Cooking with Love

This week I had the pleasure of catering a colleague's dear friend's birthday in a lovely home in Miami shores.  The menu included: Handmade turkey meatballs with fresh tomato sauce, a variety of mini quiches-zucchini, bacon onion cheddar, and tomato olive pepperocini  with cream cheese (my fav!), mini grilled avocado tomato Munster sandwiches on Parmesan crusted sour dough, chicken and veggie quesadillas, spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms, spinach and artichoke dip, and lastly fresh spicy guacamole!

 
Cooking this menu in a day and a half solo is somewhat like running a marathon and even leaves me with a great sense of accomplishment when it's successfully delivered. But this delivery was quite a special experience.  Her assistant asked me immediately what my sign was. I smiled and said "a Leo." She smiled back and said I must have Cancer as my rising sign. I must admit that I entertain myself daily with reading my horoscope on my iPhone app.  Silly yes, but it's fun and always interesting when it seems to fit life's circumstances...  I let her know my husband is a Cancer if that means anything but that I didn't know my rising sign. She let me know that there would be an astrologist at the party if I was staying.  I wasn't but was intrigued about the interesting guests I would encounter if I did!

Shortly after the owner of the home tasted my food, she turned to me and said "honey, (then paused and smiled) you cook with love"...  For those closest to me you will know how tickled i was to hear this.  Less than 6 months ago I left my world as a nonprofit leader after 17 years of committed service to explore my passion for cooking.  Many times over the past several years I was encouraged to do this by loved ones, and usually their reasoning was something like this: "Cooking is how you share love with the world, to not spend your life sharing your talent and food with the world would be a disservice."

And so that evening I got my sign of validation that I am on the right path.  Others who are strangers can even taste and feel it.  I love cooking and even more sharing it with others.

I had thoughts of blogging about this experience Wednesday evening when I got home but was simply too exhausted and with much to do in our home as we prepare for our annual holiday potluck Saturday night.  And then something happened this morning that made me make the time... I was able to squeeze in a 7 mile run this morning in between cooking and cleaning.  On my route home down Lincoln road I decided to stop by my seamstress who was hemming my outfit for tomorrow evening. I had stumbled upon her -- the most delightful Greek woman in her 70s, Julia, whose sewing shop is in a small office space above Books and Books on Lincoln road just yesterday after asking Siri where I could go for alterations. Surprisingly she said I could come by yesterday and have it ready the next day. Turns out she has been in this same space as a tailor for 38 years. And with the same Singer sewing machine! When I dropped off my outfit yesterday  I had a lovely chat with Julia, but today's was even lovelier!

I came in sweaty in my running clothes 2 hours earlier than our arranged pick up time since I was passing by. It was ready and while she bagged the piece she asked me about my running. I shared that I had run 2 marathons in the past 6 months, San Francisco and Chicago. And that I was continuing my training to complete a trio, ending with Miami ING next month. Can't say I will not run another marathon, but the commitment to myself was 3 in one year since 3 is my favorite number.  I wanted to start with the West Coast,  then complete a Midwest run and end with the East Coast-my home.

This is where it gets interesting. She points to an article on her wall, which is covered with postcards from beautiful cities all over the world and a ton of pictures of Greece, her home country.  But this article was from the Miami Herald from 2010 titled the Marathon Man.  It was a story about her husband, now 76 who has run 24 marathons!  He started running in his 50s and she has followed him all over the world as he runs marathons in Brussels, Paris, Rome, to name a few. Last October he had emergency open heart surgery and it kept him from running a marathon in Germany. He is doing well now and back to running 9 miles every other day and hoping to run the full ING as well... It was a delightful visit.  I went to pay her and left $25 cash for her services and thanked her again for the quick turnaround despite her need to sew by hand because the fabric would not hold thread with her Singer. She called me back as I left her work space and gave me $5 back, saying it was only $20 ( which she had told me yesterday). I had wanted to leave a tip... She insisted.

I smiled and quickly accepted it back... It was then that I felt, "oh she sews with love"....  And her husband, as do I, runs with love..  Here's to doing more of whatever we offer the world and allows us to show and share love. What do you do with love?

Cooking with Love

This week I had the pleasure of catering a colleague's dear friend's birthday in a lovely home in Miami shores.  The menu included: Handmade turkey meatballs with fresh tomato sauce, a variety of mini quiches-zucchini, bacon onion cheddar, and tomato olive pepperocini  with cream cheese (my fav!), mini grilled avocado tomato Munster sandwiches on Parmesan crusted sour dough, chicken and veggie quesadillas, spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms, spinach and artichoke dip, and lastly fresh spicy guacamole!

 
Cooking this menu in a day and a half solo is somewhat like running a marathon and even leaves me with a great sense of accomplishment when it's successfully delivered. But this delivery was quite a special experience.  Her assistant asked me immediately what my sign was. I smiled and said "a Leo." She smiled back and said I must have Cancer as my rising sign. I must admit that I entertain myself daily with reading my horoscope on my iPhone app.  Silly yes, but it's fun and always interesting when it seems to fit life's circumstances...  I let her know my husband is a Cancer if that means anything but that I didn't know my rising sign. She let me know that there would be an astrologist at the party if I was staying.  I wasn't but was intrigued about the interesting guests I would encounter if I did!

Shortly after the owner of the home tasted my food, she turned to me and said "honey, (then paused and smiled) you cook with love"...  For those closest to me you will know how tickled i was to hear this.  Less than 6 months ago I left my world as a nonprofit leader after 17 years of committed service to explore my passion for cooking.  Many times over the past several years I was encouraged to do this by loved ones, and usually their reasoning was something like this: "Cooking is how you share love with the world, to not spend your life sharing your talent and food with the world would be a disservice."

And so that evening I got my sign of validation that I am on the right path.  Others who are strangers can even taste and feel it.  I love cooking and even more sharing it with others.

I had thoughts of blogging about this experience Wednesday evening when I got home but was simply too exhausted and with much to do in our home as we prepare for our annual holiday potluck Saturday night.  And then something happened this morning that made me make the time... I was able to squeeze in a 7 mile run this morning in between cooking and cleaning.  On my route home down Lincoln road I decided to stop by my seamstress who was hemming my outfit for tomorrow evening. I had stumbled upon her -- the most delightful Greek woman in her 70s, Julia, whose sewing shop is in a small office space above Books and Books on Lincoln road just yesterday after asking Siri where I could go for alterations. Surprisingly she said I could come by yesterday and have it ready the next day. Turns out she has been in this same space as a tailor for 38 years. And with the same Singer sewing machine! When I dropped off my outfit yesterday  I had a lovely chat with Julia, but today's was even lovelier!

I came in sweaty in my running clothes 2 hours earlier than our arranged pick up time since I was passing by. It was ready and while she bagged the piece she asked me about my running. I shared that I had run 2 marathons in the past 6 months, San Francisco and Chicago. And that I was continuing my training to complete a trio, ending with Miami ING next month. Can't say I will not run another marathon, but the commitment to myself was 3 in one year since 3 is my favorite number.  I wanted to start with the West Coast,  then complete a Midwest run and end with the East Coast-my home.

This is where it gets interesting. She points to an article on her wall, which is covered with postcards from beautiful cities all over the world and a ton of pictures of Greece, her home country.  But this article was from the Miami Herald from 2010 titled the Marathon Man.  It was a story about her husband, now 76 who has run 24 marathons!  He started running in his 50s and she has followed him all over the world as he runs marathons in Brussels, Paris, Rome, to name a few. Last October he had emergency open heart surgery and it kept him from running a marathon in Germany. He is doing well now and back to running 9 miles every other day and hoping to run the full ING as well... It was a delightful visit.  I went to pay her and left $25 cash for her services and thanked her again for the quick turnaround despite her need to sew by hand because the fabric would not hold thread with her Singer. She called me back as I left her work space and gave me $5 back, saying it was only $20 ( which she had told me yesterday). I had wanted to leave a tip... She insisted.

I smiled and quickly accepted it back... It was then that I felt, "oh she sews with love"....  And her husband, as do I, runs with love..  Here's to doing more of whatever we offer the world and allows us to show and share love. What do you do with love?

Giving Thanks Everyday...

Woke yesterday morning to a beautiful fall Miami Beach day that makes it very easy to start a 7-mile run, especially the day before Thanksgiving as you smell hints of turkey, stuffing and fixings being prepared at the many hotels on ocean drive. The scents made me grateful that this last Sunday we had a family Thanksgiving before my family rushed off to North Carolina and Boston for the holidays.

That leaves my husband and me here solo for one of my absolute favorite holidays, of course because it is centered on food, gratitude and loved ones. I had been planning to cook a full meal for the two of us, but decided Tuesday that this year we would mix things up and go out for dinner.  At first I felt sad, but the morning run filled with thanksgiving aromas quickly reversed that emotion to joy.  And the day only got more wonderful and inspiring …

I had a salon date with my oldest friend since age 5, Tara. Accompanied by some champagne we primped and reminisced on years past and got caught up on current life. It was while I was left alone getting my nails done that I met a lovely woman who offered me a touching story of her life. She overheard me sharing that my husband and I were having a first together by going out for what I hoped would be a romantic meal at the Delano for Thanksgiving. Explaining that this was tough for me given my deep love for cooking and sharing food with others, she proceeded to say that we were doing the right thing. Trying to recreate moments with friends and family that are not present is not worth it. Yes the food may be the same and tasty, but the experience will fall short.  It made me smile …

She then proceeded to tell me that she has a “terrible illness”, one I had not heard of, but she compared it to Lupus (I know several women who are challenged by it, but continue to kick its ass each day!). She explained all that she had been through as a consequence since she was diagnosed at age 30.  Now in her late 70s, she is a lovely woman, inside and out, married for 54 years! And this is the part of the story causing tears to well up. She started by explaining how challenging it is for men to express their emotions and why they do what they do. While I understood I also was thinking it was a generalization, but who am I to say this to a woman who obviously has more wisdom and experience. She told of how her husband sold his thriving business and their home in Coral Gables to move her closer to her family in a condo that required less maintenance, as at age 30 her prognosis was death in the next 5 years. Yet here she is, fighting, resilient and as she stated: “determined” to continue living past her beloved husband well into her 70s.

She continued to preach that as partners in a relationship it is essential that one always offer adventure and that has been her role. He is the reliable partner that shows unconditional love at various stages of their life by making sacrifices and never needing to explain why he is doing what he is doing, and she follows, just as she takes him on regular adventures he otherwise would not embark upon.

And even after this lengthy recap of the story I continue to be left feeling an abundance of love and gratitude for my husband, family and beloved friends … and for the power of love, resiliency and determination.

It is a day of thanks, but isn’t every day? I wake to my beautiful four-legged dudes and a husband who may not always verbally express his adoration but shows it in so many ways. 

And I do as well this morning as I make us my childhood favorite recipe, my mother’s spicy sausage spinach pie and sip The Frank Family Rouge that Charles and I toasted on our wedding day.  

Missing all those that we love and hope that today includes some sense of adventure even if it’s just a simple twist like not cooking for Thanksgiving and spending sunset on a blanket drinking a delicious Zinfandel before dinner for 2 at Bianca.  My youngest brother Calvin recently sent me a postcard from his 3 month travels backpacking saying "Everyday I say to myself "I am in Thailand" and then I get chills of pure happiness.  Those chills are what I would describe as joy... And fortunately lately for me they happen with more frequency.  That is a wish I have for you today. So a toast to love and joy… For it is what makes us thankful for everything, without it what would there be?  

Made in Madison: Friends, food, fun, freezing!

What could be better than a reunion with my Bay area now Madison friends who I have not seen in a decade in the days leading up to running the Chicago Marathon? And who knew it would be like I was with them just yesterday! Since we have seen each other they have given birth to two beautiful children: Lucy-5, John-3. I arrived yesterday afternoon by bus from Chicago (which was so lovely and relaxing) and we of course immediately made a stop by the local Willy Street Co-op to make my 99% dish!  It is showcased in one of my first blogs. We had a relaxing and delicious evening with our vegan meal.

Today included some amazing local Madison food and fun! Breakfast at the Iron Works café housed in the Goodman Community Center. Amazing café that provides vocational and educational credit to high school students from alternative schools in Madison to work in the kitchen and front of the house. The experience was completely inspiring given my own aspirations to merge my passion for food and social justice!

Once Lucy was out of school (which she attends a spanish speaking public charter school, Nuestro Mundo-Our World) Karen, John, Lucy and I headed straight for the Old Fashioned for some carb loading on one of my absolute favorites (though Lucy would say they are HER fav): FRIED CHEESE CURDS, french fries (John's fav) and Onion Straws. Karen and I shared an amazing beer sampler of some of Wisconsin's finest! And wow were they amazing! The food coma was followed by a visit to the capital where I experienced my first version of Capital Angels. Definitely seen snow angels, but this was a first!

And so once Kelly got home from work, the kids completed their viewing of the Wizard of Oz and hit the sack, we proceeded to the kitchen at 8pm to make Roasted Butternut Squash soup, after all it is 42 degrees. And for this Miami girl it feels much colder. I even convinced them to put on the heat! A simple but comforting dish. Simply split open a butternut squash, sprinkle some olive oil, and roast on a pan at 400 for an hour or so. Puree it in a Vitamix or equivalent with vegetable broth and sautéd onion. Then transfer to a pot to simmer while adding ginger, all spice, cardamom, cinnamon and salt to taste. If you feel like something creamy you can add some sour cream or whipping cream but my vegan friends say it is just as tasty without!  Couple it with a nice glass of Frogs Leap Zinfandel or Stags Leap Merlot and you are in for a treat! Especially if you are eating it in 40 degree weather.  

Here's to hoping 40 degrees feels warmer to me Sunday morning when I attempt my 2nd marathon in Chicago. Until next time!

9/10/11-12: One Year Anniversary Dinner

Anniversary dinner: 30 minutes researching menu; 40 minutes  & $100 grocery shopping; 7 hours cooking; Nicholson Ranch Chardonnay; Mums Pinor Noir sparkling= Perfect dinner!

Since I departed my nonprofit job, my days have been just as busy as ever…Who knew that networking and trying to slowly launch your dream business would be so time consuming and fun! And since I noticed the continued speed of my life I intentionally did not schedule much this week since it is my 1 year anniversary with Charles. I knew that with more flexibility it was an amazing opportunity to create the first of my aspiring cook book recipes: The 1 Year Anniversary!

Given that most married couples, books and therapists will tell you the first year can be the absolute hardest… I had to craft an especially complicated, rich, diverse and decadent meal! So……Here it is:

Appetizer: Fresh salmon cakes over a bed of greens with a lemon dill sour cream sauce

Entrée: Sauted scallops over 4 mushroom risotto

Dessert: Homemade chocolate cake (with chocolate shavings by hand!) with a whipped peanut butter icing

While I made this dish for two, I must be honest that this meal really serves a minimum of six, so the cost of $100 at the grocery should not be so for a couple.  Most of my friends and colleagues know I usually over cook, which truly benefits others and is my pleasure to share. I believe food builds community.

So basically a full work day has resulted in a special dinner I hope my husband will enjoy and get just a taste of the appreciation and deliciousness he has brought to my life. A year ago tonight we were with some of our closest friends and family that were able to travel over 3600 miles to one of our favorite spots in the world… Sonoma.  It was a truly magical weekend. Words can’t express the feelings and emotions, but tonight I am hoping that perhaps my food will. 

Recipes:

SAUTEED SEA SCOLLOPS WITH 4 MUSHROOM RISOTTO

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops, crescent-shaped muscles removed and discarded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as Portobello, crimini, and shiitake, stemmed
• Leaves from handful fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 8 cups canned chicken stock, heated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

SALMON CAKES

• 1/2 pound fresh salmon

• Good olive oil

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)

• 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)

• 1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)

• 1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)

• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 1 tablespoon capers, drained

• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)

• 3 slices stale bread, crusts removed

• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

CHOCOLATE CAKE

• Butter, for greasing the pans

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

• 2 cups sugar

• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

PEANUT BUTTER ICING

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1/3 cup cream