Saturday, January 1, 2011

ballads of unrequited love


Its a ballads about someone who have been gone to somewhere i cant imagine.

The sound of your wheels tickling my tears
Its been along time, since the last time we share a stare
Then i saw you walking away, leaving this ground
Then i felt so clumsy...
Youre away so far and maybe never see each other anymore

O o o.. if you could hear my voice
i want you to stay a bit longer
give me away a smile for last
Then i am sure i'll be okay

But please please please
Let me breathing in your arms
Say to me you'll be okay out there
Tell me you'll never change even i know 'impossible' chance so wide

The time is up, bell warn me out
well is it the only way or maybe the last way i could do
i will let you go
and blow away the feeling between
ya ya ya you are gone for forever
at least for me...




foto by : mdangg.deviantart.com

It's Been A While

Whew, it's been a while since I've blogged. I feel so disconnected to my own blog as well as the others that I follow and read on the daily! Our trips were completely awesome, especially our honeymoon in Costa Rica! I am currently making a slide show of our fantastic adventure so you'll just have to practice patience, I promise it will be worth it.

I know some of you want to know the status and outcome of the baby making that happened, and although it is kind of a personal thing between me and my husband, I've decided to share. Month one came and went...on to January! I'm not discouraged yet because I know most people aren't blessed in the first month of trying, but I will admit I am a little disappointed. When we are young you just think you try once and it happens, but really its not quite as simple as that. Have any of you Mommies ever tried an ovulation test? Do they work...are they worth buying? Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer (if you do that) and hopefully January will be the month of celebration.

Pork Basque-Style with Peppers and Tomatoes

   
     
What culinary wonders await us at Target?  Yes, I said Target, land of laundry baskets, toys, electronics and six dollar polo shirts.  Many locations do now offer groceries, but they are more chicken nuggets than Cornish game hen.  We all need places to buy milk along with socks, so I'm not knocking Target.  Nor was I expecting culinary inspiration, but there it was on the shelf:  Tempranillo.  Tempranillo, that noble grape of Spain, heart of Rioja wines.  Black and thick in skin, it needs cool nights to bring acidity and hot days to develop the sugar and skin to give a deep red color.  These are best found in northern Spain.  This bottle said its grapes were from Navarre, neighboring Rioja.  Alas, it wasn't a Spanish wine, a Francis Coppola import instead.  But still, I almost felt that I needed to look around, to see if I was being watched, and wonder why something like this would settle among the cheap Chardonnay and Merlot.  No matter, I grabbed it and headed home with this grain of sand that would form a pearl.
Is this recipe a pearl?  Perhaps not, but the point is that inspiration for an interesting meal can come from anywhere, as plain and innocuous as Target.  Sometimes all we need is that spark to take us away, in this case to Basque country.  Next door to Rioja, the Basques are home to some of the finest restaurants in the world.  Arzak is a three-starred Michelin restaurant in San Sebastian that gives us some of the world's leading nouvelle cuisine.  The roots of this dish are not that.  They are found on the docks, or out on the fishing boats.  They are marmitako, a fish stew that means 'from the pot.'  It is a favorite way for Basques to prepare tuna.  It is a simple preparation with potatoes, onions, tomatoes and paprika.  Fisherman plying the Cantabrian Sea may also use mackerel, and argue about whether they should use green or red peppers.  Tonight, I am not an arguing fisherman, nor am I using fish even.  I am substituting pork, mostly because I want to, but also because that is what I have.  That is not to say that pork isn't an integral part of Spanish cooking.  It can even mix with seafood as in the Portugese pork and clam recipes famous in Alentejo.  Substitute tuna if you like, make this recipe your own.  Just ensure that even if you find yourself at Target, let yourself find the inspiration to go far away, if only in meal and dream.  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pork loin, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 tsp paprika
salt/pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups white wine
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar (if needed)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
     
Directions:
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.  While it is heating, mix the pork with the paprika and season with salt and pepper.  Add the pork to the hot oil and brown, a few minutes on each side.  Remove the pork to a plate with a slotted spoon and turn down the heat.  Add the onions and cook 6 minutes to soften.  Add the garlic and cook another minute to release the flavor.  Add the roasted red pepper and wine.  Bring to a boil and simmer down to one cup of liquid.  Add the potatoes and just enough hot water to cover the potatoes.  Cover the pan and reduce to strong simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft when poked with a fork.  Mix in the tomato sauce and the sugar if needed to break down the acidity.  Add the pork and simmer another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Top with the parsley and serve.
   

Far From the Madding Crowd


Yes, there is a reason why I haven’t posted anything recently.

 That’s because as I write this, I am in Florida, camped out at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, along with 21 other members of our family in the chilliest weather they have experienced here in 150 years.

Okay, I know they had it much worse on the Eastern seaboard. At least we weren’t stuck in an airport for 30 hours. I really can’t complain.

But of course, I will. Because this place feels like a cruise ship, what with families who have nothing to do and screaming, energetic kids everywhere. They can’t go outside and THE IN-HOUSE MOVIE SYSTEM ISN’T WORKING.

Please, get me out of here!!!!!!!!!

So, I made my escape. Rented a car and headed out to Miami Beach. Alone. Cruised through South Beach, then headed out further to appreciate those deco icons like the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc. I wish I had been old enough to appreciate the glamour of the 50's and the allure of Miami Beach back in the day.  Visions of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and The Godfather danced in my head as I drove north.

You might be wondering how on earth I am going to segue this into a recipe….

Backtrack to Christmas dinner. Since I am a Jew by choice, Christmas dinner is not exactly on my radar screen. Well, it used to be when my kids were little (before I converted) but now not so much. Of course, we still need to include my non-Jewish mother, so in a perfect world, I would make Christmas dinner.

Not this year, though. We were expecting snow and harsh weather here in the ATL so we had to re-think our usual pattern. Maybe we should do it on Christmas Eve so we could drive Mom home on Christmas Day before the snow and ice set in and before we needed to head out of our snowy, icy driveway at 0-dark thirty the next morning to board a plane for said family vacation.  I didn't really have a plan.

As it turned out, a good friend turned up on Christmas Eve and he had no plans for the night. We invited him to stay for dinner (along with my mom, who was spending the night here) and shared a lovely meal together.

Steaks on the grill (yeah, the grill is just outside my kitchen door so a little snow or rain never stops me from using it), sautéed wild mushrooms, baked potatoes and a lovely chocolate pot de crème. Not what you would necessarily cook for Christmas dinner, but exactly what we needed on a cold night in Atlanta, when all we wanted was the camaraderie of friendship and the warmth of simple, unpretentious food.


This recipe for Chocolate Pot de Crème comes from David Lebowitz. David honed his pastry chops at Chez Panisse and now lives in Paris. He is the author of several wonderful books, including the most recent Ready for Dessert. I met him years ago, when we were both cooking at a Meals on Wheels Event in NYC  (I was there cooking and prepping with Scott Peacock and the late, great Edna Lewis). I fell in love with Kip, who was David’s partner at the time and we stayed in touch. Sadly, Kip is no longer with us, but I will never forget him and I treasure his memory.


CHOCOLATE POT DE CRÈME (from David Lebovitz)

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (60 - 70% cacao)
2 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)
6 egg yolks (I used extra-large)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Softly whipped cream for serving, if desired

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, sugar, espresso powder and salt.  Heat until small bubbles appear and mixture is very hot, but not boiling.  Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth and chocolate is completely melted.  Cool for 30 minutes, then whisk in egg yolks and vanilla extract.

Using an ice cream scoop, divide mixture between 6 ramekins (mine measured 4-inches in diameter).  Place in a bain-marie (water bath) and cover pan with foil.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until mixture is no longer liquid and wobbles slightly in center.

Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 6











You can make this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking.  This is best served at room temperature, before any refrigeration.  Nonetheless, you can bake and refrigerate it for up to 2 days if you have to.  It won't lose much in the translation, I promise.

If you want to learn more about David Lebovitz, here is the link to his blog:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/

Annie and Tess, giving me guilt for indulging in dessert!

Hope you are surviving the holidays!

Oh, I almost forgot... I was a fairy...


Happy New Year for everyone around here!! 2010 has been a wonderful year, but I'm sure that 2011 would be better... I wish you the best to all of you!!

Last night I started the year with Esther, Kim, Laia, Dani, Debora and Anaïs, my BCN's team... the best one I could ever have... I'm so so lucky for having friends like these, and I'm really happy and grateful about it.

Today's a short post, only for showing you how I was dressed last night. Yes... I was some kind of a fairy...  very inspired by Florence and Karen Elson!



Did you had a great night? I really really hope so!!

Tidepool Forest

Here's my first relatively decent footage from the local tidepools using my new Kodak PlaySport. I love the PlaySport - it's everything I'd hoped it would be. I've got some lessons learned from this exercise that I'll blog later. For now, here's the video. Try it in HD mode, perhaps even full screen. I love the veil of bubbles that comes up about a third of the way through. I'm anxious to hear what you've got to say after you watch it. There aren't any critters in the thing, so don't be disappointed that it's all flora and no fauna.

Cocoa Beach Christmas Part I

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Hi everyone, I hope 2011 is better than 2010. I took a little Christmas vacation to Cocoa Beach, and we went in Gracie. Mr. Swedish Room surprised me with it a week or two before we went. It was a lot of packing, but I was still excited. All I could think was I finally get my dream of waking up on the beach at Christmas. I enjoyed my time at the beach and I bought back lots of pics, but I have to show them in parts. I really felt like I had my beach cottage that I always wanted. It was a short walk to the water, and I went there every chance I got. You don't have to believe me just see for yourself....
Waking up to palm trees, it was a little cool there. I still had my shorts on, so not too cool.
The pier, I just went there just to be closer to the sea. Maybe I could talk Mr. Swedish Room into getting a boat (Yeah and why don't I ask for a million dollars too).

My Christmas Ham. He does look cute, he enjoyed wearing them and everyone got a big laugh.
A rock shore, so peaceful and beautiful. Perfectly beachy!!!
There are more to come. Stay tuned....
See everyone soon, go give someone a hug.

Something To Be Thankful For

2010 was a great year in the Catican, but we don't always show it. Here in our spacious editorial offices, the staff of The Scratching Post scours the Interweb Tubes each morning for odds and ends to comment on and synthesize into larger points. Too often, the stories are negative and commentary filled with scowling. How does that work? Life is beautiful and we're happy, but the blog is scowly. That can't be good. So let's see if we can find something fun to be thankful for. Hmmm. How about a little Bing from Road to Morocco?


And just who do we have to thank? Why, lots of people! Google for YouTube, Cisco for the Interweb delivery system, HP for the laptop where I'm watching it, Microsoft for the OS and browser, Paramount Pictures for the movie ... (Feel free to add to the list if you'd like.)

That's a whole lot of folks working to make sure we could enjoy a little of Der Bingle crooning. That's pretty cool.

tuhan, tolong.

Tuhan. tolong, tolong kuatkan aku. tolong sedarkan aku. tolong.
tolong kentalkan hati aku. tolong, tolong aku bangun di saat aku jatuh.
terdiam, terduduk. menangis.

Tuhan. tolong. tolong ingatkan aku, ini semua permainan dunia.
pentas dunia, mereka di sekelilingku pelakonnya. pelakon terhebat.

tolong ingatkan aku bahawa ini semua ujian-Mu. takdir-Mu.
tolong ingatkan aku, hargai apa yang aku ada di depan ku. bersyukur.

Tuhan. tolong. Kau tahu apa yang terbuku.
apa yang terselindung. di sebalik aku.

maka, tolong. serendah diri aku memohon.


2011

Happy New Year! Our resolution is to blog more!


lOVE, Laura & Jess