Reflections from a Grandma

Dear Favorite Place,                                                                                                                            Oh, how I've missed you!  You've been a great friend over the years and I owe you an apology.  My original intent for writing this blog has always been to compile my recipes and gather the recipes of my ancestors, put them in one place for eternity for generations to come.  One of the main reasons for not updating my posts is because I've been taking care of my new grand baby, Ryann.  She is truly my heart and her smile makes my heart dance!  I can hardly wait to teach her what I know from the culinary world.  I especially want her to know about my grandmothers, their recipes and the special relationship I had with them.

One grandmother was French through and through, very prim and proper, but knew how to have fun.  She loved her sweets and I spent as much time as I could watching her whip up her rice krispy squares, fried chicken, and lemon chiffon pie, etc.  I don't have any recipes of hers that were saved, unfortunately.  From what my mom  has said, she was a very good cook but Grandpa was only interested in his meat and potatoes, not a fancy French inspired meal!

My other grandmother, Emma, a single widow for many years would come over for most birthdays and bring her specialty dishes from her Czech heritage.  Lentils, peach dumplings, red cabbage and at Christmas time she'd make a large bowl of her eggnog!  Her sauerkraut was the best!  I have a few Czech cookbooks and a handwritten recipe for red cabbage that I received from Grandma..

If I can be of this caliber of a grandmother for Ryann she will hopefully have many wonderful memories and my job will be done!  I have almost perfected some recipes from my husband's Italian heritage.  Years ago I would never have even tried to make Italian because my mother-in-law made the best. After a few trips to Italy I learned some tricks and gained more interest for Italian cooking.  Now, I believe, I can hold my own in that arena.

Today my son was reminiscing about some of the meals I would make when he was a young boy.  Evidently he was fond of my chicken broccoli casserole and rice pilaf.   He showed an interest in cooking when he was 3.  We'd move a chair close to the stove (but not too close) so he could watch and help me stir the scrambled eggs.  He now owns a deli and ice cream shops where he comes up with some unique and interesting flavors like rosemary chocolate chip, chocolate curry, thai tea, blueberry pancake and the list goes on and on!  

I gaze at my beautiful grand daughter as she approaches 12 months old and wonder what she will be like.  No matter what, she'll have generations of culinary talent behind her and I secretly hope she'll appreciate her varied heritage and the family of her past.  She is a beautiful spirit!

I'm on the Wine and Ice Cream Eating Plan

Okay, so I've officially tried just about every diet plan on Earth.  Since I'm now unofficially a nutrition expert and I use that term lightly, I've developed an eating plan that will allow me to lose extremely unwanted poundage while enjoying two of my favorite food groups!  Wine and ice cream!!  You know ice cream had to be included since my son opened his unique  ice cream venture.  I have declared myself the "quality control"  person, which REQUIRES me to taste every flavor!   I excel at this "job".

In a bit over one month I've managed to lose a solid 7 lbs.  Had I been more strict, cut out the ice cream, I probably could have shed more.  Who wants to live like that?  Not this girl!  Basically, I'm a vegetarian who will eat fish, no red meat or chicken, no butter, minimal olive oil.  I saute veggies in broth instead.  My snacks are half a plain bagel with fruit spread, pretzels, veggie chips, my wasabi rice chips from Whole Foods, fruits and veggies.   Luckily I like beans, couscous, farro, barley and brown rice.  You knew there had to be a catch.  MUST eat beans, especially for the protein.  

I don't feel deprived or hungry.  If I want a glass of red wine or a scoop of ice cream, I won't hesitate.  You're probably thinking I spend hours in the gym!  Bite your tongue!  I frankly get claustrophobic at a gym so I opt for walking and hiking.  If I don't feel like walking I still force myself out the door to go around the block, at least.  I'm done beating myself up!   That's it in a nutshell!  You may have noticed I've been scarce on this blog, now you know.  Here's what's been on the menu!

smoked salmon home made pizza with arugula

loads of beans, lentils and veggies

zucchini spice cookies...I haven't made these in a while but allowed

multi grain waffles with blueberry compote

Don't forget the ice cream and wine!

My Extended Vacation

I feel as though I've been gone for an eternity.  I'm just now re-entering the human race after a bout of some nasty bronchial /cold ailment.  For the past two weeks I wanted to sleep my life away and only survive on ice cream (that's actually normal for me, though).  Meals consisted of very simple salads/sandwiches, etc.  I did climb out of bed for a pizza on my birthday and wander up to our dear friends home for dinner.

At the onset, hubby and I flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico for some R and R.  Why there?  We've never been there, heard it was a culinary and cultural hot spot (more on this trip later) and we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.

So, now I'm "back in the saddle", so to speak, getting back into the kitchen and coming up with different ways to use my zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes that have thrived from all the monsoonal rain we've been receiving.  Love the rain!

This simple zucchini spaghetti was thrown together with garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, Parmesan cheese,  pine nuts and parsley.

How Does My Garden Grow?

Now that my vegetable garden has been planted it's time to sit back and watch it grow.  I wish it was that easy.  Usually, this is a full time job, watering, weeding, critter watching, double fencing  (booby trapping) almost every thing, but in a month or less I'll be feasting on recipes containing the following:

5 assorted squash, zucchini, etc.
2 butternut squash for the Fall.
4 tomato plants
Thai basil and Thai peppers
Lemon balm for seasoning and tea
Italian parsley
scallions (not having much luck with these)
arugula for salad and pizza
spinach (the first batch has finished, more to come in the Fall)
radishes (showing signs of rabbit interest)
mint, great for tea, ice cream, pasta salads and marinades
oregano  This comes back every year but I don't use much.
hops vines  A great ornamental fence covering vine.  Does anyone need it to make beer?
lavender   One of my favorites for just about anything
blackberries  This will need to be covered with netting...birds love these!
beets Newly planted.  I'll be making beet gnocchi soon!
Japanese eggplant  Trimmed by an eager rabbit...now double fenced.
cauliflower  A first for me.  One looks very promising if not found soon by Peter rabbit or Sam the squirrel!
chives  An old dependable for marinades and topping baked potatoes
Swiss chard  I don't think this will make it.
Lemon cucumber  These are especially good.
Lettuce  Last but not least an assortment of lettuce for salads....soooo fresh!

So, now you have it.  All I need are a few goats, chickens and a little man to take care of it all!

Look closely on both.  Rabbit birthing center in my main lavender bush. (above)
Unlucky rabbit trapped in tomato cage. (below)  Gardening is such a hoot!

The great thing about growing your own food is that you don't get the pesticides, etc.  I'll do this until I can no longer bend over!!

2013 - A Year in Review - Part Two

The last six months of 2013 were joyous, tumultuous, with dreams coming true and dreams that turned into nightmares.  Let me explain.   As July approached my life was picture perfect.  We finished our remodel on time (just in time), celebrated our 39th anniversary and prepared for the upcoming wedding of my only son to his lovely wife, Leilani.  Some time was spent making batches and batches of assorted biscotti for the morning of the wedding
.

biscotti making day

The couple who plays together, stays together!

The wedding and after party finished up and the newlyweds went on their honeymoon without a hitch.  The weather in these parts is always scorching around my birthday so off to Lake Tahoe we went, although not as frequently as we should.  It's so close!  

My Love and Lake Tahoe

With so much pain and tragedy in the world I was feeling blessed that my life was beautiful and serene, never realizing that a train was fast approaching head-on.  The last week in July my brother decided to leave this world and for those left behind, our world turned sideways.  I think about you every day, Dave....R.I.P.  Life as we now know it continues to be "interesting".

August and September were a blur.  If I hadn't taken so many pictures, I probably wouldn't be able to recall what I did during that time.  We spent time with family, took my parents to the rib cook off, was able to see Steely Dan in concert and my hubby's brother came up to play with his band "Soul to Soul", a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band.  He rocked it!

Steely Dan - great show!

"Stevie Ray"  rockin it

During this time we welcomed a little bundle of cuteness to the family.  CJ, brother of Nacho!

CJ.......pretty cute!

Then we celebrated a birthday in Paris!  How does hubby get so lucky?  Yes, our trip to France was a lifetime dream of mine, but I only got a "taste" and need to return!

Paris...Notre Dame

French girl on the river Seine across from Notre Dame

November, of course, was Thanksgiving.  Grandma's pumpkin pie, grandpa's stuffing and gratitude for the blessings we continue to receive.

December brought Christmas, and a surprise visit from my sister.  I wish she lived closer...  Grandma DeMarzo finally received a pacemaker and her health is improving!  So, things are looking up and life is truly like a box of chocolates!  You don't know what you're gonna get!   2013 will go into the history books as one of the best and one of the worst!  Ahhh  life.....  I wonder what's in store for 2014!!

2013 - A Year In Review - Part One

This is a tough one!  For me, 2013 was filled with joy, sorrow, trials and tribulations.  Hmmm..sounds like LIFE!  Fortunately, I'm the one who can pick and choose what I can write in this post, accentuate the positive, eliminate (skip over or diminish) some happenings that went on during the last year.  Here is just "the tip of the iceberg".

Ouch....that had to hurt!

Perhaps, this should have been an omen of things to come.  A screw!    This was implanted into my mother's foot/ankle to stabilize a problem after enduring several surgeries to correct it, this was her souvenir.  She appears to be doing better but favors that foot.

soup

lamb curry

February, because of the frigid Winter,  was spent mostly concocting more hearty dishes like soups and stews.  This is primarily a Food Blog so I need to mention food in a few paragraphs!  The main attraction was, however, my son as the host of Lake Tahoe TV!  Great job...a natural performer!  He stepped in from his behind the scenes position, that was Director, Producer, set design, etc, etc.

Mr. Lake Tahoe TV

In March we celebrated my mother's 83rd birthday!  We are blessed to have both of my parents here, and relatively healthy at that!  And in April, my dad turned 84....hooray!

83 candles!

French onion soup for grandma's birthday

Our house guest in February and April....Lulu

Along with much better Spring weather May started the BUSY season.  Tending to flowers, planting in my yard and my parents yard (the wedding reception site), a fun trip to Sacramento with future daughter-in-law for a wedding dress fitting,  A birthday celebration, Mother's day, and welcoming my brother as he moved back from a short stint in Montana.  Another fun time was digging up the septic tank lid....what??  Yes, you read that right, but no, it wasn't something we'd want to do again anytime soon!  Okay, that month made me tired!

Beautiful almost daughter-in-law...she said yes to the dress!

My May flowers never let me down

A wildflower walk in the forest

Digging up a large portion of our yard for septic tank.

June was equally a whirlwind.  Getting closer to the wedding day we planted more flowers, went to the Rodeo, planted sod in parent's backyard for reception, and decided to go forward with a family room/extra bathroom/guest bedroom remodel/makeover.  I guess I've been watching too much HGTV, huh?

Planting sod for the wedding reception

Part Two of my 2013 Year in Review will be in the near future!  It gets better and worse!  Stay tuned....

Happy New Year

As I reflected over the last year and all of it's happenings, I have vowed or maybe made resolutions to move forward as best I can.  I came across this saying.  "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.   I would hope those are good words to live by. Even though the slate is clean for the New Year, I like to think that last year and all the years leading up to this point have been and continue to be "building blocks"...a chance to make things better and an opportunity to transform my world.

If you're like me...I am a huge list maker.  I just function better if I have something to guide me.  I have grocery lists, books to read lists, a list of classes I want to take this year,  foods I have never made, but would like to, on my bucket list, another garden list (plantings), a general daily list of things to do and last, but not least, a travel bucket list.  Whew!!   

As for a New Year's resolution I decided the following sentence will be my mantra.  NOTHING WILL SURPRISE ME, BUT EVERYTHING WILL AMAZE ME.  Does that make sense?

In keeping with the "list theme" I'll be doing my most popular posts of 2013 (that is the posts that received the most hits) and my recap of the year post.    Of course, I'll create many more dishes to write about.  Stay tuned...Happy New Year to all and God Bless!

A Rollercoaster in July

I can't begin to tell you how many mornings since my last post, that I wanted to write what's on my mind and soul.  The month of July 2013 will forever be etched in my mind as one of the happiest and one of the most sorrowful.  On the 13th, my wonderful son married his amazing bride and for days we were swept up in a flurry of activity, preparing for the morning of the wedding.  I cherished every moment of it.

They went on their honeymoon and we followed their trek via facebook, while on the home front  we put our house back in order.  A week after they returned, my new daughter (in-law) made a special dinner for us which included many Korean dishes from her roots.  Delicious...I love tasting new food from around the world.  Life seemed so normal and hopeful as we basked in each other's good fortune and love.

A beautiful meal prepared by my daughter-in-law

Little did we know that the forces of evil would arrive via a phone call a few hours later in the middle of the night, early Monday morning.  I don't remember my mother's exact words, but the pain in them was indescribable.  I admit, at first I thought something had happened to my dad, then she barely got the words out that my brother had shot himself.  All I could do was repeat the words, "Oh my God" and "WHY"!

One of my favorite sayings is: "God does not give us more than we can handle"....This past week has been a test.  I've experience a gamut of emotions, some I don't ever care to have again.  Then there are times when I feel God's presence and I know He's taking care of all our friends and family.  I'm sorry to write such a morbid blog entry but I hope you can understand that, for me, it's part of a cleansing and healing  process.  I know happier days are ahead and it will take some time.  Please say a prayer, especially for my parents, and hug your loved ones.....because you never know.

Italian Mango Mimosa

Yesterday we achieved a personal goal which I can't discuss, that's why it's PERSONAL!  But, I will say it was reason to celebrate.  We chose to celebrate with a newly concocted drink, called an Italian Mango Mimosa.  In my mind anything having to do with Italy or somewhere tropical like Hawaii, is the place to be.  And, if you can't be there, at least you can bring those flavors into your kitchen.

I made some homemade lemon liqueur a while back and I figured it would go perfect in this.  It did!  If you need to celebrate or just whisk your brain into tropical vacation mode, try this.  It's an adult smoothie with a twist!

Italian Mango Mimosa

1 cup orange juice

1/2 large or 1 small mango, peeled and cut from pit

Place in a blender and puree.  Add about 1 cup of ice and chop/blend.  Add 3/4 - 1 cup of limoncello.  Blend and serve.  Simple, simple, simple!  Garnish with fresh mint sprig or umbrella and be prepared to dream!

Italy?

Who's that gorgeous pool boy?

Or Hawaii?

Appetizers For Dinner?

Heck yes!  Appetizers for dinner is perfectly okay with me.  No surprises, though....these "entrees" were already featured in a post.  Pan grilled champagne orange shrimp was simply a redo from margarita shrimp using a different marinade.  Spring time artichokes...I revised these to be void of butter.  Italian stuffed mushrooms completed our meal.  These were lightened by making them with panko breadcrumbs and a bit of low fat cream cheese.

Mondays are always a good opportunity for a fresh start after overindulging during the weekend.  By overindulging I don't mean devouring a  hot fudge sundae or a piece of tiramisu, although that's not a bad idea!  Usually it means a glass or 2 of wine.  Whoopee!  

I'm always surprised as  I  inspect any restaurant menu how most appetizer selections are either deep fried or laden with salt.  I'm sure this isn't a fluke, it's  by design.  It's a proven fact that those salty heavy foods require you to consume more beverages, usually a high calorie alcoholic one.  Vicious cycle, huh?  It doesn't have to be with a few tricks and tweaks.  Hey, that's a great name for a book!

My point is,  food can taste great and be healthy if you use a few tricks during the cooking stage.  Use fat free broth to "saute" veggies instead of butter or oils.  Use more fresh herbs instead of salt.  If you must have cheese and that's a hard one to give up, choose  good quality goat or feta cheese sparingly instead of those processed cheese products.  If you like salty food, switch to spicy food.  At least it may speed up that sluggish metabolism!  Learn to make your own marinades and salad dressings.  Your body will thank you.

Have a great week....

Standing in the Soup Line - Sicilian Soup

With much thought and while anguishing over whether to write about the latest election...I decided to go "forward"  Most likely my views will upset approximately 51% of American out there, but last time I checked I had the freedom to "stir it up"!  So, no matter who you voted for or against and for whatever un-Godly reason,  allow me to have my say.  I voted for CHARACTER!  Pure and simple and that lack of will be revealed within the next 4 years!

With that said, Let's get busy and make some soup.  That way you'll know how to make it yourself without having to stand in those long soup lines.  (humor me)  49% of us need a good belly laugh.

Ingredients:

3 Italian chicken sausages, removed from casings, crumbled

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

1-2 bella type mushrooms, sliced

2 cups, eggplant, peeled and cubed

2 cups spinach/arugula mix

1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tomatoes, peeled and cut (you can use canned)

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2 cup white wine

salt and pepper to taste

First brown the sausage in a large soup pot.  Add the oil and saute the onions, mushrooms and eggplant for a few minutes.  Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.   Reduce the heat to simmer, cover loosely and simmer for about 40 minutes.  Now serve and enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Nevada!

Today Nevada turns 148 years old.  I bet most of you didn't know that.  So, what does living in Nevada mean to me?  It's taken me quite some time to come to appreciate Northern Nevada and what it has to offer.  I started out in the Lake Tahoe area and, of course, that needs no explanation at all!   Who wouldn't want to wake up to that gem everyday?  Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful areas in the world.

The first time I set foot in the Reno area, though,  I thought someone picked me up and put me into a Western movie set.  I wasn't prepared to "go Cowboy" especially since I was a transplant from the Southern California beaches.   Life has a funny way of humoring you.  Three years later I was living in the Reno area and not loving it.  But, looking back..it was the people not the area that made living there a pleasure.

After many years and a few derails, I still find myself in Northern Nevada.  I look for the beauty on a daily basis during my walks and for the most part I'm ready to photograph all the gorgeous vistas.  Hubby and I developed a routine for a long "hike a week" over the Summer time and discovered some very special secret hideaways.  

There is an abundance of hiking trails just minutes from our house and too many to mention a few miles or hours ride from here.  We plan to cover more territory next Spring/Summer or when the weather allows.  Until then...enjoy the day....cherish the people around you....and look closely at your surroundings.  You're probably right where you need to be at this point in time.

Now for some pictures!

sunset

sunrise

Tahoe - Sand Harbor beach

Tahoe Meadows hike

Outside my door!

Davis Creek area

Heavenly sunset

Change of Season down the street