Honors Program Holiday Social (Hospitality EVENTuality)

I'm inaugurating a new direction for this blog.  The new concept is customizing different types of events and relaying the organization, menu selections, and recipes.  What I have in mind is to share the level of organization that it takes to to afford the guests the most hospitable experience and allow the hosts the freedom and confidence to enjoy their own parties.

For this particular blog, I'm relaying entertaining business guests.  In this case, the organization involves the planning and execution of an event that follows attending a nearby theater production.  My university students and I viewed a delightful regional production of A Christmas Carol  at The Gilbert Theater.  Thereafter, most students drove the short distance to our house for music, conversation, hospitality, and lots of food.  As I had recently visited New Orleans and attending 2 cooking classes as The New Orleans School of Cooking, I decided on a New Orleans theme.  In addition, I privileged menu selections that could be frozen.  Finally, I wanted to strike a balance of adventurous and comfort food, of formal and informal moments, and of personal choice and communal experience.  Here's how it went...

occasion: attend 2 PM play close by and thereafter, dinner at our house

guest list: 29 adult RSVPs   budget: $8.25/person

set-up and menu:

1. The Welcome: Two student guests agreed to welcome guests and dispense name tags at the door.  The intention was that the RSVPs would feel acknowledged, expected, and welcomed.  These greeters invited guests to get their drinks in a small room where another student had selected the music and was ready to dispense the drinks. 

2. The Appetizers:  When most had arrived and had drinks, two students began transporting the appetizers into the living room, which was set up with a table in the middle and two 4-person seating arrangements around the edges.  This allowed the guests to have access to the food and either sit down in the room (a safe choice) or venture into the living room and beyond. Two framed menus were displayed on the table so that guests could distinguish among the appetizers and could preview the remaining food courses. Food and conversation began to mix...  brie cheese torte with salmon and dill layers and crackers...chicken liver terrine and crackers (warming in oven)...crab cakes with chili sauce (warming in oven)...shrimp with cocktail sauce...crudités and rémoulade...pretzels and chips...crescent roll ups w/ heart of palm, pimento, and cream cheese (warming in oven)...crescent roll ups w/ roasted red peppers and cream cheese (warming in oven)...black olives and green olives...
3. The Soup: Guests were asked to clear the dining room where two students and my husband (a professor) assembled 3 tables and chairs.  This overflowed into the hallway, but at least we could all see each other.  With the seating in place, everyone was invited to sit.  My appetizer servers now became soup servers.  When everyone was served (but not eating), the hosts formally welcomed everyone and invited anyone to speak. This was a time for guests to give a blessing or offer remarks. Often gratitude was expressed. This wasn't as serious as it sounds! We then enjoyed our soups...  artichoke, shrimp, and oyster soup (warming on stove)  Thereafter, my servers cleared the tables, and everyone was invited to the kitchen for the main course.
4. The Main Course: There were choices of jambalaya and gumbo, plus an abundance of sides.  Students need a selection and a plentiful supply!  Eventually, everyone had returned to the dining room with plates full of food.  Conversation became lively and an informal tone prevailed... chicken Marsala (warming in oven)...red beans and rice (warming on stove)...jambalaya with rice—chicken (warming on stove) with file...gumbo with rice—sausage (warming on stove) with file...maque choux (warming in oven)...French bread (warmign in oven)... I turned the oven down to 200 and put in the bread pudding in when the main dishes had come out.
5. The Desserts.  My servers cleared the tables and began bringing in desserts. No pressure to indulge though!  As the social winded down and guests began to get up to leave, we gave them individually wrapped pralines (shipped from New Orleans). 

Timeline...

(This depends on someone being home while everyone else is at the play.)

12:00 Make 2 batches rice and put in OVEN (preheated to 200).

1:15 Warm rice, chicken Marsala, Maque Choux, and crab cakes into oven on lowest setting. Warm red beans, jambalayas, soup on stove on lowest setting.

3:10 Microwave pin wheels. Put ice in bucket. Put out liters of soda and water pitcher.  Light candles.

3:15 Welcome with name tags.  Play music dispense drinks.  Heat oven to 350 for rice, maque choux, chicken Marsala. Turn up stove to medium low. Add chopped parsley and green onions to red beans. Stir.

3:30 Put out appetizers, accompanied by small plates and small napkins on table in center of room.  Guests sit in 4-person groups in dining room and in living room. The host invites guests to appetizer table.  Leisurely continue with the soup, main, and dessert courses.

Recipes:

brie wheel:  Cut a brie wheel in thirds, crosswise with a waxed dental floss or a sharp knife.  Between each layer, place smoked salmon and dill.  Put back together.  Stab with toothpicks and cut in 1" pieces. well liked

chicken liver pate: http://www.labellecuisine.com/Favorites/Holiday%20Appetizers%20-%20Quick,%20Easy,%20Elegant.htm.  Freezes well. not well liked (except for me and my husband)

chicken Marsala: Emeril Lagasse's 2003 recipe.  Freezes well. students loved!

remoulade with vegetable crudites (Creole appetizers): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0102090024854.html

Maque-Choux (3 ways): http://www.gumbopages.com/food/veg/maque-choux.html.  Freezes well.

red beans and rice: from Emeril Lagasse's Red Beans and Rice; Louisiana Real and Rustic; Emeril Lagasse with Marcelle Bienvenu, 1996, William Morrow and Co. 

artichoke and shrimp soup:  http://www.recipezaar.com/Shrimp-and-Artichoke-Soup-158632.  I added crab meat.  Freezes well. students loved!

gumbo: http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/New-Orleans-Gumbo/21316/. Freezes well. well-liked

bread pudding: http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/New-Orleans-Gumbo/21316/. Freezes well.  well-liked

jambalaya: http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/jambalay.htm.  Freezes well.  well-liked

The Great Books Connection...I placed tent cards around the tables with quotes from Great Books regarding food, dining, and hospitality. We've hosted this type of play and then house event thereafter for several years.  This year, I asked, in advance for guests (who are university students) to help with music, greeting, serving, and set up.  This created a sense of appreciation and graciousness that we (my professor husband and I) had not experienced in the past.  Other students offered to clear, clean up, and breakdown tables.  Mrs. Ramsey (To The Lighthouse) should have invited some of her guests to help out.  Then, instead of feeling annoyed during much of the dinner, she might have felt a sense of community.

grabbing Thanksgiving when you can...(Hospitality EVENTuality)

No one’s coming for Thanksgiving day. So I grabbed a pre-Thanksgiving opportunity to cook when many of us found ourselves together in DC--for various reasons. The meal's menu didn't resemble traditional Thanksgiving fare. However, the euphony among the chef, sous chef, and champion pot scrubber recalled the usual Thanksgiving kitchen preps.

The menu:
cheese 'n mac
steaks
mashed potatoes
shrimp
asparagus

I wish I could convey how to cook this steak, but I didn't cook it.  How our chef does this without a thermometer and made to order per his guests' preferences is amazing.

I don't want to review the whole menu because I'd rather just address the issue of rescuing a few dishes as referenced on the unequaled blog www.eatsmeatswest.blogspot.com.

The mashed potatoes: J. ruthlessly peeled and precisely cut the white potatoes and 1 sweet potato. They were cooked in water; drained; and doctored with, I think, chives and some kind of milk or cream. Still bland, according to our chef. Responding to his appeal to "fix it," I did what (according to the recent New Yorker food issue) most restaurants do with their mashed potato dishes: I slathered in a generous helping of butter. That worked.

Notice the color due to the one sweet potato addition.

The shrimp: I'm a simpleton when it comes to cooking shrimp, preferring to roast it with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  But our chef really knows his stuff with white wine, so he opted for sautéing.  However, he became dissatisfied and focusing on his steak sauce (to die for), requested that I "fix it." So I added shredded parmesan and, of course, more butter. That worked.

The cheese 'n mac. I made the roux, added the cream/milk mixture, stirred, and then, decided that it was never going to thicken enough. As there was no burner room to make a second roux and blend that into the existing thin mix, I added a bit of the warm mix from the stove to a lot more flour in a bowl. Then, a little more liquid. And a little more. Eventually, the slush in the bowl was ready for incorporation into the pot of too-thin sauce. That worked.

I assured our amazing chef (my son) that the reason I could fix these dishes is because I had botched so many in my lifetime. What I seem to have learned more than how to perfect the perfect dish is how to rescue a near-disaster and present a solidly good dish. As we all know, the difference between the perfect dish and a solidly good dish is no quiddity. So lacking a sense of culinary heroism, I began to read the latest New Yorker food issue. Two articles, although more feuilletons than classic journalism, palliated my shame.

Article one chronicled its author's laborious attempts to recreate Thanksgiving dinners/celebrations all over the world. Even though I'm all about the food, I quickly gathered that I was no match for her turkey obsession. Hours driving around the countryside, cajoling merchants, and reconstructing family menus might have been better spent enjoying the preparation, presentation, and party. Three words of advice sprang to mind in light of our impromptu DC dinner: family and friends.

Article two speculated that cookbooks are designed to give the illusion of a great dish, but not the directions to create said dish. The photos, the anecdotes, and the step-by-steps all amount to only deceptive or evanescent promises. So why do we continue to read them? I imagine that it’s because reading cookbooks, like watching romance movies, affords us the perfect fantasy. We escape and embrace rescue.

I recently returned from New Orleans where I took two cooking classes at the New Orleans School of Cooking and learned about Creole and Cajun cooking. Additionally, I picked up a tip for perpetuating that cookbook fantasy for my own guests. No matter what, the teacher insisted, proclaim that you're serving "the best ________ you've ever had." Why not? What's the point of my usual self-deprecation about missing ingredients, spatchcocked methods, or bowdlerized mise-en-place? Instead, I will heretofore proclaim, "This is the best cheese 'n mac you've ever had!"

(Cheese 'n mac? Yes, it's so cheesy that the noodles seem an afterthought. As J. wisely advises, you can never have enough cheese.)

from my word-for-the-day or Merriam-Webster...
Bowdlerize: to remove or change parts (of a book, play, movie, etc.) considered objectionable
Evanescent: tending to vanish like a vapor
Euphony: pleasing or sweet sound, esp. by words.
Quiddity: trifling point
Feuilleton: work of fiction catering to popular tastes

from my memory...
spatchcocked: two things inappropriately forced together ungraciously, uncomfortably, or awkwardly

Retirement dinner with my mom and cousin (Hospitality EVENTuality)

My husband and I hosted a retirement party for his tennis buddy/doctor and his wife.  My mom and cousin were visiting from Chicago, so it was a group of 6. 

Here's my menu...

Appetizers:

hot 3-cheese artichoke dip on crackers

3 cheeses

Dinner:

Butternut squash & pear soup

rolls

Roasted shrimp and orzo

Spinach salad

Dessert:

Key lime pie

Cardinal Mendoza

I was pleased that the hot artichoke dip froze and reheated so well.

The butternut squash soup with the canned pears was a hit. I recommend roasting sections of the butternut squash and then, cleaning them up when cooled instead of cooking them on the stove.

Also, it’s important to get the sauce creamy. So process it in batches.

Finally, the spicing needs to be monitored. I suppose that the variations come into play as the squash and pears vary in sweetness. I end up salting this to taste and increasing the nutmeg, grating it and tasting…grating and tasting.

Adding cream at the end helps the richness and deepens the flavor. Don’t skip. Use cream.

I need to contrive a garnish.

As for the pie…it was good but shallow. Next time, I’d double the same recipe for the key lime part. Then, I’d switch over to Tyler Florence’s topping. After 2 failed meringues, it’s not worth it. Everyone liked TF’s sour cream and confectioners’ sugar drizzled on the top and over the side. A narrow lime wedge as garnish is a perfect finish.

The Cardinal Mendoza was bought and brought back from Spain. Our Ecuadorian guest of honor, educated in Spain, so much appreciated the gesture that we thought it fitting to send him home with the remainder. One of the joys of hospitality is when you can find a guest’s treat that communicates how you’ve personalized the selections/decisions for the evening.

and the Great Books...

I was teaching Descartes and Hobbes recently and recall that their biographies list their retirement interests.  So I thought I'd do a bit more research and compile a list of retirement fascinations and lifestyles of Great Books authors.

Descartes...from Robinson, Dave and Chris Garratt. Introducing Descartes. Cambridge: Icon Books UK, 1999. In middle age, he wore wigs specially made in Paris; neat dresser, wore black, carried sword traveling away from home, age omelets from 10 day old eggs, spent 12 hrs. daily in bed, thinking & writing; exercised regularly; generous to his few servants; generous to strangers; “compulsive letter writer…with the obscure and the famous”; interested in developing a universal language; interested in developing universal philosophical language 81.  “Because of his interest in automata, Descartes once had one made in the likeness of a young girl which could make some human-like noises and move its limbs. He took the ingenious device on board a ship, packed in a box. Unfortunately the ship’s captain was curious about the box, thinking perhaps that Descartes was a kidnapper.” 102  “The old philosopher now wanted to retreat from the world of constant academic squabbling and the stream of condemnations which came from both Protestant and Catholic theologians.” 153    “He died of pneumonia in 1650, after only a few months in Sweden. His dying words were reported as ‘Ca mon ame; il faut partir.’ [("So my soul, it is time to part").] Thirteen years later his works were banned by Roman Catholic Church and put on the Index of Forbidden Books.” 160
 

Hobbes...In his old age, he enjoyed massages.

Aurelius...We should take a lesson from his life.  Although he wanted to retire to a country life, he kept on, stoically, performing his soldiering duties.  He died on the front, never contented with the more peaceful existence for which he longed.

Mark Twain...He came in with Haley's Comet and he went out with it, just as he predicted and desired.

Michel de Montaigne...He retired to his home library, reading exactly what he pleased--nothing too taxing--and kept his own counsel.

Dante and Boethius... Both died in exile. Dante was bitter; Boethius was tortured to death.  Socrates...one word--"hemlock."  There's a lesson here. Social criticism is risky.

I'll keep working on this...

Home Closing & Homecoming: The House of the Seven Gables and Wabi-sabi (Hospitality EVENTuality)

My daughter and son-in-law closed on their house after many weeks of lawsuit threats, contingency agreements come and gone, and worried phone calls to relatives.  The next day, they drove "home" for my daughter's 10th year high school reunion.  We celebrated  their new adventure with a leisurely meal.

New homeowners come "home" for homecoming...

3-cheese artichoke dip (not pictured)
green beans with tomatoes

corn on the cob
au gratin potatoes (Its the golden colored disk in the above picture.)
rib eyes

rolls
brownies

There are only 2 sterling recipes in this meal: the potatoes and the rib eyes.

The potatoe recipe comes from the new star of the Food Network contest, Melissa d'Arabian.  Here's her recipe.  My adaptations follow. 

5-Minute Individual Potato Gratins 4 to 6 servings
2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve. My adaptations...I use ramekins, which produce a little bigger serving and make it easier to dislodge the potato mold.  I like a bitier cheese, say a smoked gouda or a sharp cheddar.  If I don't have green onions, I use leeks--just the white parts. Sauté the leeks if you have the time. 

Steaks in a cast iron pan
Preheat oven to 350.  The steaks should be thick and at room temperature.  Salt and fresh pepper them.  Melt about 1 tbl. butter in a cast iron pan.  Add enough oil to coat and heat to medium high.  Watch the butter so that  don't burn it. Sear the steaks--top and then bottom.  Give it a good 5-6 mins. on each side. Leave the steaks in the cast iron pan and transfer to oven. Cook to a rare reading, remove, and let finish cooking to med. rare in the pan outside of oven but off any heat.  At med. rare, remove from pan and let rest 10 mins.  Slice across grain.  Sometimes, this gets smokey.  So be prepared to start shutting doors to nearby rooms.

A famous house from the Great Books appears in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables.  Early in his "romance" (not "novel"), Hawthorne's meta-narration guides us that "...the author has provided himself with a moral--the truth, namely, that the wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones, and, divesting itself of every temporary advantage, becomes a pure and uncontrollable mischief..."

Houses, for Hawthorne, like blood dripping through the floor boards, exude evil from one generation to the next.  For the sake of our new home owners, let's turn to a more auspicious outlook and adopt a wabi-sabi philosophy of old houses instead.

Here are some notes on wabi-sabi from...Juniper, Andrew. Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2003.
“Wabi Sabi embodies the Zen nihilist cosmic view and seeks beauty in the imperfections found as all things, in a constant state of flux, evolve from nothing and devolve back to nothing. Within this perpetual movement nature leaves arbitrary tracks for us to contemplate, and it is these random flaws and irregularities that offer a model for the modest and humble wabi sabi expression of beauty. Rooted firmly in Zen thought, wabi sabi art uses the evanescence of life to convey the sense of melancholic beauty that such an understanding brings.” 1-2

“The term wabi sabi suggests such qualities as impermanence, humility, asymmetry, and imperfection. These underlying principles are diametrically opposed to those of their Western counterparts, whose values are rooted in a Hellenic worldview that values permanence, grandeur, symmetry, and perfection.” “Japanese art, infused with the spirit of wabi sabi, seeks beauty in the truth s of the natural world, looking toward nature for its inspiration. It refreains from all forms of intellectual entanglement, self-regard, and affectation in order to discover the unadorned truth of nature. Since nature can be defined by its asymmetry and random imperfections, wabi sabi seeks the purity of natural imperfections.” 2

“The word wabi comes from the verb wabu , which means to languish, and the adjective, wabishii, which was used to describe sentiments of loneliness, forlornness, and wretchedness.” 49

“Wabi sabi is an intuitive appreciation of a transient beauty in the physical world that reflects the irreversible flow of life in the spiritual world. It is an understated beauty that exists in the modest, rustic, imperfect, or even decayed, an aesthetic sensibility that finds a melancholic beauty in the impermanence of all things.” 51

“The term seishintouistu refers to the concentration of the mind and spirit on just one activity, and through this constant mental discipline the person is able to loose the dominance of the ego and become one with the activity. The artistry is the result of a mind focused on the task in hand, whether it be polishing a floor, raking gravel, or cutting vegetables. By bringing the mind to bear on the here and now, everyday activities can take on profound meaning and in Zen these are considered key for the development of the mind. This attitude can then transform the most mundane tasks into art.” 91

“Zen teachers stress a state of mind called mushin, which could be likened to a state of total absorption in a task. This concentration helps subdue the ego so that mind and body can work in a free, natural, and uninhibited way. This erasing of the importance of self is seen as key to producing art that is not tarnished with the hues of self-indulgence or self-promotion.” 91-92

“If the archer and the bow are in harmony and the ego takes no part in the activity; then the shot will be made in the right spirit and that is all that matters.” 92

“In other arts, too, the role of the artist is that of a medium rather than an individual. This idea that the artist is not really the creating force is an underlying theme in the arts of Japan.” 92

“It is important that some part of every piece of wabi sabi art is organic in nature, whether it be clay, wood, textile, or any other naturally occurring material. The tides of time should be able to imprint the passing of the years on an object. The physical decay or natural wear and tear of the materials used does not in the least detract from the visual appeal, rather it adds to it. It is the changes of texture and color that provide the space for the imagination to enter and become more involved with the devolution of the piece.” 106

From...Gold, Taro. Living Wabi Sabi The True Beauty of Your Life. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2004. Pp. 96-97

"As we become comfortable with predictable cycles of actions and reactions, we settle into patterns. Herein lies a karma danger zone, for once a pattern of behavior develops, our actions move from the conscious realm into subconscious habits."

"The more subconscious habits we allow, the more stagnant our lives become. We may eventually forget why we think, say, and do certain things. All we know is that we have "always" been that way, or perhaps we assume everyone else is that way, too. In such a lazy frame of mind, we relinquish our creative decision-making power. We leave the crucial role of seed planting in the field of our lives to our subconscious habits."

"When we give up any part of our lives to a subconscious habit, a piece of our future falls behind us. That is because our subconscious habits are ingrained patterns of behavior, echoes of our past. And since the past can never change, any aspect of our lives controlled by subconscious habits will never change. Stuck in this karmic rut, our past is bound to repeat itself in our future. We can break this cycle only by becoming consciously aware of the decisions we make at every moment."

Back to our new homeowners...  I wish my daughter and my son-in-law great happiness and success on their new venture.  However, if financial times get tough, they could take a lesson from Hawthorne's Chapter II.  Open up an at-home shop by cutting a door in your home, preferably one with access to the street.  You know, if Miss Hepzibah--that old woman entrenched in her precious perception that a lady has little in common with the common woman--could make a go of it, anyone can!

New Vocabulary...from The House of the Seven Gables, definitions from Merriam-Webster on-line
Propinquity: nearness of blood; nearness of place or time
daguerreotype:  an early photograph produced on a silver or a silver-covered copper plate
recondite: hidden from sight; concealed; difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend
apothegm: a short, pithy, and instructive saying or formulation; aphorism
esculent: edible
sybarite: voluptuary; sensualist
diurnal: reoccuring every day; having a daily cycle

New parents' meals (Hospitality EVENTuality)

Baby Em arrived on Saturday, September 19!

We got "the call" that my daughter was in labor the night before.  Being all about the food, I packed a memory stick with computer recipes and headed up I-95 early the next morning. Happy mother and father.  Beautiful "baby girl."  Me?  I was thrilled and relieved.  The next day, my all-about-the-food obsession kicked in.  I began eagerly planning the new family's first meals.  Eventually, another voice emerged: Why was I so worried about food at a time like this? Where was my foci on family, sharing, gratitude, and celebration? For guidance, I turned to literature, asking myself what the Great Books had taught me about food and family.

Literature offers us a plethora of notoriously bad parents. Is it a coincidence that most of these bad parents don't personally feed their children?  Maybe if they had, their families would have prospered.  One can only wonder if...

• ...the creature and Dr. Frankenstein would have become father-son owners of a tall men’s apparel store.

• ...Emma and Bertha Bovary would have played piano duets.

• ...Orestes and Clytemnestra would have buried the hatchet.

• ...Medea and her children would have joy-rided in the sun chariot.

• ...Mr. _____would have avoided Celie’s curse and eaten more than his own words.

• ...Daisy Buchanan and her child would have taken driving lessons together.

• ...Gulliver would have preferred dining with his family rather than the horses.
• ...King Lear would have been lying on the heath digesting his daughters’ holiday meal.

On the other hand, literature affords us examples of good parents who cook for their families and prosper.

• There's Mrs. Ramsay and her boeuf en daube. Well, she didn't actually cook it; but she did preside over the meal. OK, her children didn't actually attend the meal. But still, they saw their mother conducting a classy soiree, exuding hospitality. 

• In the Odyssey, Penelope feeds her infants. Sure, thereafter she hands them over to the nursemaid.  And, true, we may not know if she's a wonderful mother. But we do know that she's the paragon of a faithful wife. That's close.
• The women in Lysistrata feed their children while successfully controlling the money and sex.  Many a woman's dream.
• As we watch Ántonia Shimerda in the kitchen baking for her growing family, we have forgotten her days as an unwed mother.

(I can't decide how to categorize Augustine's mother because there seems to be no record of Monica's culinary dis/inclinations. Regardless, trailing your adult son from one country to another and hounding him to convert is just nuts.)

With the Great Books empowering my meliorism* vis-à-vis cooking for your family, I planned 4 dinners according to two criteria:
1.  new parents need to eat healthy and often, quick meals; and
2.  new parents need simple meals to accommodate their new responsibility and schedules. 

For the parents of newborn Em, I cooked the following during my visit.

Monday: We are joined by the baby’s Aunt, making this dinner for 4.
Salad Nicoise
I forgot to take a picture of this. So as Sophia Petrillo (The Golden Girls) begins every story, "Picture this"...a platter spread with...

1. slices of cooked tuna (Sear each side of the tuna medallions or tuna steaks. Their inside should be rare.)
2. small bowl of Kalamata olives
3. parboiled potato chunks
4. tomato wedges
5. hardboiled egg quarters
6. cooked green beans—still crisp
7. red onion slices
8. sliced carrots (These are not traditional for this dish but add color.)
Nobody wanted anchovies. And we didn't have them, anyway.

Serve with a Dijon vinaigrette:
2 tbls. lemon juice
1 tbl. Dijon mustard
less than 1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Each plate started with a pile of mixed greens. Everyone added from the platter and drizzled vinaigrette over. Another way to go is to mix the greens and the vinaigrette in a bowl, serving alongside the platter.

Tuesday:
Adapted from Ina Garten's Roasted Shrimp and Orzo.
This is what I found leftover in the frig after I realized that I forgot to take a dinner picture. One lonely shrimp.

You can omit the parsley but not the dill. Instead of the feta, I used bleu cheese--for extra punch. This tastes even better the next day and the next. My son-in-law loved this. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-shrimp-and-orzo-recipe/index.html

Corn and the Cob

Wednesday:
Blueberry Pork Chops:
You'd be surprised how subtle this dish tastes. Plus, there's the wow factor of pork chops and blueberries except for those who've eaten the Florentine beef version. Finally, blueberries are anti-oxidants. I adapted this from Rachael Ray's for Pan-Fried Pork with Blueberries: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Pan-Fried-Pork-with-Blueberries

2 pork chops  If thick, a new parent has to watch the stove less often.
salt & pepper
flour to dredge
1 tbls. olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup blueberries
1 tbls. butter

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Coat with flour.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Shaking off any excess flour, add the pork chops and cook, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.

Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and blueberries. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and return the pork chops and any juices to the skillet.

Serve with sauce over pork chops.

Swap it: Use chicken cutlets instead of pork chops. Or use with leftover pork tenderloin.

Dutch Oven Potatoes:
The key is the butter, oil, and spray combo: Add as little butter as possible for health purposes but enough to add flavor. Use only enough olive oil to give a coating of the entire bottom. To prevent sticking, the vegetable spray should be liberally applied.

Additionally, even though this is a simple recipe, it demands a close eye. So for new parents, I recommend the lowest setting to allow for distractions and prevent burning.

Clean, dry, and vegetable spray small white or red potatoes.  Season with ground pepper and sea salt. Add to Dutch Oven.  Shake to coat. Cook on stovetop, med. low or low, depending on the potatoes' size. Shake often.

It's done when fork-poked soft—about 30 minutes if small or 1 hour if large. Again, the lower the temperature, the less you have to keep watching and shaking them.

Originally, they were packed tight. Here's what the pan looked like with the leftover oil/butter and thyme.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Thyme: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprouts-with-Bacon-and-Thyme-105615

Thursday: The baby's aunt joined us again, making it dinner for 4.
Spinach Salad
I didn't use eggs. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spinach-salad-with-warm-bacon-dressing-recipe/index.html

Pizza:
Spread out Pillsbury pizza roll on a cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable oil.
Smear tomato sauce all over.  Sprinkle with...

• cooked mix of Italian sausage and ground chicken
• caramelized onions
• roasted red peppers (You could use a jar of them.)
• mushrooms

Top with low-fat grated cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.

Bake at 450 for 15 mins. or so. These are the leftovers…

*Meliorism: belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment [from Merriam-Webster online]

tribute to Theresa Pirron: 1905-2009 (Hospitality Congeniality)

Theresa Pirron, 104, of Northbrook, July 14, 2009. Beloved wife of the late Karl; Loving mother of Pauline "Polly" (Andrew) Jerch; Proud grandmother of Rick (Janie) and Don (Janet) Jerch; Fond "Oma" of Susan (Andy) Shuckra, Kirsten Jerch, Megan (Ned)Irons, Cory, Michael and Rhiannon Jerch. Memorial Mass Saturday, August 1, 2009 at 10 am at St. Norbert Church , 1809 Walters Ave. Northbrook. Interment St. Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to The Northfield Food Pantry, 3801 W. Lake Ave. Glenview, IL 60026 or please perform a random act of kindness for someone. posted on the N. H. Scott & Hanekamp funeral home's website.

After living a long and sanguine* life, Theresa Pirron left us on July 14, 2009. She was 104 years old. Many of her family remember her as a hostess and cook. To this day, I attribute my obsession with doling out leftovers for take-home meals to Oma who always offered Janie and me care packages. If I, as a young wife, wasn't always grateful, I should have been. There were other lessons I learned from her. With each meal, Oma had a knack for salvaging "discarded" food, which would soon contribute to another tasty meal. Oma illustrated how satisfying it is to cook for your family but also, how much work is involved. No fancy kitchen. No convenient appliances. Just patience, attention to details, and culinary basics. I remember her painstaking apple strudel, her slow-roasted pork roast, her savory liver dumplings, and many assorted other German dishes. I remember well her fried chicken. No matter how far South you journey, you just can't beat hers. I know that her family misses her. I miss her too. I can still picture her in her apron, smiling shyly, perspiring a bit, and sighing, "It's always something." Oma’s Fried Chicken…cooked by Theresa Pirron, told to and recorded by her grandson Don on 5/26/86 Preheat oven to 350. 1. liver—Defat chicken. Fry to get grease drippings. Fry onions, then livers. Brown each side approx. 5 mins.—not too much. 2. soup—Debone chicken. + neck; -back; +wing tips. Place in pan & simmer approx. 1-2 hours with onion, celery, and carrots. Strain broth. Save vegetables with broth. 3. fried chicken—Wash and separate [chicken pieces]. ____ fat piec? for ____liver fry _____.** Salt & pepper. Add 3 large scoops of Crisco to a large fry pan. Heat until it sizzles, using leg to test. Dredge pieces in flour, then dunk in egg + water, and then coat in bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown. Lay into baking dish or pan. To the pan, add 2-3 tbls “frying grease” + ¼ cup water. Season each piece with poultry seasoning and paprika. Cover chicken with lid or foil. Bake at 325 approx. 1 hr. **This is as accurate as I could get due to the paper being so faded and the assorted holes I’d punched in it for various notebooks over the years. Family members, if you have corrections, please let me know. *Sanguine: Cheerfully optimistic or confident; Having a healthy reddish color; Blood-red. [from Wordsmith]

freezer meals for innocent entertaining and Any Bitter Thing (Hospitality EVENTuality)

  Before I varoom to visit my oldest daughter when she labors and births, I'm freezing meals for my husband. Personal history indicates that each meal should serve two people--either for leftovers or a wholesome evening with a platonic friend. For example, say you're 21. Your parents are on a trip. You invite someone to dinner, say, a neighborhood priest. You both eat your mother's 2-person serving of thawed barbecue as you converse for hours in a non-date fashion. Because it is not a date. Because you are innocent of all such accusations. Because you are no hoyden.* Otherwise, would you have served such an innocent meal as your mom's chili? 

I'm reading Any Bitter Thing, which focuses on a priest and the confusion of innocence. Here are some good lines from the novel by Monica Wood:
"His life had become a badly sutured wound that occassionally seeped..." 284  [cf. Jude the Obscure]
"He discovered, also, that the human spirit is not built for endless despair.  He took up books again, found movie houses or art galleries to sustain him through the thing that appeared more and more to be his actual life." 282  [cf. Montaigne's essays on books and the solitary life]
"The opposite of God is not evil.  The opposite of God is absence." 161 [cf. Augustine and Marlowe's Faustus]
"His mission, in the words of the more progressive teachers at Grand Seminaire, was to help his parishioners 'find their own priesthood.'" 125-126  [cf. Luther's "Priesthood of the Believer"]

Back to the project of freezing meals for my husband while I'm away being a new grandmother...

I know that when you freeze your concoction, it is obvious what you've created. But it won't be so apparent later. You'd be surprised how much last week's frozen wedding soup looks like last month's frozen beef stew. So right now, pledge that you shall label all of your freezer meals. I swear to you that this will save you embarrassment. My mom still tells the story of freezing meals for my dad in individual containers (no chance that he was entertaining); then, traveling around Europe with her girlfriends; and arriving finally, at her London hotel with a message from her husband. Beaming--because she was the only wife to hear from her hubby--she devoured his missive:

"Virginia, How the hell can you tell the difference between the frozen spaghetti sauce, the frozen chili, and the frozen barbecue? Edward" I wonder what my mom told her girlfriends was in his "love letter." I wonder why my dad would go to all that trouble--sending an international letter--to inform her about proper frozen food container labeling. I guess, he was just a romantic. My dad.

I've composed a list of some of my tastiest, easiest, and freezeryest meals.

chicken and rice casserole. This is nice because it has veggies with the chicken and rice. You could freeze it before cooking. But I cook it first, then freeze, thaw, and warm. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chicken-and-rice-casserole-recipe2/index.html

meatloaf patties. I spray a fry pan and spray the pattieson both sides. Then, I fry, bake (350) until they're done, and freeze. After they're thawed, I just warm in microwave. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/meatloaf-patties-smashed-potatoes-and-pan-gravy-recipe/index.html

White chicken chili. Rick just loves this. I load this with beans. You can moderate the density (for a soupier dish) with the amount of broth and half and half. This time, I accidentally added beef--instead of chicken--broth. It was great. from Gourmet Feb., 1996: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/White-Chicken-Chili-11452

Morgan's veggie patties. These are awesome. If you're watching your cholesterol and struggle to eat lunch without deli, this is a great substitute. I always serve this to my vegan/vegitarian friends, and they're always surprised at the flavor. from Guy Fieri: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/morgans-veggie-patties-recipe/index.html

Quick sasauge meatballs. You make these whatever size you like. You can serve them in a sandwich or with pasta. The meat-mix is what makes it interesting. After cooking, partially freeze in a Ziploc bag, separating each and resting the bag on a pan. After an hour or two, remove from pan and continue to freeze in bag. This way, they don't stick together and you can thaw the exact amount you want. from Jamie Oliver: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/quick-sausage-meatballs-with-a-tomato-and-basil-sauce-spaghetti-and-sweet-raw-peas-recipe/index.html

pulled pork for sandwiches. Whether you like Eastern NC, Western NC, or Texas barbecue, the ginger ale in this recipe unites all dissenters. Don't be deterred by the "pulled" concept. If you can fork-poke a pork roast and watch it crumble, you can "pull" this apart. Don't stress about the rub either. You can buy a pork rub. Even though this recipe looks long, it's just... rub pork, deposit on top of onions, deposit onions on top, pour ginger ale, slow-cook, drain & "pull," and add barbecue sauce. Truthfully, I sear all sides with the rub on before I put it in the crock pot. But I don't know if that actually matters. I'm just a searer.

Adapted from www.recipezaar.com/Pulled-Pork-Crock-Pot-131018
Rub (see below)
4 lbs pork roast (shoulder or butt)
2 large onions
1 cup ginger ale
1 (18 ounce) bottle favorite barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's.)
barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)
Slice one onion and place in crock pot. Put in the roast and cover with the other onion, sliced. Pour over the ginger ale. Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours (depending on your crock pot). Remove the meat, strain and save the onions, discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any remaining fat, bones or skin. (I use a pastry cutter.) Most of the fat will have melted away. Return the shredded meat and the onions to the crock pot, stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for another 3-4 hours on LOW. Serve with hamburger buns or rolls and additional barbecue sauce. Any leftovers freeze very well. This is better the next day. You can freeze this. Note: Shoulder or butt are recommended because the meat shreds very well while other cuts don’t. It is a fattier cut, but the fat melts away in the cooking and is poured away when you discard the liquid.

RUB #1: 3 tbl. coarsely ground black pepper 3 tbl. packed dark brown sugar 3 tbl. paprika (I use something like this, doubling or tripling it, depending on the size of the pork butt.) 2 tbl. coarse salt 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

RUB #2: Irvine Smokey Rotisserie Blend Seasoning

RUB #3: Grill Mates Pork Rub

RUB #4 (I use something like this, doubling or tripling it, depending on the size of the pork butt.) 2 tbs. paprika 1 tbs. brown sugar 1 tbs. chili powder 1 tbs. cumin 1 tbs. granulated sugar 2 tsp. kosher salt 1.5 tsp black pepper Pinch cayenne

RUB #5: ½ tsp. paprika ¼ tsp. pepper ¼ tsp. onion powder ½ tsp. garlic powder Variations some people include...mustard powder, chili powder, cumin, cloves or nutmeg, chipotle chile, smoked paprika

mac 'n cheese Either you're a mac 'n cheese fan or you're not. Rick is not. I am. I am such a fan that I was determined that I could find a recipe that would freeze well so that I'd always have a mac 'n cheese fix available. from Alex Guarnaschelli: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/macaroni-and-cheese-recipe6/index.html

my mom's chili: My mom is not wild about spicy food. So if you're looking for a mild, beef chili recipe, this is a good one. It freezes well.
1 ½ # ground beef 1 can tomato soup ½ green pepper cut fine 2 cans kidney beans (rinsed) 1 lg. onion 1 ½ c. canned tomatoes 1 clove garlic salt & pepper

Place 1 ½ tbls. shortening and ground beef in large kettle. Cook about 20 mins. slowly. Add green pepper, onions, pepper, & salt with ½ clove finely chopped garlic. Add canned tomatoes. Cook for 20 mins. Then add tomato soup & cook a little longer. Add kidney beans & heat through.

Mexican tortilla chicken soup. Make this as the base. Then serve with a medley of options on top--or all of them. You can easily improvise with this recipe, even thicken it if you like. from Tyler Florence: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/mexican-tortilla-chicken-soup-recipe/index.html Stay tuned for my mom's chicken tetrazzini recipe... (Judy's personal request)

*Hoyden: a girl or woman of saucy, boisterous, or carefree behavior [from Wordsmith]

NYC seafood restaurant tip from the US Open (Hospitality EVENTuality)

My husband just handed me a slip of paper. I couldn't read his writing, so he had to decipher it. But before he explained what he'd written, he divulged why he had recorded the information. Beaming, he proclaimed that he'd received a hot NYC seafood restaurant tip from "some foodie critic kind of person" at the US Open. Because she mentioned two restaurants that we had recently researched and visited--Les Halles...

and L'Ecole--he bestowed his culinary imprimatur on her.

In good faith, I pass along her/his tip:

For seafood that is deelish (but definitely, très cher), boost the economy at Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin. [sidebar: I don't know if he owns the restaurant or he's "just" the Executive Chef.] Check out the prixe fix ($68) lunch menu at www.le-bernardin.com.*

After receiving this insider US Open NYC seafood restaurant tip, we have pledged to indulge our palates there during our next visit to NYC.** I picture us as a middle-aged version of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay--my marital heroes. After all, it won't be long until we are officially a Darby and Jane couple.***

*On our last flight back from NYC, I saw a Delta Airlines shopping magazine's advertisement for a little bank that tabulates your total as you deposit your change. At the time, I was tempted to spend about $30 on it. Now, I figure that I could save that $30 and come up with some equally clever way to save $38 more for my Le Bernardin lunch. I honestly don't know how my husband plans to fund his meal.

**Jude Law is playing Hamlet, starting Sept. 12 until Dec. 6, at the Broadhurst Theater. It doesn't get better than this.

***Darby and Joan: devoted old couple leading a quiet, uneventful life [from Wordsmith]

what to cook after a culinary delights vacation...my Mom's Swiss Steak (Hospitality EVENTuality)

     I'm humbled (rather than inspired) by my recent culinary experiences in NYC: dim sum, molecular gastronomy, Asian fusion, wine pairings with French cuisine, and Governor's Island sangrias. [sidebar: Omit that last reference. Aside from the strawberries swimming in bad wine all (80 degrees plus) day, there's nothing "sangria" about them. I generously passed mine off to my son, great mom that I am.]

Postponing my anticipated shame of cooking post-NYC, I proposed that my husband and I eat out at a Durham, NC restaurant that we had to cancel on recently. I quickly saw prime rib swimming in au jus in my future. But he kyboshed the idea, just wanting to get home. So we drove back to "the 'Ville" and I was faced with the pro forma* preparing of dinner after memories of popcorn pudding, carmelized brioche, and passion fruit. (Go to WD-50!) 

Surveying the freezer contents, I selected a sirloin steak and asked my husband what I should make. He immediately replied, "your mom's Swiss steak."

MY MOM’S SWISS STEAK…Spray pan and heat oil. Sauté onion slices. Add floured and seasoned sirloin to the caramelized onions. Sear one side, then other. Pour in a can of tomato soup and simmer a bit. Serve with mashed potatoes doused** in tomato soup sauce.  This isn't my photo, but it looks so close...

Not as good as Mom's but a perfect departure from my NYC culinary carousel. 

In The Other Side of the Bridge  by Mary Lawson, there's a touchstone character, Pete Corbiere, who defends his high school graduation choice to stay in his hometown and rejects traveling as a means to self-actualize:  "I don't know how else to put it, man, except to say that everything I care about is here.  Everything that matters to me is right...here." 274  "But I know what's important to me.  And I know I don't have to go anywhere else to find it." 275.  I often feel that way when I return from a trip.  "There's no place like home.  There's no place like home.  There's no..."

*Proforma: made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality [wordsmith]

** My spell check gave me “douched” as a correction option for my original misspelling. I don’t recommend this alternative.