Third Thursday Dinner pt 2

Ok, Blogger went back to "normal" and let me upload the pictures from Dinner!  Behold the Lobster Paella, the dinner guests, and me serving the cheesecake!

Third Thursday Dinner

Third Thursday Dinner came early this month!  Seems like I blinked and it was April 15... oh well, the food was good, and the company was even better!  Best part, Burr got to drop in and meet some of my SD friends, and they got to meet him!

The menu:
Lobster Paella (This was good, but the ingredients were quite expensive and I'm not quite sure that the end result justified the cost.)
Bay Scallop Gratin (Really, really, really good!)
Sauteed Green Beans (So easy, and so yummy!)

Pea Pesto Crostini for the Appetizer (leftover Pea Pesto was great over orrechiette pasta for dinner last week!)
Chocolate Cheesecake for Dessert (um, yeah.  Enough said.)

oook... looks like Blogger has changed the rules on uploading photos, so I'll have to get back to you with the pics from the event!  Sorry!

The Bird Bath

Today, I've felt a bit down.  Doing things that are self-destructive, that you KNOW will be self-destructive before you do them, is a bad idea... I don't recommend it... But having been self-destructive this morning, I've had to reap the consequences all day, in the form of a nasty case of the blues and too many thoughts full of self-doubt to count.

I did "nice" things for myself today... got a manicure (first one in I can't remember how long, and just went with clear!), and a pedicure as well (pink for springtime), took care of Burr's laundry, even got to watch a bit of "Casino Royale" while I munched on my lunch.  Then I went to the pool.  Glorious afternoon in Yuma.  Hot.  Sunny.  Perfect.  Started a new book ("The School of Essential Ingredients" - highly recommend!), and tried to breathe deeply and enjoy the sunshine.  But I still felt down.

Until I saw the bird.  It was a pigeon, and it was perched on the edge of the fountain by the pool.  There was nothing especially remarkable about the bird.  Brown, no distinctive markings, regular size, you know, just a bird.  But that bird was Joyful!  It was luxuriating in the cool splashes of water being blown onto it from the fountain.  One wing would lift as the bird tilted to the side to get the water in those "hard to reach spots!" then the maneuver would be repeated on the other side.  The bird Luxuriated in the water... and I became lighter, and more joyful just watching.

Watching the bird playing in the fountain reminded me of how much I've always loved the water and experienced great joy just from being in it and pretending to be Esther Williams...  But I held off on my impulse to dive into the pool.  I mean, then I would have to wash my hair, my eye make-up would get runny, etc, etc.  My eyes, however, continued to be drawn back to the bird, as he bathed and played in the fountain.  It looked like FUN.  And that bird seemed Happy!  And at the end of the day, I wanted to feel happy, not blue, and I knew that all it would take to feel happier would be to dive into the water, and frolic for a bit.  So, I did.  And it was wonderful.  And I felt happy.

Now I'm left to ponder...  Why do we (or maybe it's just me), so easily do things to ourselves that we know will bring us down and not lift our spirits.  And why is it so much more difficult to choose to do something simple that we know will bring joy to our souls?  It's so easy to choose to squander in negativity, and can sometimes be much more of a challenge to embrace the healthy and positive... even though, from my experience, it's actually more Difficult to do something self-destructive (too many steps, too  much yuck to wade through) than it is to choose the Positive.  Craziness I tell you.

I will continue to look for the beauty and joy in the simplicity around me... and make the decision as often as possible to do the things that I know will bring joy to my own life.

Here's to the bird bath.

rmf

It may surprise you

It may surprise you to learn how many ideas for blog posts run through my head each day.  I don't post with regularity, but that doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about it!

Sometimes, I'd like to do a really "scandalous" post on something that people don't talk about very often... like Vibrators... or I'd like to wax insightfully about relationships, or rail away at the injustices of the world...  Other times, I'd like to talk about my job, and how cool it is to do what I do... and how I want to touch people and society and make an impact with my life, but how I'm scared that in the final analysis, my life won't have positively impacted anyone.  (Scary, scary!)

Sometimes I want to blog about singing.  Sometimes I want to blog about running and trying to keep my body feeling and looking it's best.  And then there are times when I want to be snarky, but I reign myself in on those... there's too much snarkiness and negativity out there already, why contribute more when it's so much more refreshing to have something kind and thoughtful to say?

I guess my reluctance to test all of these waters and to post some of the ideas that I have is that I'm still not exactly sure what a blog is supposed to be.  Is it supposed to be like the cards we get at Christmas, and paint everything with a rosy hue?  It it supposed to be dedicated to a single topic or type of post?  Can it be an authentic representation of one's life and experiences?  Do readers (whoever you are!) only want to hear the "good stuff" or can we be honest about the struggles and low times we face as well?  Questions, questions...

Oh well... We'll travel this blog-y road together and see where it goes.

Don't be snarky.  Being kind is so much more clever.

:)

Thai Cooking

One of the high points (if not THE high point) of my trip to Thailand last May was getting to attend a Thai Cooking Class.  It was in a quaint little restaurant on Phi Phi Island, and we (Burr and I) stumbled onto it after seeing a flyer advertising cooking classes on the beach.  (The flyer was on the beach, not the class.)  Now, nearly a year later, I have finally delved into the world of recreating the recipes on my own.  Well, not totally on my own, I still have the cookbook that I bought, along with the notes that I took!  I just mean, "on my own" in the sense that there's not a Thai lady in my kitchen guiding me through each step.  :)

A couple of weeks ago Talia came over to sample the goods... We had a delicious Green Curry with vegetables (there were no green chili peppers at Whole Foods, so I had to use store bought curry paste), and a luscious Panang Curry with chicken, which featured my made from scratch Panang curry paste!  Can I just say, WOW... it was soooooo good!  I've been enjoying Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry sauce for the last several months, but after seeing how easy and how much BETTER the food was when I made the real thing, I will think twice before buying that jar again!

Here are a couple of pics... first the ingredients for the curry paste, then, the final product!

Burr wasn't here to sample and tell me how my version compared with the "real thing" so this weekend when I went to Yuma, I decided to surprise him with a Panang Chicken Dinner!  After the Coast Music Therapy student talent showcase, I rushed home to make the dish, then packed it up to take with me... I finally got on the road around 5:30pm, and around 6:30pm the Panang tumbled from it's careful packing and spilled all over the backseat of my car.  Gabe was thrilled, and was quite helpful in the clean-up, but I was CRUSHED!  Needless to say, Burr has still not gotten to taste my Thai undertaking... I may give it another try this weekend though, so we'll see what he thinks!  (On a sidenote, the smell that is lingering in my car is that of Fish Sauce... only two tablespoons in the recipe amidst peanuts, chilis, coconut milk... so many other wonderful scents, and THAT'S the yucky smell that's lingering!)

Thai food is yummy.

rmf

Tasks

It's Sunday.  And I have nothing to do today.  Well, nothing, that is, that's on my schedule.  But there are many things that I COULD do today... I'm currently pondering what might (or might not!) get done.  Here are some of my potential tasks today:

Deposit checks (a must-do!)
Pilates class
Bathe Gabe
Go to the beach
A Borders Bookstore run
A Run
Closet Overhaul (I went shopping yesterday and must now delete items from my closet to accommodate the new things.  It's my new shopping policy!)
Menu planning for Thursday dinner party
Vacuum
Trip planning for May
A trip to the nursery to finish out my herb garden

Lot's of options today!  Wondering what will transpire... guess it's time for me to get off of the computer and get busy!

I Don't Like Fish...

But this dish was incredible!  I've been in a bit of a slump lately with my cooking, but have finally started to come out of it... I've been re-reading some of my favorite cookbooks, have purchased a couple of new ones, have been taking note of recipes I've never tried, and have been playing with some different ingredients and flavor profiles.

I made this Mustard Roasted Fish from Ina's "Back to Basics" earlier this week.  Creme fraiche, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, chopped shallots, capers, salt and pepper, combined then spread over the fish (Ina called for red snapper but Whole Foods had none and the fish guys recommended the white, flaky Rock Fish that I used instead).  Baked for 10 minutes in a 425 oven, served with sauteed haricots verts (French green beans!), and brown rice, this dish was delicious that evening and the next day for lunch.  My only complaint is to the fish monger at Whole Foods for not doing the best job of de-boning the fish... I don't like having to search for elusive bones in every bite... kind of takes the enjoyment out of the meal!

Funny Impulses

Almost four years after my dad's death, I still have funny, instinctive impulses to give him a call.  Most recently, I got my car washed and as I drove on into work, I wanted to call him to let him know!  He was always a stickler about keeping his car in great shape, and whenever I was taking good care of my car, I would call to give him an update.  And he would be pleased.  And his happiness/pride over such a simple thing made me happy.

That's a silly example, but it's funny the moments in life that give you pause and make you feel like/wish those who are no longer with you still are...

The Fig Sauce

Several friends tonight raved about the Fig Sauce which accompanied our pork loin, so here is the recipe, from Giada de Laurentiis' "Everyday Italian."

2.5 C Port
1.25 C Chicken broth
8 Dried black mission figs, coarsely chopped
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 cinnamon sticks
1 T honey
2 T unsalted butter cut into pieces
.25 t salt
.25 t freshly ground pepper

In a medium sized, heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine the port, chicken broth, figs, rosemary, cinnamon, and honey.  Boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 30 min.  Discard the rosemary sprigs and cinnamon sticks (some rosemary leaves will remain in the port mixture).  Transfer the port mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.  Blend in the butter, salt, and pepper.  (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  Warm over medium heat before using.)

Enjoy!

Third Thursday Dinner

I've mentioned before that I love to cook for my friends, and more than that, to share meals with them.  As a result of that pleasure, I've decided to host a little dinner party for my friends on the Third Thursday of every month.  Tonight was the first of many more to come, and I think it was a great success!  The menu was:

Roasted Pork Loin with Fig Sauce
Cous Cous with figs and pine nuts
Green Spring Vegetables with Shallots

The famous "Artichoke Dip" was on hand as an appetizer, and the heretofore known only to Burr and me "Oreo Ice Cream Cake" was the dessert.  Yum.