Overnight Miracles

Here we are, the end of February, not much to date in the way of winter weather, little sunshine in recent weeks, yet overnight spring has sprung in Houston.

Bare limbed redbuds woke up this morning newly dressed,

azaleas that a few hours ago were tightly budded are popping with blooms,

gardens are alive with color that only God can give,

bird songs fill the air and robins stop for a bite to eat as they travel on to  their final destination.

Now, as much as I like all this new beauty, it is a harbinger of what is right behind.  It won’t be long before cars take on a yellow haze, every outdoor surface will be covered with pollen and most of us will be experiencing headaches and stuffy noses until the air clears.  On top of all this, we may well have a humdinger of a mosquito season due to warm temperatures and much rain recently.  Oh well, that’s Houston, and we take what it offers.

Any signs of spring your way?

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Sharing at Wild About Mother Nature

….and for dinner

With the table set, let’s look at the menu for Italian gourmet night: an antipasto tray, a simple green salad, Italian chicken stew and panna cotta.  None of the courses is complicated, and together they are a complementary combination of flavors,  perfect for a winter night.

As hostess, I am responsible for the main course, a simple to fix Italian chicken stew that when prepared in a slow cooker requires no attention until serving time.

Italian Chicken Stew

Large pinch of saffron threads

1/3 c. plus 3 T. dry white wine

3-4 lbs. of chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, breasts with bone in)

3/4 c. flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1 T. olive oil

1  yellow onion and 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

10 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. chicken stock

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 t. red or white wine vinegar

Soak saffron in 3 T. white wine for 20 minutes.  In the meantime, toss chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.  Brown the chicken in olive oil until golden brown.  Transfer to a plate.

Pour off most of the fat from the pan and return it to medium heat.  Saute onion and celery until softened and slightly browned.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.  Pour in 1/3 c. wine and chicken stock.  Bring to a rapid simmer and cook to reduce slightly and to concentrate the flavor, about 10 minutes.  Transfer contents of the pan to a slow cooker*, stir in tomatoes, saffron and 3 bay leaves.  Stack chicken on top.  Cover and cook on low setting 5-6 hours.

Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm.  Remove discard bay leaves and stir vinegar into the liquid.  Divide chicken among shallow bowls and ladle some of the braising liquid and vegetables over each portion.  Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley.  Serve with crostini topped with red pepper aioli. (6 servings)

Red Pepper Aioli

Combine 2/3 c. mayonnaise, 2 cloves garlic, 1 small roasted red pepper, well drained, and 1/2 t. white wine vinegar.  Pulse in food processor or blender until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper, fold in 2 t. finely chopped flat leaf parsley.

*If you don’t have a slow cooker, this dish can be prepared on the stovetop in a large soup pot.  Cooking time over low heat is reduced to 1-2 hours until chicken is tender.

In the year that I’ve had this Cuisinart slow cooker, I’ve learned to love the process.  This particular model allows you to sauté/brown, steam, roast and slow cook.  I love that you can do it all in one pot rather than having to mess up extra ones.  Also, thanks to the extended cooking time, the house is filled with tantalizing aroma which the hubby loves to come home to!

Today I’m joining Foodie Friday and Friday Food

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A Touch of Italy

“Entertaining is not about perfection, it is about connection.”

For more years than I can count, eight of us have gathered once each month for gourmet night.  The host couple plans the menu, sends recipes to the group with a preparation assignment for each of the other couples.  The dinner generally consists of an appetizer, a salad or soup, an entrée and a dessert, and thanks to the advance planning of the hosts it is a combination of compatible flavors.

At our house this time around, the menu is Italian, and I want the table to reflect the warmth of Italy.

Remember these?  Once upon a time  straw wrapped Chianti bottles were commonplace, and, like these, doubled as candle holders once the wine was gone.  No telling how many years these have been in my cabinet, but they do come in handy from time to time.

For this dinner, they are a perfect place to start creating a tablescape.  They are on a handwoven runner and combined with colorful vases filled with herbs that will flavor the main course.

There’s a culture mix here as the runner is from Mexico, not Italy!

The patterned dishes, however, are authentic.  They are from Ravello, and the hand painted pieces feature different designs and color.  If you’ve seen other of my tables, you know that mixing styles is a signature, so using Fiestaware as a charger will come as no surprise.

The placemats and napkins, actually tea towels that are used asr napkins, are  Pier One finds. For a little touch of the unexpected the napkins are folded simply and angled at the corner of the mat.  Who says one can’t create their own rules?

With the table set and, hopefully, setting the tone for a relaxed and enjoyable evening, it’s off to the kitchen to begin preparing my part of the meal.  Come back tomorrow for some shared recipes.

Joining Susan and friends at Tablescape Thursday and Open House Party

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Many Questions

As adults, my daughters have adopted many practices, namely in the way they eat and the way they treat their bodies, very different from the ones with which they grew up.  I must confess that on many occasions I have questioned their decisions with some skepticism, which they have often taken as criticism rather than as an effort to understand their thinking.

It is likely that many of you who grew up in the 50′s and 60′s hearing the snap, crackle and pop of Rice Krispies, thrilling over Kraft macaroni and cheese, loving Wonder bread, being immunized against polio and smallpox will understand my dilemma.  After all, none of those things seem to have hurt us, right? Then, as adults we tried to feed our family good foods and follow recommended procedures to keep our babies healthy.

So, where did it all change?  Why have processed foods, food coloring, gluten become taboo?  Why are people with health issues seeking alternative measures?  I’m not sure I have any of the answers, but here is what I think.  Simply stated, many of the foods we eat have changed more rapidly than our bodies.  They have been genetically manipulated, injected with pesticides and other chemicals to the extent that our DNA has not evolved to accept them.  This appears to be particularly true of wheat and other grains which have been traditional staples in our diets.  The consequence is that grocery aisles are increasingly filled with gluten free products, and it is possible that other grain based foods will also be displaced.

While my diet is not totally free of all the things said to be of questionable value, much has changed in the way we eat due to dietary restrictions among other family members.  The easiest change is to eat all natural foods, the hardest is to eliminate gluten.  I have been amazed at all the foodstuffs from cereal to soy sauce that contain gluten, and when it comes to baking without wheat flour I have been a total failure.  Maybe it’s an acquired taste, but I haven’t found too many gluten free recipes that I’m crazy about.  Incidentally,if you want to read more about gluten and its impact, go here to read an interesting article sent by my daughter.

As for medicine, that’s an area where I have no expertise as I am one of those lucky people who is seldom sick and rarely sees a doctor.  That being said, it does appear that what we think of as modern medicine often treats the symptoms rather than the cause of illness, leading people to other sources for relief.  Whether or not alternative medicine is more effective than traditional treatment is not for me to say.  It may well cure allergies, fatigue or infertility, but does it cure cancer?  Quite honestly, I hope I don’t have to find out.

In my lifetime, advances in medicine have been significant and certainly the market is flooded with drugs, the warnings for which sound worse than the symptom they treat.  While many people in this country take those drugs, I heard on a morning TV show discussing health issues that 80% of the world’s population relies on alternative medicine, including homeopathy and acupuncture, for their primary health care.  That must give some cause for thought because more than half of the medical schools in this country are said to offer courses in alternative medicine as part of the curriculum.  My chiropractor son-in-law refers to it as being one of the tools, along with traditional medicine,  in a tool belt meant to keep people feeling their best.

Who knows where all the new information we are receiving will lead?  Some of us will stay with practices that are familiar and comfortable while others will explore different avenues.  As for me, I will do my best to prepare foods that nurture my family’s bodies and hope with many of the rest of you that I don’t have to go looking for answers related to my health.

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How Special is This!

My definition of a special friend is one who invites you for dinner on Valentine’s, which I can assure you is a great relief to the hubby, doesn’t have you bring any part of the meal and sets a beautiful table.

Every detail is perfect from the white linen placemats to the candlewick and thumbprint plates, which are just the right touch for Valentine’s,

to the etched stemware, which you can never have too much of to suit me.

A touch of whimsy is in the gaily colored heart shaped boxes,

the colors of which are picked up in the flowers and the candies strewn on the table.

Even the colors in the dining room were perfect for the occasion, and the effort that went into the evening made me feel special and appreciative of a very good friend.

Joining Tablescape Thursday

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Lethal Duos

Whitney Houston’s death is getting a lot of attention as happens with superstars.  She was one of those who had what many of us dream about….incredible talent, beauty, wealth….yet it didn’t seem to be enough as she apparently reached for something else, something that could only be found in  the escape provided by drugs.

For me, that raises the question why, why do so many in the entertainment business fall into a life style accentuated by drugs and alcohol?  Is it the pressure of performing, of having to be on?  Is it an escape from the demands of being famous?  Is it that drugs are readily accessible because of their wealth and status?  And once the drugs grab hold, do they provide such relief or euphoria that one can’t let go?  Will we learn anything from the tragedy of unnecessary drug related deaths?

Sadly, drug use, particularly prescription drugs, isn’t limited to just the rich and famous.  In recent years, it seems that their use has proliferated in this country and the consequence is often abuse and overdose.  I read recently that in a report issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription drugs are the fastest growing drug problem in the United States.  Furthermore, when combined with alcohol, sedatives such as Xanax, Valium and Klonopin have an additive effect, meaning that one drink becomes the equivalent of two or more.  That is not only a quick high, but who knows how the body will react, particularly if one is tired or hungry or not feeling too well.  Often the combination causes drowsiness leading one to get in the shower or bathtub to wake up.  The consequence, as possibly with Whitney Houston, can be death.

Drugs scare me.  I have seen families torn apart because of them.  In a facility where I volunteer, I see women for whom drugs became a necessity in order to deal with abusive situations.  In no case do I believe addiction is intentional.  I think most of us believe we are strong enough to resist, but you know, I don’t want to find out and hope to limit my need for pills to nothing stronger than Advil.

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We Are Lunch Bunch!

Once upon a time we were young moms expending energy as room mothers, coaches, team moms, PTO presidents, community volunteers.  We became acquainted volunteering at school, watching our kids play Little League and softball, cheering them on at field day or special day performances, organizing dance lessons and chaperoning parties.

Now, years have passed, kids are grown.  Our wrinkles are showing, some of us are thicker, a few have gray hair, most of us are grandmothers.  We are wiser, more comfortable with who we are. Most of all, we are friends who gather once each month to share stories, offer support through times good and bad, laugh and sometimes cry.  We are bound by our shared history and it matters not whether we see each other frequently or just at our monthly lunch gatherings.  We know that we offer one another something special, the gift of friendship.  I couldn’t be more grateful.

Tell me, how do you nurture your long time relationships?