Gifts from the Garden - a Super Tuesday!

My sister has the most beautiful garden and yes, I am openly jealous.  I know it is a lot of work and maintenance, but it is simply wonderful to look at as well as enjoy the bounty it provides.  It is even more joyous when I receive wonderful food gifts; both prepared and raw from my sister and her family.

The homemade, award worthy, bruschetta is my sister's specialty and was given with a loaf of French bread.  The zucchini bread was made by my younger nephew with pride and we decided to try it topped with the bruschetta as well with the theory that tomatoes and zucchini are a natural pairing.

Fresh zucchini were a lovely gift as well as a bag of fresh beans.  I remember when growing up we used to have a family garden and I would eat the beans raw while I was supposed to be picking.  The snap and something about eating fresh veggies under the sun...

All of the offerings are and were so appreciated.  They were perfect accompaniments to simply grilled chicken breasts and a red potato salad and cucumber salad, fresh corn on the cob, and for me a section of sweet potato I had been craving.

Here's how it looked for Ken -

and my plate before the ear of corn -

And what did I do with my bags of tomatoes you may wonder?  As I write this post they are simmering into sauce after being blanched, peeled then pureed with the immersion blender.  Meatballs are also in the pot and after grilling later, sausage will be added as well.  A two meal food experience and memories from these fabulous gifts from the garden.

Fed Well with freshness, food gifts, a visit and hugs on a plate.   Sometimes the hardest part is finding new ways to say Thank You!  Maybe tradition is best - Thank you for making sure my family and I are Fed Well from the inside out.

Racino Buffet with Mommy!

While going through a personal crisis I have lost about 12 pounds unintentionally.  I know, I know, some women are thinking they would love to have this problem, but trust me - you wouldn't. 

During times of trouble we reach out to friends and family and so I called my Mommy to see if she wanted to meet for a bite to eat and a bit of "gaming" at the local Racino (http://www.monticellocasinoandraceway.com/)

First, we will try the buffet because after all, who can gamble on an empty stomach!  At first I worry I won't like anything, but then I decide on a plate of may favorites; white, starchy carbs!  Garlic mashed potatoes and penne pasta topped with red clam sauce, a slice of chicken marsala for the taste and a splash of protein.  Buffet or not, it feels fairly rich and decadent and compared to the portions I have been eating, it feels like I have bellied up directly to the silver chafing dishes.  This meal is not about physical health, it is about comfort, healing and hoping to hit it big,

Mommy has a slice of the roast pork, the potatoes bathed in gravy and a sample of chicken marsala and wait, what is that I see on the edge?? Salad??  Who would have thought?

Yes, I monopolize the conversation.  Can't help it.  I pause long enough to ask about her personal computer repairs (not going well - Best Buy will in no way ever be endorsed by my mother) and of course her opinion on whatever it is I am sharing with the hopes she will certainly agree with me and validate all of my crummy thoughts and feelings.  It's part of the job description of a mother.  I believe I have read it myself in the handbook.

Dessert?  Why, of course.  While I am indulging, I should experience everything.  I actually first looked through the sugar free offerings.  No idea why.  I selected this slice of cheesecake with a carrot cake crumb topping.

Now, for the news you have all been waiting for... how much did we win?

Not a single dime. 

But an evening meal with my Mommy certainly gives many reasons to feel Fed Well.

Sweet Treat from my love, Lucy!

One of the best feelings in the world after an hour and ten minute commute home on a summer Friday is stopping to get the mail and seeing a package that is for you!  THIS NEVER HAPPENS - well, until now.

I peel open the outer envelope and know I need my cell phone to photograph this momentous event.  I already know who it is from and am super-dee-duper excited!!!!

A lumpy envelope!?  What could be inside???  It is early for my birthday, but anything could happen...

Oooh, it's going to be funny and I am positive it will have confetti or glitter or something inside so I carefully lay it down on the table before opening.

Yes, I am definitely feeling like throwing those damn lemons back at life.  Bully!

Mailbox love!  What could be better?  A mini-teddy bear and ...

a dark chocolate candy bar!  What woman doesn't want to be thought of, receive a mystery package, a motivational/funny card AND chocolate! 

Although the card was signed "Lucy" (I'm Ethel) - I know who loves me and wants to ensure that I am Fed Well!  Life wouldn't dare throw a lemon over here.  Thank you my friend -

I Love Lucy!

As Sunday Dinner Morphs...

Growing up, Sunday Dinner meant my grandparents came over and my grandmother would bring a bag of goodies including coupons and a Pepperidge Farm cake.

On a recent Sunday, my younger son and I joined my sister, her family and my mother at my sister's house for a wonderful Sunday supper.  Toasted bread rounds with a coating of olive oil were the base for...

homemade Bruschetta using the freshest of vine ripened, organic tomatoes, straight from her garden!

 

An additional appetizer included a cheese plate including port wine and muenster...

which I enjoyed on crackers along with my Bruschetta!

A beautiful main course rested on the island before being carved and was not shy in the least in having a mini photo shoot for the blog.  The chicken was roasted beer can style - succulent meat with a crispy and seasoned skin made everyone drool just a bit.

A fresh and satisfying Sunday meal also includes baked potatoes (though not from the garden, they are not from a bag or a box) and super snappy green beans.

While dessert was not photographed, homemade brownies and a cheesecake were luscious endings for a satisfying Sunday gathering.

The best part of this Fed Well meal?  In the style of a David Letterman Top 10 - ok, 3 - list:

#3  Fresh Bruschetta

#2  Roast Chicken

and the # 1 best part:

Being with family who love you and want to share a wonderful meal in your company.

Feeling the love...

Tomato as Symbol

Symbolism in food - Adam and Eve along with Snow White come to mind immediately along with an image of a highly polished, red, ripe apple.  While the literary and social references to individual foods are arguably endless, I am experiencing one of my own this growing season and it is not all pleasant, but rather reflective of life.

In May, on the day before renewing my 25 year wedding vows, my estranged husband took it upon himself to weed one of my flower gardens though I had quite explicitly requested he leave it alone and assured him I would take care of it if it bothered him.  The gardens were my project - or so I thought.  He persisted and proceeded to "weed" numerous perennial flowers.  Plants that I enjoyed for years, he thought were weeds and simply removed them and threw them in the woods.  Our son made a reference to the argument in his toast to us and people laughed.

The following week we celebrated Mother's Day and along with some flowers, I bought my Mommy a few tomato plants and kept 3 for myself.  My estranged husband planted them in the garden in place of the missing flowers.  We had a second argument when I stated the plants were too close together.  The marriage appears to be over and I watch the plants bloom flowers that magically turn into tomatoes. 

The weight of the growing fruit pulls the branches down and a recent storm blew the thin metal supports over.  I told my older son the plants need wooden stakes driven into the ground but that I had no wood.  He said he would find me some.  Within minutes he had the circular saw out and shaped scrap wood into stakes while I retrieved twine and supported the heavy plants as best I could.

I daydream about these plants and the food they produce;  how will I eat the tomatoes, who will I share them with and what will life look like on that day?  Simple food, grown from the earth, tended to by family - basic and purely Fed Well.

One Saturday Night

Meeting a friend I have known for over 30 years is a wonderful reason to celebrate.  Meeting a friend I've known since elementary school to discuss life changing events, well, that simply requires a cocktail and for me, the signature drink of a choice is a Cosmopolitan.

As we talk about the twisty turns of life with it's ups and downs, mysteries that cannot be explained and the fabulous destination wedding of her sister's, we enjoy a meal which for me begins with a salad without dressing.

I tried the bacon and cheddar potato pancakes.  The inside was lush and delicately soft potato with cheese and bacon - what combination could be any better in an appetizer? 

Though my friend is quite active and disciplined about keeping physically fit by frequently participating in boot camps, she does treat herself to bacon cheeseburger with fries on this particular Saturday night.

We talk about life.  We try to make sense of things we will never understand. And best of all, we find a few reasons to laugh.

I had the Mako with yes, more potatoes and mixed vegetables.   The fish was quite firm and steak-like, the sauce a creamy pool to swipe the potatoes through before stabbing a piece of fish to create the perfect bite.  It is impossible to finish the meal and yet we are far from ending our time together.

We meet a friend at the bar once the meal is over and we talk some more.  Sometimes when life strays away from the path you thought you were on it's best to have some great friends to talk it over with, offer support and guard you through to the next part of the journey.  It was more than a Saturday Night, it was an opporunity to be Fed Well for the soul and the memory of it keeps me feeling full.

Was it the toxoplasmosis talk?

Let's see, where were we... a group of coworkers out to lunch at http://www.haciendadonmanuelny.com/

Hacienda Don Munel

Again, I have a regular favorite and rarely venture out to order something else.  I LOVE the beef burritos!

We start with warm and crispy chips served with chunky, fairly zippy salsa.  We are all careful to pour our salsa into a separate dish to avoid double dipping (which happened in the past, but the offending colleague has since moved to Thailand).

Ah, the beef burritos are heavenly.  The meat is tender, well seasoned and soft.  The shredded beef can be the subject of food dreams. 

I also love a second helping of chips with the guacamole and sour cream.  I rarely eat the rice and beans but bring them home to a son who loves them as a late night snack.

One coworker orders the vegetable quesidilas.  They are not what I expected, but she is happy and though she is not a vegetarian loves the feeling that she is making a healthier, guilt-free choice.

Chuletas a la Diabla - well, I don't like too much heat in my food, but for one coworker, spice is a perfect choice.  She requests the sauce be served on the side so she can control the amount both for flavor and sogginess purposes.

And for my vegetarian friend and next door neighbor co-worker, the vegetable burritos. 

We talk about the spicy pork chop diner moving into a house in the area with her boyfriend.  She shares stories about the various wildlife she has seen including devilish groundhogs, deer and the former residents honey bees.

Somehow the conversation segues to the parasites found in cat feces and how toxoplasmosis is considered to especially be a threat for pregnant women to be concerned about though none of us are pregnant (that I know of).  My vegetarian buddy recites a bit of news from the Internet on the subject which basically includes this bit from Wikipedia, "Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.^[1] The parasite infects most genera of warm-blooded animals, including humans, but the primary host is the felid (cat) family. The parasite spreads by the ingestion of infected meat or the feces of an infected cat, or by vertical transmission from mother to fetus. A 2001 study found that direct contact with pet cats is probably a less common route of transmission to human hosts than contamination of hands with cat feces by touching the earth, and that "contact with infected raw meat is probably a more important cause of human infection in many countries"  (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis)  How fun!!  Yes, cat poop is perfect lunchtime conversation... 

Simultaneously, the pair of men at a nearby table ask to move and relocate to the far side of the restaurant from us.  Was it the toxoplasmosis talk?  Were we laughing too much?  How could we have possibly offended them so much that they felt the need to move across the room?

The empty table with chips is where our nearby neighbors started but all the way to the far left corner of the photo, against the wall a slice of arm is visible to where they repositioned themselves.

The deviled pork chop loving coworker couldn't resist asking the waiter why the men moved.  Turns out, they were simply cold.