, I bought an anchor charm to keep his memory on my wrist.

U.S. Capitol:  My first honeymoon was in Washington D.C. and I bought this charm to commemorate the occasion – that was a lifetime ago.

Three Keys:  My first husband was a great salesman and he won awards.  I have 3 small keys engraved with his initials and dates for his successes.  I think it was known as the Key Club.

Locomotive Engine Car:  I managed a restaurant for a short period in the mid 90″s.  It was known as The Depot and part of the restaurant was in an actual train car. 

I still have to acquire a couple more;  I want to memorialize my second honeymoon in Buenos Aires, my trips to South Africa and my cottage on the Jersey Shore.  And who knows…surely there are other chapters to be charmed.

Related articles

• A Charm Bracelet = A Life Tribute? (prweb.com)
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The Life and Times of Finley Ray Clark

What could be better than eating hummus and watching TV in Mommy’s bed?

“STOP! or your face will freeze!”

“I’m a Princess” “I”m a Princess” – “OK”

All dressed up and ready to go to Radio City Music Hall

“I think you missed a spot on my thumb”

Yay, it’s pajama day at school today!

Rooting for Swisher and eating ice cream – Way to go Fin!

Future Heartbreakers

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Mothering Sunday

Mothers’ Day Cake crop (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well that’s what they call it in England and other parts of Europe and they’ve been celebrating the holiday since the 16th Century!

Our own American Mother’s Day is fairly recent.  In 1912, a woman named Anna Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia declared the first Mother’s Day in the United States.

Well here it is, Mother’s Day 2012 and it’s just after 2pm.  I haven’t heard from my daughter yet or my grandchildren (who would be part of my daughter’s phone call).  I was going to be included in some Mother’s Day event being organized by my son-in-law but I had to be out of state today. The phone just rang and guess who called? Chiara and Finley! It was very sweet to hear Happy Mother’s Day from both of them!  However after a few sentences, Finley pushed the mute button and that was it for Gigi!  S0 five minutes later my son-in-law called back to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day too.

The day started off nicely…I had no desire to go out for breakfast, so I made eggs for Peter and I and while I was cooking, my second cousin who is slightly older than my own daughter called to tell me how much she loved me.  Christine is like another daughter to Peter and I and over the years has spent considerable time living and visiting with us in NYC.

I got an email from my son two days ago telling me he loved me, wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day and suggesting that we drop all these other holidays except for Christmas, Halloween and Easter.  Sort of cynical, don’t you think?  Well I wrote back and informed him that superfluous or not, I kind of liked this holiday so if he could, I thought it would be nice if he called.

It has been a very sunny and beautiful day here at the shore and we have been working in the yard.  It is never ever finished around here.  Peter mowed the lawn, washed the front of the cottage and washed the porch while I planted my window box for the front porch, transplanted a Hosta and planted some Purple Puffs which are supposed to spread.

Well of course by this paragraph, you realize that this post had been started over a week ago! Oh but I have been busy, so busy that I am either dead tired with no brain cells left to write or actually working well into the night and then going to bed.  I considered just omitting this blog post, but then desired, oh why not?

The day ended on such a delightful note – we joined our friend Alice and her daughter Heather for an early dinner at The Breakers in Spring Lake.   They were spending the weekend there and invited us to join them.  It was very elegant and the four of laughed and chatted away for a couple of hours.  My salmon was delicious and even though we all shared some tartufo…on the way home, I insisted we make an ice cream run to Day’s for my Mother’s Day fix!. 

Oh the world becomes such a better place after Mother’s Day in Ocean Grove.  Dave and the gang are back in town scooping up scrumptious ice cream in exotic and not so exotic but ooooohhhh so good!  I had Mission Fig and Toasted Coconut.

Hope to get back in the groove of writing consistently… hang in there with me.

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How Old Is The Lead In Your Pencil?

Deutsch: Bleistiftspitze English: Pencil tip (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Did you ever see an old pencil?  Well of course you did… you could tell it was old because it had advertising on it and and the phone number was DIamond 436-6871.  Diamond?? Yes kids, telephone exchanges used to be designated by words.  Usually just the first two letters or sometimes three letters of the word.  Growing up, my exchange was DIamond, my husband’s was    TEmpleton .

You can also tell when a pencil is old because it’s more than likely round and a color other than yellow.  And then of course the eraser is a dead giveaway.  Atrophied, hard as a rock, blackened and totally unusable.

BUT the pencil….!!! If it’s dull all you have to do is sharpen it and it will write just like it was a newbie fresh out of a box.  And it doesn’t matter whether the pencil is a vintage No. 2 Farber or a stub of an old giveaway.  Once sharpened, you can write with this pencil today, tomorrow, a year from now, 25 years from now and it always writes the same way.  It doesn’t deteriorate with old age.  It doesn’t wrinkle, sag, lose its sight and hearing or for that matter, its hair, its arteries don’t harden although its head does!

It will write in cursive, block print or anything in between you scribble.

Think about it….wouldn’t you like to age like a pencil?

Related articles

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Cinco de Mayo-The Kentucky Derby

Gosh, I don’t know what to celebrate first!
I guess I could wear a sombrero to the races or eat quesadillas while placing a bet. Or wear a fabulous floral creation like the ones in one of my previous http://wp.me/pNyWj-2SH, which featured Kentucky Derby hats by Dee, to a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
As it turns out, I’m opting to cook a Cinco de Mayo meal tonight and invited some friends over.

The menu for tonight is Mexican beer ( they all opted out for Magaritas) with chips and salsa and quesadillas.
I’m serving Arroz con pollo et frijoles, steamed asparagus and dessert from a Mexican bakery.

Well I started this post Saturday afternoon, then in the midst of prepping, I had to stop and watch the Derby.  I love watching that race!  I didn’t have any favorites and apparently the favorite to win, Urban Rags, didn’t even place.  It was so exciting to see “I’ll Have Another” come from behind.  There really is something thrilling about horse racing.

So onto the meal….

I had never made Arroz con Pollo so I researched a few recipes online and came up with three that I liked or at least part of each so I did what any good cook does, I combined them and created my own.  AND I will be the first to admit, that I don’t often do that.  If you read this blog regularly then you know that I find a recipe I like, make it and if I post it, I always credit the source.

Arroz con Pollo*

* This is NOT a photo of my dish. Note there are no black beans! But it is similar and gives you an idea of what it should look like when done.

Arroz con Pollo con Frijoles Negros

2 1/2 -3 lb. chicken; I used skinless boneless thighs

1/2 cup flour for dredging

Salt, ground pepper, paprika and chili powder (optional)

2 cups long grain rice (I used a package of Viga yellow rice)**

1 medium onion chopped

3 -4 garlic cloves minced

1 green bell pepper chopped ( I used an orange pepper)

1 14.5 oz can diced  or stewed tomatoes.  I used a can of Del Monte petite cut tomatoes with jalapeno – was not too  hot.

4 cups chicken broth* The Viga rice called for 4 cups water – substitute broth

black olives (handful – I used what was leftover from making quesadillas

1 cup frozen peas (optional) ( I had a half pkg in the freezer)

** Follow directions for whatever rice you are using and substitute broth for the water.

Heat 3 TBS olive oil in large skillet ( I used a braising pan). Rinse chicken, pat dry and dredge through flour.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, paprika  and chili powder. Brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove and set aside.

Add the onions, pepper and garlic to the pan, scraping up brown bits. Cook about 5 minutes till onion and pepper are softened.

Add the rice and cook till rice becomes slightly opaque and browns. Stir a bit, then let it brown  and then stir some more.  If you use the Viga rice, you won’t see it turn opaque, just lightly browned. Lower heat if rice begins to stick to pan.  Add the broth and bring to boil.  Lower to simmer, cover pot, cook for about 10 minutes.

Layer the chicken on top of the rice mixture, pour tomatoes over the chicken, add the black beans.  Cover pot and cook till chicken and rice are done.  About 15 minutes before done, toss in olives and peas.

Recipe by Lori-adapted from Simplyrecipes.com, allrecipes.com, weheartfood.com

One of the best parts of this dish for me was that I made it slightly ahead of time and just before serving , I heated it up.  It’s not so often that I actually sit with my dinner guests for drinks and hors d’ouevres  and Saturday night I did!

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North African Chicken with Spicy Green Sauce

Tunisian One-Pot Dish as Spicy as You Like It

I prepared this dish last night, the recipe was in the New York Times.  It was a bit complicated, BUT, BUT, it was delicious and I took some shortcuts that I will share with you.  And we ate the leftovers tonight, even better! I’m going to write out the recipe the way I made it and not exactly as it was written.  If you want the original please go to http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/dining/chicken-with-couscous-sauce-on-the-side.htm

4-6 drumsticks (next time I am going to use skinless)

3 cups canned chick peas (rinsed and drained)

1/2 lb small white turnips – peeled and cut into wedges

1/2 lb carrot sticks (or cut into 2″ batons)

1 small onion – peel, insert a few cloves. (I didn’t have any cloves so I used ground cloves, about 1 tsp.)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp coriander seed – I used ground powder about 1 1/2 tsp

1 tsp cumin seed – I used ground powder about 1 1/2 tsp

1 tsp caraway seeds – I crushed them between two spoons.

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and ground pepper

1 large onion – chopped to = 2 cups

6 garlic cloves minced

1 -2 TBS olive oil

ground cinnamon (recipe calls for 1 stick – too expensive)

Spicy green sauce (recipe below)

Cooked and buttered couscous or rice

Put the chickpeas in a medium sauce pan with about 5 cups of water, add bay leaf, and onion with cloves (or sprinkle the ground cloves into the water), season with salt.  Bring to a  boil and then leave to simmer while preparing the other ingredients. 

Mix the spices together (cumin, coriander, caraway, cayenne pepper)

Rinse chicken legs and pat dry-season generously on all sides with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the spice mixture on the chicken legs and rub into the meat.

In heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken legs and brown gently until golden, about 4 minutes a side.  Remove legs and set aside.  In same pot, add diced onions and a little salt. Let onions soften and color for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, and scraping up any brown bits.  Add cinnamon and garlic and cook for a minute more.

Drain chick peas and reserve broth. I kept the onion in the broth.  Return the chicken legs to the pot and pour in 4 cups of the chickpea broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook covered for about 25 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, carrots and turnips and cook, covered, for 15 minutes more.  Let rest 5 minutes and skim excess fat.  Serve with the broth, spicy green sauce and buttered couscous.

Spicy Green Sauce

1 preserved lemon or the grated zest of 1 lemon.  I got a jar of preserved lemon at an Indian grocery store but I believe the zest would just as good, since the recipe calls for using only the skin.

1 garlic clove smashed with a little salt to make a paste.

1 or 2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, very finely chopped. Use less for a milder sauce.

1 cup of finely chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems

1/3 cup olive oil

3 scallions finely chopped

If using preserved lemon, remove from brine, rinse well and chop the peel in 1/16 inch cubes. Reserve pulp for another use. Put cubes aside.

In a small bowl, mix the garlic paste, chiles and cilantro in a blender or food processor, keep a small amount of cilantro out.

Stir in the olive oil, scallions and diced lemon or zest.  Taste and add salt or more oil if necessary.  Once sauce is made and in a small serving dish, you can mix in the rest of the chopped cilantro which gives the sauce texture.

This one-pot meal was excellent and even better the next day although we had eaten all the chicken the night before!

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OCCUPY WALL STREET Protesting ……Everything!

This may turn out to be a whole week of FAB FOTOS.   Well, you know there is just so much to see and do in NYC and Murray has been zipping around snapping fantastic photos as usual.

Today, yes May Day. brought the OWS troops out in full force.  They were in Union Square, they were in Bryant Park, they were downtown.  And as the movement grows in momentum and spreads around the world, the protests, the causes have also expanded.  Occupy Wall Street may soon become the poster child for all kinds of civil unrest, causes, social revolution, and a catch-all army of protesting warriors and the whole 1% out there!

Protesting the War on Women

War Paint

Immigration - The Cause

We're Watching You!

Protest War -The Cause Peace

Protesting Unfair Taxation

The Wearin' o' the Green

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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