Orechiette with Brocoli Rabe, Oregano and Lemon Zest

Tasty Tidbits Tuesday has been missing in action more often than I would like to admit.  I made the pasta dish I featured a week or so ago – the Penne with Cauliflower and Swiss Chard.  OMG, I have to tell you it was sooooooo delicious.  It had a delightfully light flavoring yet strong enough that you could savor every bite.  I admit I couldn’t taste the  Swiss Chard but since it added a different texture and the goodness of a dark leafy green vegetable, I was happy it was in it.

Actually it wasn’t the ingredients as much as it was the cooking technique that brought such flavor into every mouthful.  If you recall, the cauliflower was blanched for 3 minutes in the pot of boiling water that would also be used to cook the pasta.  So when the pasta was cooking in the water that the cauliflower had been in, it absorbed a light flavor that was as I said, delicious!  

Well my passion for pasta got me thinking about how many of my Tuesday recipes were pasta dishes and so I’ve decided to make a new category on the blog; We Called It Macaroni.  And I’m going to be publishing a LOT of pasta recipes! I’m no Lydia however, I’m taking on the job of educating my readers to the joys of Italian cooking, particularly PASTA, and taking them beyond red sauce and meatballs!  You can now search the blog category We Called It Macaroni for any of the pasta recipes published previously.  ”Mangia”

Lovely light and flavorful pasta dish.

Orchiette with Brocolie Rabe, Oregano and Lemon

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 orchiette or other small pasta shape

1 bunch broccoli rabe (1 lb) – trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 ” pieces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 TBS fresh oregano leaves, for serving

2-3 TBS fresh lemon juice , for serving

In  a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to directions, adding broccoli rate 4 minutes before the end of cooking.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat oil, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat until garlic begins to sizzle, 2 minutes.  

Drain pasta and broccoli rabe and return to pot.  Add oil mixture and toss to coat;  season to taste with salt and pepper.  * I always sprinkle a little Peccorino-Romano or other Italian grating cheese on top of my pasta dishes

To  serve, sprinkle oregano over pasta and drizzle with lemon juice.

** As you can see, this recipe uses only olive oil as the sauce for the pasta dish;  Therefore you should definitely use the small pasta shapes such as orchiette and secondly when I see a recipe calling for so little sauce I often save a cupful of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Also I would use as many garlic cloves as I wished and just shake the red pepper flakes in and not measure.

***  You can also add cherry tomatoes with the garlic and cook them till they burst, add yet another dimension of flavor and texture to your dish.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Every Day Food

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BEST Thanksgiving Side Dish-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions w/Rosemary+Parmesan

Sweet potatoes, onions and garlic

This is the last of the BEST Thanksgiving Side Dishes because tomorrow I will be preparing the foods I’m bringing to our dinner.  I made this dish one Thanksgiving spent at my parents house when they lived in Florida.  Trust me, it is yummy.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES and ONIONS with ROSEMARY & PARMESAN

2  3/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 1 ” cubes

8 TBS Canola oil

3 garlic cloves minced

2  1/2 tsp salt

1  1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1  1/2 lb red onions (3 medium), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise in 1/4 ” slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Set on rack in center oven and one on lowest position.- preheat oven 375 degrees

Line 2 large baking sheets with foil.  Place sweet potatoes on one; drizzle with 6 TBS oil.  Sprinkle with garlic, 1  1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Toss to coat, then spread in single layer.

Place onions on second baking sheet, drizzle with 2 remaining TBS oil, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.  Toss to coat, spread in single layer.  Place potatoes on center rack and onions on lower. Roast until potatoes are tender and onions are tender and brown around edges, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes total for potatoes and 35 minutes for onions.

Can be prepared 4 hours ahead of time, let stand at room temperature, covered loosely with foil.  Rewarm in 375 degree oven about 10 minutes.  Combine potatoes and onions in shallow bowl.  Sprinkle with Parmensan cheese and rosemary and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Whole Living

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

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BEST Thanksgiving Side Dish-Cauliflower with Hazelnut Brown Butter

Well, it’s Monday, 3 days left till the big feast day and this is a good time to go over your recipes and grocery list to make sure you have all the ingredients you need.  I needed about 30 pecan halves for some cheddar biscuits I’m making to bring to our dinner.  Wow, the price of nuts has really gone up!  I found a 4 oz container for $7.99 and a big bag at Costco for about $15.00 and almost gave up until I remembered that Wegman’s has a bulk food section of nuts, grains and seeds.  So even though the cost per pound was a whopping $12.95, I was able to get about 40 pecan halves for $3.95-yes I am excited about that.  As an aside and I know it’s a minor digression, have you noticed how much almost everything has gone up in price??? I’m looking at items that I purchase in order to save money and those things have risen in some cases over a dollar more!  I really can’t imagine what it must cost to feed a family of four these days….  Okay, so you know maybe I’ll do a whole blog on the rising cost of food and really get myself depressed, but not this week BECAUSE this is the week of harvest and plenty and bountiful and thanks for all the good food and here’s another recipe for you to consider.

CAULIFLOWER with HAZELNUT BROWN BUTTER

1 cup hazelnuts (filberts)

3 small or 2 large heads of cauliflower (about 3  1/2 lb)

Coarse salt

10 TBS unsalted butter

2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 TBS finely chopped chives

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Place hazelnuts on baking sheet; toast until fragrant, about 10 minutes.  Transfer nuts to a kitchen towel; rub off loosened papery skins.  Coarsely chop nuts; set aside.  

Trim stems of cauliflower so they sit flat, keeping head intact.  Bring several inches of water to a boil in a large steamer or in a pot fitted with a rack; add salt to taste.  Steam cauliflower until just tender, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to platter.

Combine butter and hazelnuts in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until butter turns brown, 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat, and add lemon juice and chives.  Season to taste with salt.  Whisk to combine.  Pour over cauliflower and serve immediately.

Serves: 12 – 14  Recipe from Martha Stewart Whole Living 2001

Hazelnuts also known as Filberts

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Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Lime-Thanksgiving 7 Days and Counting!

Sweet potatoes Ελληνικά: Γλυκοπατάτες (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well it’s a week away and I still don’t know what I’m bringing as an hors d’ouevres since that is my assignment for Thanksgiving dinner.  This year we will be sharing the annual feast  with my daughter’s in-laws and other relatives of her husband.  It’s seems like there will be  a lot of famiglia!

But I digress, this post is about delicious and not quite ordinary side dishes.  I really wish I was supposed to bring one of them instead because most appetizers don’t travel well and it’s a 2 1/2 hour trip!

Since oven space is always at a premium Thanksgiving Day, you can make this dish ahead of time and reheat covered in microwave at dinner time.  

SWEET POTATOES with HONEY and LIME

Preheat oven 450 degrees

1 TBS plus 1 tsp coarse salt

6 sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise

6 TBS honey

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 small fresh red chile pepper, thinly sliced

2 TBS unsalted butter, melted

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 TBS fresh cilantro leaves

Bring a large sauce-pot of water to a boil, add 1 TBS salt.  Add sweet potatoes and boil 4 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  

In a bowl combien honey, lime juice, chile, butter and remaining teaspoon of salt and the pepper.  Add the sweet potatoes and coat with the marinade.  Put potatoes and any excess marinade in a 17″x12″ roasting pan.  Roast in oven 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, till tender and caramelized.  Garnish with cilantro. 

Serves: 6-8  - Recipe from Martha Stewart Living

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THANKSGIVING 8 Days to go – HEALTHY Mashed Potatoes and still the BEST Side Dish

With only 8 days left to Thanksgiving, I hope you have ordered your turkey already, made out your grocery lists and then gone over them again because running out on Thanksgiving morning for an ingredient is usually a good way to start a fight with your husband!

Today’s side dish is again an old favorite – like anyone would want to have Thanksgiving dinner without Mashed Potatoes! So of course we are having some and believe me no one savours the flavors of butter and cream more than me (and I have the hips to prove it) so when I found this recipe and tried it, I knew it was going to be a hit with everyone at the table including those who are always on a diet  or watching their cholesterol.  AND read the recipe thoroughly because I’m going to also list the ingredients that make it NOT SO HEALTHY and where to substitute them.  Either way, these are delicious mashed potatoes and actually I think the techniques used are probably what makes the potatoes even better than the recipe ingredients themselves.  And the best part is you can make them a day ahead!!!!

GARLIC-AND-CHIVE MASHED POTATOES

1  1/2  cups skim milk  (1  3/4 cup half & half)

2 garlic cloves smashed   (omit)

3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes  (4 lbs )

3 TBS unsalted butter (4 TBS-1/2 stick)

1/4 cup 2% or 0% Greek yogurt (omit)

1 TBS chopped fresh chives (I always use more)  (2 TBS chopped chives) and (2 TBS chopped parsley)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish: 2 tsp chopped fresh chives  (and 2 tsp chopped parsley)

Bring milk and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat and let stand.  Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium pot, and cover with water by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil.  Cook until tender, 10-12 minutes.  Drain, and pass through a ricer or food mill.  Return to pot.

Heat potatoes over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly dried out, about 2 minutes or less.  Strain milk mixture into pot .  Discard garlic.  Stir in butter.  Remove from heat.  Stir in yogurt, chives and 1 tsp salt;  season with pepper.  Garnish with chives. Do NOT garnish if you are storing for a day.

Serves 8 – recipe from Martha Stewart Living

Cook potatoes in cold salted water, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer till potatoes are tender 15-18 minutes. Drain, return potatoes to pot.

Stir potatoes over medium heat until dry, a film of starch will form on bottom of pot. Remove from heat.

In small saucepan, combine half & half and butter;  bring to a simmer over medium.  Pour half of hot liquid over potatoes.  Mash just until smooth, adding more liquid to reach desired consistency.  Stir in parsley and chives.  Season with salt and pepper. Garnish.  Do NOT garnish if you are storing for a day. 

Serves: 8 – recipe from Martha Stewart Every Day Food

NOW here’s the good part.  Put your mashed potatoes into a bowl that you know will sit in large pot as if it were a double boiler.  The bowl must be able to withstand some heat although it will not be in boiling water.  Cover your potatoes tightly with Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.   On Thanksgiving Day, place the unwrapped bowl of potatoes over a pot of soft-boiling water.  Do not rush the process. Let the potatoes warm through while you go about the other hundred details of a Thanksgiving Dinner.

Heart Healthy Mashed Potatoes

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Chametz?! Today is one of those “first day of your life” days!

Burning Chametz in Ofra, Passover eve (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do you know what chametz is?  I’m not even sure myself – my sister-in-law, Stacey told me it is the stuff you rid your house of before Passover.  She mentioned something about food stuffs that are not part of the Passover meal or week-long celebration, are thrown out.

Well today was ONE of those days! It’s the day when you open the refrigerator and with newly-opened eyes (in my case I had on glasses) and you SEE!  I mean you really see-the crud in the grooves of the bottom shelf, the jar of mustard that is for all intents and purposes empty and you discover not one, not two but at least 3 jars of capers.  Capers, for God’s sake!!!  Delving deeper into the recesses of the Frigidaire, I found a small container of dried-up cream cheese, a jar of jam that had grown a furry winter coat (it must be really cold in there).  Out with it all!  I threw out a jar of some mysterious brown sauce, I threw out salsa before it had a birthday on Cinco de Mayo and some expired bottles of indeterminate substance!  Out with it all!!

When I had filled up my recycle bin and my trash can, I sprayed the shelves with Simple Green.  I LOVE Simple Green, it cleans everything which means it probably shouldn’t be used in a refrigerator.  Now onto the next project.  Hey this is beginning to sound like Spring Cleaning,

I put the summer slipcover on the antique stuffed chair, changed the pillow covers to colorful awning-stripes and had Peter switch the foyer rug from the dark wine-red Oriental to our seasonal beige patterned rug.  He even took down the winter drapes in our bedroom and put up very light-weight airy beige curtains.  Out with the winter dark colors and in with the spring pastels.

I think what really got me going this morning was the fact that by some inner-maniacal drive force, I completed my income taxes early today.  I was up till 2AM working on the world’s most heinous task – assembling a year’s worth of information, collating it, copying it and preparing a statement for the accountant.  I had almost finished last night, uh, rather early this morning and then got up and finished it up.  I HATE doing the taxes!  BUT, when it’s done, I feel so good!

Spring is the time of renewal and rebirth; what was gray, brown and barren bursts forth into bright green life.  Flowers re-appear out of virtually nowhere since the ground looked like just ground to me and along with new tufts of grass, I noticed the lawn was also sprouting bunches of wild onions and even a few dandelions.  AND I get the urge to clean.  My mother always did spring cleaning and so do I.  My mother changed the carpets, drapes and slipcovers to reflect the new season and so do I.  Old habits or genetic programming?  The windows will be washed inside and out-here in NYC, we hire a man to do them but at the cottage, we’ll do them.  This year the carpeting and the couches in the apartment need steam-cleaning.  OUT with it ALL; dirt, dust, grime and most of all, the Chametz!

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Pasta with Cauliflower and Collards-Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

A Bunch of Collard Greens

DON’T be put off by the ingredients in this super winter pasta dish.  Depending on where you are when you are reading this, winter has either been a no-show or you’re cursing that damn gopher in Pennsylvania!  I’m in NYC and we’ve had a “pass”  (so far) on a snowy, frosty, icy winter.  Thank you Mother Nature  for making amends to us for last year’s horrible onslaught of snow! So even though Daylight Savings Time is around the corner as is the official beginning of Spring, I don’t count out the infamous month of March.  It IS still winter and it is cold even if it’s  not freezing.  And that’s why a hearty pasta meal featuring classic winter vegetables is appropriate and tasty.

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 lb of short pasta such as rigatoni or penne

1 TBS olive oil plus more for drizzling

1 large shallot, minced

1/3 cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio

1 bunch collard greens-ribs removed, leaves sliced crosswise

reserved roasted cauliflower**

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Cook pasta according to directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta.

Meanwhile in a medium pot, heat oil over MEDIUM heat.  Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, till soft, about 5 minutes.  Add wine and cook till almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add collards and cook, stirring  occasionally, until bright green and crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Add cauliflower, lemon zest and pasta.  Cook until cauliflower and pasta are hot, stirring and adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil.  Serve immediately.

** Preheat oven to 450 degrees; Toss cauliflower florets with 2 TBS olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, flip and roast for 10 more minutes or till tender.

Recipe from Martha Stewart‘s EveryDay Food

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Thanksgiving Dinner Menu with an Italian Accent

Brie on baguettes

Mixed Mediterranean olives

Antipasta plate

Garlic-herb rubbed Turkey roasted on onions and lemon

Herbed bread and sausage stuffing

Green beans with tarragon and caramelized onions

Mashed Yukon Gold potatoes with chives

Roasted parsnips, brussel sprouts and carrots with savory finishing sauce

Cranberry ginger clove sauce

Pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream

Thanksgiving Turkey

 

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Cucumber Coolers – Delightful and Refreshing

I guarantee you will be delighted with this crisp and thirst-quenching non-alcoholic drink.  I served it with dinner the other night, however my intention had been to serve it in the afternoon with some light refreshments or with lunch.  And when you are hot in the afternoon the way I was when we came home from the beach, this drink really hit the spot.  The prep work is a little bit of work but the end result is terrific.

Cool and Refreshing Cucumber Cooler

3 cucumbers – peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped

1/4 -1/2 cup water

1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves

1 lime thinly sliced

1 bottle of club soda

2 TBS agave nectar or honey

Puree the cucumbers and water in a blender.  Pour through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids – you should have about 2 cups of cucumber juice (it will be slightly thick)  Refrigerate overnight if desired or for at least a couple of hours.  

When you are ready to serve, place the mint leaves in the pitcher and bruise lightly.  Add the cucumber juice and the lime slices.  The recipe called for 24 ounces of club soda, I used a whole bottle of seltzer instead.  Add the agave nectar and stir to combine.

To serve: Pour over ice-filled glasses and enjoy!

recipe from Martha Stewart Every Day Food

Footnote: I prepared my batch in a covered pitcher (although not airtight) and even the next day there was enough fizz in the mixture to make it delicious and refreshing.

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How to Spend Memorial Day Weekend on the Jersey Shore

It’s Monday, it’s officially Memorial Day, the last day of long weekend.  You know when you work in an office, everyone wishes each other a restful relaxing weekend;  Now I don’t really work in an office on a daily basis and no one wished me a R&R weekend and I wonder if someone had, would the weekend have been any different? With me, it’s hard to tell because as my husband will attest, I never sit down and read a book, I never stop moving and I’m ALWAYS working!

So this is how my Memorial Day weekend played out;

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and opened up the cottage.  We are doing the Spring Flea Market next weekend so we brought LOTS of stuff down and it all needed to be wrapped or put in some sort of protective covering (most of this load was ephemera) so Peter started in doing that.  It had been a glorious  sunny day so about 6pm I strong-armed Peter into going for a walk on the boardwalk.  After all I think it’s only appropriate that once in a while we visit the ocean just to make sure it’s still there and remind ourselves why we come here!  And on our way back home, we stopped to say hi to Susan and Jim-small town you know!  Oh yes, when we arrived we found an empty bird feeder, grass a foot high and both the rose bush and the peony plants in full bloom 

The night before (at 10pm) I sauteed vegetables and chicken strips and packed them to bring along.  Thank goodness, dinner was going to be easy-I added that mixture to some linguine and made a light sauce from some broth, pasta water, and olive oil and lots of cheese.  Then I got a phone call from my friend Jane who owns one of the largest B&B’s in town.  She had a funeral to go to on Friday and needed someone to babysit the Inn.  And she needed someone to do so from noon to 10pm!  Her cousin was coming to stay so it was agreed that her cousin would be in charge till 3 or 4pm and then it was my turn.   That meant that the 10 errands I had to do on Friday had to start out pretty early!  And I needed to go over there tonight to get a lesson on how to check in the guests.

The LIlligaard Hotel

Friday morning; Racing around, breakfast, showers, feed the cats, make up the errand list and let’s get the hell out of the house and the phone rings – it’s Jane and her cousin hasn’t left her house yet and Jane has to leave in an hour!!  I said I would be there but Jane knew I had hoped to get a lot done before we were relegated to the hotel.  In the end, she put a note on the door saying Check In at 2pm.  Hoping her cousin would arrive by then, I set off to run around.  First we stopped at Rite Aid so I could pick up some vitamin supplements.  Next it’s Habitats for Humanity to drop off 14 videos as a donation.  Anyone who really knows me that this little act of removing 14 videos from my life or rather Peter’s was a major event.  Of course he brought in about 8 so I really only subtracted 6…oh well!  Then I dashed into Wegman’s and Peter went to their liquor store to get you know what!  Wegman’s was having their annual flower and plant sale and once I saw this great large pot of deep purple petunias I knew it would be perfect next to the rose bush. 

Deep Purple

photo by Murray Head

We flew out of that plaza and went to the Pet Smart store to buy cat food and a new litter mat.  Then over to Michael’s because I wanted to replace the ratty-looking bouquet on our bedroom porch.  It’s possible that the Gemini in me was in high gear because it took me forever to decide on the color combination of the bouquet.  In the end, bright yellow forsythia, turquoise and yellow gerber daisies, and a few white flowers made a colorful arrangement.  Last stop before home was Starbucks because  I needed fortification for my job.   At the last moment Peter said he should pop into a thrift shop to buy a belt.  In and out and no belt.

I called the hotel and there was no answer so I hit the panic button and insisted Peter drive me over even though we might lose the much-desired parking spot in front of the house!  But when I got there, her cousin was there, she just wasn’t answering the phone!!!  Well I went into the office and the first thing I noticed was that there was no paper in the fax machine, the computer was closed and where the hell was the registry book?  My lesson from last night depended on these things.  I found the book, snatched some paper from the printer to put in the fax machine which immediately started to spew forth MORE reservations.  I have to say I did really well – assigned rooms, filed the paperwork and then said I would be back in a couple of hours.

We went to garage to get some bins out to price the items and for me to finish the list of things that belong to Laura that we are selling.  The car just would NOT start!  After a half hour,  I sent Peter to stop in at our mechanic’s garage to see if he could help us start up the Met.  Holiday weekend, Friday at 4pm – GONE, well what did we expect?  So we pushed and pushed and got the car back into the garage – it was much easier getting it out.   Let the wrapping begin! We did have a nice break in the work when Trish and Ron showed up.  Just a neighborly visit and one of my favorite things about Ocean Grove, small town you know.

We had made dinner plans with Jim and Susan to dine al fresco on the front porch of the hotel, however the wind was whipping around and that didn’t seem like such a good idea after all.  So when they arrived,  I gave them a tour of the hotel and we opted to order pasta dishes from Luigi’s and eat in the tea room.  Very nice to dine by ourselves in a quiet atmosphere in such lovely surroundings!  I’m not going to go too too far into what turned out to be the lively dinner  conversation; Seems that there was a big  brouhaha over the Neptune H.S. graduation being held in the Great Auditorium because there was a movement to eliminate any religious songs or prayers since everyone is not Christian while they were at it, the ACLU and a certain grandmother thought the religious wording should be covered up as well as the big cross on the outside of the building.  Covering the cross was the line in the sand that  the Camp Meeting Association was not about to cross and initiate a secular precedent.  Anyway, it certainly was a very interactive conversation.

Saturday morning dawned early for us as this was the morning of CMA flower and plant sale and the Historical Society’s antique auction.  As I headed over to the plant sale, Peter got us seats for the auction and checked out the merchandise.  I came back with geraniums and petunias in time to look over the items.  Luckily there was nothing there I couldn’t live without, although Peter picked up a children’s teaching kit all about art.  Interesting but dated.  On the gorgeous day that Saturday was and opening day at the beach, I couldn’t stand being inside anymore so we left.

Saturday afternoon turned out to be yard clean up day!  I finally spread the rest of the mulch, Peter mowed the grass  and raked up mounds of the cut grass. I weeded, he cleaned the grill which was quite a process and I swept up.  We had a 7:00pm barbeque to go to: Nice!

Going to a cook-out at Joe’s is always fun and Michael was going to be there and a friend of his as well as Monica, a neighbor and Elena an old friend.  Jim and Susan were there and Elena invited a friend, Richard and our friend, Heide came bringing an amazing salad!   Everything was set out perfectly.  Arranged with detail in mind – Joe is a lovely host.  I can SO relate to him about entertaining – he is cleaning up as the night goes on and in the end, the barbeque grill has been washed and every thing is sparkly clean – Yes Joe!

Time to EAT

Jim, Susan and Joe

Michael cooks for the crowd

You’re wondering why I am outlining every detail then let me tell you.  I’ve  been running all weekend; I haven’t read the paper, I haven’t read a book or magazine, nor have I watched a movie.  It’s been on the go and then some.

Our friend Murray(YES that Murray!) was due to arrive on Sunday morning AND late Saturday afternoon we listened to a voice mail left by our friend, Paul who said he and his wife Karen were going to come down on Sunday!  Glad they’re coming BUT now I have to go to grocery store early in the morning.  I thought about what to serve, made my grocery list and hoped to get out to Wegman’s before my first guest arrived.

Sunday morning dawned yet another beautiful day and I was happy to be out and about by 9:00am, first Starbucks and then the grocery store.  As soon as I got home I set about prepping for our cook-out dinner.  I had decided to make the Strawberry Basil Shortcake that I featured last Tuesday.  First the cream and basil and while that was steeping, I began peeling, seeding and chopping cucumbers to make a batch of Cucumber Coolers (check out tomorrow’s Tasty Tidbits). The meat was thawing, I sliced the strawberries and macerated them, and took out platters, serving pieces and pots that would be needed. There was a sort of street fair in Bradley Beach on the boardwalk so I suggested that Peter and Murray take a long walk.

Mmmm maybe I will buy that penguin necklace for Lori

photo by Murray Head

Soon thereafter, Karen  and Paul arrived after having a horrific time with their car.  Karen owns a 1999 Porsche, truly a classic.  They were going to drive down to the shore but needed gas and when they stopped they discovered that the car’s computer system had locked everything up including the gas tank cover!  Paul managed to get that open without damaging it and the good news is that once they arrived here, they parked and then re-parked the car.  What that did was reset the computer, essentially re-booted the car.  Whew!!!

Time to unwind on the porch, have something cold to drink and a nosh.

A Strange Juxtaposition Between Karen and the Wicker Lamp

photo by Murray Head

After some refreshments on the porch we all headed off to the boardwalk where the fair was and since Murray had already been there, he peeled off to the opposite end of town with his camera and this is some of what he saw.

An Ocean Grove Tent

Photo by Murray Head

KOTY

photo by Murray Head

Swan Boats 21st Century Style on Wesley Lake

photo by Murray Head

Strolling in the sun, window shopping along the boardwalk, we ran into Jim and Susan – small town, you know!  I bought a beautiful pink and purple striped scarf/shawl and Peter bought me some outrageous hot pink sun glasses.

Outrageous Sun Glasses

Back home and it must be time for a martini on the porch!  While they are all drinking, I’m in the kitchen steaming clams, cooking asparagus and making and baking short cakes.  The hors d’oeuvres menu: Cheese and Crackers, Olives, Bococini, Pepperdews, Cherry Stone clams on the half shell with Asparagus Tips and melted  Lemon Dill  finishing sauce.

Once all that was out, I washed the outdoor dishes, set the table and Karen made the salad which evolved into practically a main dish.  She put together corn kernels, fennel, cherry tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese and salad greens. The dinner menu:  Bloody Mary marinated flank steak on the grill, baked beans, asparagus, and the terrific salad.  Dessert was the Strawberry Shortcake and coffee. It was well past 11:00pm before Peter and I finished cleaning up, washing dishes and putting things away!

And so the weekend slipped by…Monday morning we had an early morning shower but the sun came out soon thereafter and a beach day was born.  But first, I asked Peter to put some more screens in.  Not sure what I did besides sift through hundreds of Murray’s photos to pick out the pictures used in the previous blog as well as saving many many more which you will see in the near future.

Peter and I went to the beach and marveled that here we were, sitting on beach, looking at the beautiful waves.  The beach was full but not crowded and the water was icy cold.  My winter white skin stood out among the already-tanned bods.  I think it’s a good idea to tan in your backyard before going to the beach, especially to get the back of these thighs.  You know I’m convinced that a good tan takes at least 5 pounds off your thighs!

All play and no work, ha ha, ha – we went home and Peter painted a scratch on a kitchen cabinet and decided to paint the top of the kitchen ceiling light fixture – OMG what a nightmare!  It came apart where it shouldn’t have and even the live wires became undone.  I was so scared and Peter needed me to hold this very heavy light fixture above my head while I stood on a step stool and he attempted to put the wires back.  I was really sorry I had already taken a shower because now I was sweating and my arms were aching.  To get the damn thing back on the ceiling took us almost 45 minutes! Tomorrow I’m going  to Home Depot to get a new light.

Last but not least, we went to the Lilligaard Hotel to have dessert with Jane and Dick and her cousin and fiancee.  The ocean was pounding for some reason, you could smell the familiar oceany smells so we sat on the porch and it was delightful.

It’s past midnight and time to call it a weekend!!!!

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