Welcome to 2017!

It's the new year, and, as the song goes, we have 525,600 minutes ahead (yes, yes, if we're lucky.)

And so I've been thinking, at this time of resolutions, how do I want to spend the year?  I've never been one for keeping resolutions, though I've made many of the usual ones.  Diet, exercise, be kind, be mindful--always focusing on flaws and weaknesses, ways I could be better.  What a crappy way to start the year.   I don't turn to Mama or the kids and tell them how I'd like them to be better this year (well, except my cleaning tirade this morning, but I stepped on a video game box!), so why do I do it to myself?

Instead, I got to thinking about things I did last year that I want to continue into 2017.  This was a more do-able list, mainly because I'm already doing them.  It includes but is not limited to:

• hiking 
• birding
• volunteering (hospice, Girl Scouts, lay ministry, historic house)
• making things to give away (crochet or Zentangle)
• Zentangle (esp. teach Zentangle classes)
• personal retreats (I have two coming up in the next few months)
• family getaways (or longer vacations)
• attend concerts/musicals (opera on Friday, Sunset Boulevard in February)
• playing piano
• hosting social events/meet up with friends
• cooking with the kids and/or Mama
• purging unused books and items (I unloaded a ton of books and things last year)

Now, I'm not one of those people who believe things change magically with the new calendar.  There have been lots of FB memes about 2016 taking our 80s childhoods and hoping 2017 will be kinder.  And it has been a year of loss for celebrities that I have "known" for a long time--Carrie Fisher, George Michael, "Mrs. Brady" Florence Henderson, Prince, Alan Rickman, David Bowie, to name a very few.  As I wrote to Lambeth earlier this week, I was especially saddened by the deaths of Carrie Fisher and George Michael.  As a teen, I had loved the music of Wham! and George Michael and had even seen him in concert twice.  I hadn't listened much recently, nor followed his brushes with the law for public sex and drugs, but I was sad to hear that he had died.  Even more so Carrie Fisher, whom I adored as Princess Leia since I was six years old.  Now I had seen her other films and read some of her books, liked her sharp wit and public pronouncements.  And I had been so glad to see her in the new Star Wars movie.  I'm sad that she's dead, especially because she had a 24-year-old daughter.

So I've been reflecting on why we're sad about the deaths of people we've never met.  I think, in the case of celebrities/authors/artists/musicians, I have been grateful for the entertainment and pleasure they've brought me and so wish them well in life.  When their lives are over, especially young, I am sad that they didn't live longer (or suffered disease etc at the end), that I won't have the pleasure of their art anymore.  I suppose it's also why, when they're alive, people seek autographs etc.--to have connection with those who make us happy, to feel special by connecting with people we think are special (I'm not much of an autograph or photo seeker, though I do have a supposedly-signed pic of Carrie Fisher from when I wrote to her as a child.)  Like when we had the kids' picture taken with Alex Kingston, whom they adored in Doctor Who.  I did look up to Fisher as a role model, both in the character of Leia and in her outspokenness and advocacy later on.  

With her in mind--"the new hope" from Star Wars--the word I've been focusing on the last few weeks has been "hope."  In hospice, we learn that sometimes we have to adjust what we are hoping for, i.e. no longer hoping for a cure but hoping for meaningful visits with loved ones.  I can't hope that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named will not be president; it's going to happen, despite all the past talk of the Hamilton Electors and present talk of early impeachment.  What I can hope for is that he continues to be unskillful at keeping his promises and that many diverse groups can band together to oppose him regularly.  I can hope that a chastened majority, including myself, and news media will be vigilant.  And I can hope for sensibility and calm and patience and understanding.

Because we're going to need all the hope we can get for 525,600 minutes multiplied by four.

New Year's Weekend

Happy 2016!

We celebrated New Year's quietly.  Mama worked a half day and we did the grocery shopping after I went to PT.  Our menu was pretty simple:  cheesy bacon bites, chips and cheesy beef dip, ham, black-eyed peas, cornbread, Red Zinger punch, and Mama's special mozzarella and prosciutto with basil and balsamic on bread or breadsticks.  Gommie and Pop left early, but the kids were intent on staying up til midnight.  They played various videogames, but we turned on the tv to watch the ball drop and hear "Shut Up and Dance" and some other songs.  It was actually pretty fun, if quiet.

And then we all slept in.

New Year's Day was similarly quiet--all that food, some football, the Rose Bowl Parade, more dominoes and checkers, and crochet.  We also introduced Gommie and Pop to "The Great British Bake Off," which they enjoyed enough to watch several episodes over the weekend.  We also watched the first "How We Got to Now."

Saturday was a tiny bit more lively.  Bud had kung fu, which Gommie and Pop enjoyed watching.  Afterwards, we all went for a seafood lunch.  Then it was more games, tv, videogames, and crochet.

And today, we hung out for a bit before heading to the new outdoor store in the area.  It's huge!  And seemingly so out of place here in our part of Connecticut, which isn't exactly outdoorsy.  I mean, sure, Texas or rural Pennsylvania; I guess there are more hunters, fishers, campers--and what did the sign say? Liars?--who go through I-95 than I thought.  It was very decorated--dozens of taxidermied animals from marlins to beaver to bobcat to deer to mooses--and all manner of gear and gifts.  And lovely murals of the shore and woods.  We actually bought some freeze dried meals to try for fun--lasagna and teriyaki chicken--and the kids had them for dinner; not much better than a frozen dinner but probably pretty good if you're backpacking on the trail.   There were tents, boats, and even quads to crawl on. Eventually, they might open up the single-lane archery range for practice.  There's bowling and a restaurant, too, but we didn't stay.  We had hamburgers elsewhere.  And then, you guessed it--"The Great British Bake Off," dominoes, and checkers.  (Mama and I cleaned out a closet to get out the winter things--it's going to be 15F tomorrow night and we needed the mittens and scarves.  Finally.)

Gommie and Pop said goodbye to the kids tonight and they leave tomorrow.  That was hard.  Though I think I was the only one teary.  It's hard to have such great grandparents whom we only see a few times a year.  These times are nice and long and intensive and special.  And I know there are a lot of special memories for all of us.  But it was just hard to watch them say goodbye tonight.

I'm consoling myself with the beginning of the end of "Downton Abbey."  It's extra-fun to watch because I just keep thinking, we were there!

It's back to our regularly-scheduled life tomorrow, after I take Gommie and Pop to the train station.  But more on all that later.

Time for Lady Mary et al.

The Holiday Recipes, 2012

I neglected to post the recipes we used this holiday season, so I'm including them all here.

Enjoy!

A New Orleans Christmas


Shrimp Remoulade
We eat this every Christmas Eve when we get back from looking at lights; it’s a tradition from Mom’s family. Dad always wonders why we don’t eat it on other days. I didn’t like it much as a child but it is a tradition and it’s growing on me.

4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons prepared mustard (French’s)
2 teaspoons horseradish
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons pepper (dark, cayenne)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup salad oil
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped green onions
2 –3 quarts cooked and peeled shrimp

Combine first 8 ingredients. Gradually add oil, beating with beater. Add shrimp, celery, and onion. Chill. Serve on shredded lettuce with crackers.

Mom


Muffaletas/Muffuletta/Muffalatta (who knows?!)
Very similar to those at Central Grocery, which I remember eating on our trips to New Orleans.

Combine:
1 jar salad olives, drained
1 jar cocktail onions, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
celery—chopped fine
Bread
meats (cheap lunchmeats--ham, bologna,salami)
mozzarella cheese

Bake at 350°F until brown and cheese melts.


Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
I didn’t really love gumbo when I was younger but it has certainly grown on me now. So, for the first time, the night before the crash of Flight 587, I made gumbo, based on my mom’s recipes and my New Orleans cooking school class notes. And you don’t really need Andouille sausage—just any smoked sausage. Note: My mom adds a can of diced tomatoes; I don't.

4-5 chicken breasts
½ cup flour
½ cup oil
2 large onions chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 lbs. sausage
6-8 cups chicken stock
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Tony’s (approximately)

Saute sausage medallions. Saute onions, celery, pepper in sausage grease.
Make roux (Mom says you can microwave til brown, stirring after every minute; I tried this to start but then but it in a pot to finish). Add chicken broth. Add onion, celery, pepper, and sausage.
Saute chicken until dry and stringy. Add to pot. Add bay leaf, garlic, Tony’s. Simmer for 2 hours.
Serve over rice. Freezes really well.

Mom


Bread Pudding and Bourbon Sauce
I got this from Southern Living. Mom makes it now for all of her events and gets raves of compliments from real Southern chefs. I usually decrease the number of raisins, which will burn on the bottom if not floured. I know some people insist on adding fruit cocktail; I don't.

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup butter, melted
2 ¾ cup whipping cream
4 cups cubed French bread
¾ cups raisins (or less)

Combine first 4 ingredients. Stir in butter and cream. Gently stir in bread and raisins. Pour in lightly greased 2-quart deep dish. Bake 375°F for 50-55 minutes, shielding with foil after 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Southern Living magazine

Bourbon Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup sugar
1 cup cream (whipping, heavy, half-and-half)
2 (or 1) tablespoons bourbon (or your favorite--rum works well)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Melt butter in a small saucepan; whisk in flour and cook 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and cream; cook 3 minutes. Stir in bourbon, vanilla, and nutmeg, and simmer 5 minutes.

Family Circle


A Southern New Year

Cornbread
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup Quaker or Aunt Jemima enriched corn meal 
1/4 cup sugar 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup skim milk 
1/4 cup vegetable oil 
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten 

Put cast iron skillet lightly coated with oil in cold oven and heat to 400 F.  Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into heated pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm. 9 servings.


Black-Eyed Peas
As tradition goes, you have to eat all your black-eyes on New Year’s. 

1 bag black-eyed peas
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
garlic, minced.
salt, pepper 
olive oil

Soak peas overnight in salted water.  In morning, drain and rinse peas. 

Saute onion, optional pepper, and garlic in oil. Add peas. Cover with water (water is double the amount of peas or more). Cook until tender, about 2 1/2 hours.  *Goya's jambon bouillon makes this tasty if you don't use a ham bone.

New Year's Cheery Cherry

We're making pie. Something sweet to usher in the new year, something Mama has been hankering for, especially since I began reading (and talking about) another memoir/travelogue about pie, American Pie by Pascale Draoulec. Using an amalgam of sources, mainly various King Arthur Flour recipes and instructions, I've cobbled together a cherry pie. You might remember that I'm not experienced in the pie realm, having only made a couple of other crusts from scratch, usually preferring to top my apple with crumb or to make berry cobblers instead. Yes, I'm one of those competent home bakers who is afraid of pie crust. But with the bread pledge earlier this year, I started learning about crust. And here are some tips I've picked up along the way.

• Cold is important: cold butter, ice water. I even put my wooden rolling pin in the freezer for awhile.
• While I didn't do it this time, experienced pie makers seem to put apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, milk, or buttermilk powder in their dough. I need to look into this, particularly measurements.
• Butter vs. lard vs. vegetable shortening seems to be a matter of taste, or flaky vs. tender. We did a butter-shortening combo.
• When you have your disk of dough (before you wrap and refrigerate it), roll it on its edge to minimize cracking and tearing when you roll it out. It really works.
• Roll to approximately 1/8" thick. Be sure to know how big your pie plate is: add 3-4" to inside diameter for bottom crust and approximately 1-2" to top crust. Roll in one direction (outwards), not back and forth.
• Brush bottom crust with wash (we used milk) and then brush top crust with wash and sprinkle with sugar. Be sure to vent.
• For filling: shamefully, we admit to using canned cherry filling, doctored with cinnamon and almond extract. Today, we could only manage one homemade component. (Though, Mama didn't really like the almond extract in the end.)
• Apparently, metal vs. glass vs. ceramic makes a difference. I used ceramic. Apparently metal is the most inconsistent nowadays?
• Bake pies on foil-covered sheets to prevent spillage and splatter.
• Bake with foil or pie shield on crust so it doesn't burn. Remove 10-15 minutes before pie is done so the crust can brown.
• Let pie sit out til cold to eat so filling solidifies. Yeah, right. Who can wait?

Update: 24 hours later, the pie is gone. It was wonderful. And I was so proud. I might be a convert to pie, having preferred breads, cakes, and cookies before this. The kids have been calling it "the best pie in Connecticut." I'm ready to make pie every week. And Mama and the kids can't wait! I do have a Hubbard Squash on the porch and there was a recipe in my book in the last chapter . . . .

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Our New Year's Cheery Cherry Pie

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 1-2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

2 cans cherry pie filling

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

pats of butter

*Contrary to instructions, I made the dough in the food processor. Combine flour and salt in food processor. Add shortening and pulse until it resembles small peas. In small pieces, add butter until it resembles small flakes. Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together when pinched. Dump onto cold work surface, fold dough over on itself 3-4 times, divide in half, make two disks, roll edges of disks, and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Combine cherries, cinnamon, and almond extract. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out one disk of dough on well-floured surface until approximately 1/8" thick and about 12" in diameter for 9" pie plate. Fold in quarters and unfold in position. Pat down and brush with milk wash.

Pour filling into pie shell. Dot with pats of butter. Roll out remaining disk of dough. Cut out cute shapes, if desirable (I did our initials and a star). Fold in quarters, move to pie, and unfold. Fold bottom crust up over edge of top crust and pinch together; flute with fingers or pinch with fork. Add additional vents, if necessary. Brush on milk wash and sprinkle sugar. Cover edges with pie shield.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F and bake an additional 35-50 minutes, being sure to remove shield as crust gets brown so edges can brown too. Remove pie from oven when golden brown and bubbly, allowing it to cool and rest on a wire rack.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!

from King Arthur Flour website and the Mr. Washington's Cherry Pie in King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (the rewrite of the recipe directions is mine).

Of Rituals and Resolutions

The kids were asking us yesterday what some of our New Year's rituals are, knowing that our Chinese New Year's celebrations are highly ritualized. But we're pretty casual about the start of a new year--we didn't even stay up until midnight (though we taped the ball drop to watch later today)! Today we'll hang out, eat black-eyed peas and cornbread and greens (well, I will), and, perhaps most anticipated, watch The Clone Wars movie. And I'm adding a new thing: we'll make a dessert, this year a cherry pie (homemade crust, canned filling), a sweet to usher in a sweet new year. And Mama has a hankering for pie, especially since I've been reading Pascale le Draoulec's American Pie, about her pie odyssey across middle America (so far, I would more highly recommend Anne Dimock's Humble Pie, for a generational discussion of piemaking).

Anyway, we told the kids that many people make resolutions, or promises to try to achieve things in the new year. The kids have resolved to "make more books," one of their favorite activities being to draw sequential pictures in a narrative of their own making. They also said they wanted to learn to read this year (yes, yes, I prodded them on that one). And to "do kung fu" everyday. We also talked about living our values, something I'm going to keep in front of me this year, what they've been calling "faith in action" in church school. So we talked specifically about principles 1 and 7, i.e. the inherent worth and dignity of all people and the interconnected web of life on earth, which translates for the kids to respect people and reduce/reuse/recycle. A subset of that last one is a guideline I read about somewhere: when deciding on what to buy green, spend the most money on items closest to your body (i.e. food, fabrics, body products, cleaning products) and the least on those furthest (curtains, furniture, etc--though, does offgassing of those products count? Still working on this one). It was a fruitful conversation.

Mama and I have some other goals for 2011, think of it as ideas we want to foreground more than as "resolutions," specifically:

1. Live our values.

2. Be mindful.

3. Eschew judgement.

4. We will strive to do what we're thinking about, an inelegant way of saying that it's not good enough just to think about sending a card or calling or volunteering or donating, you have to do it. Sometimes we lack follow-through.

5. And one that has become more obvious to us recently: it's okay to run out or not have enough of something. Overabundance is not only not necessary, it's detrimental. This became obvious in planning food for Applepalooza, but also in how much I cook for dinner, what's stocked in the cabinets, number of Christmas presents, etc etc. Funny that this notion would be a surprise to us, but I guess we did come of age in the 1980s and 1990s, the complete opposite of the Great Depression.

Lastly, I'll be posting our semi-annual "Family Questionnaire" of likes and dislikes, which in a way record for me where we are and what's changed. And for the first time ever, the kiddos will get to participate.