My latest obsession: Cheddar-Fennel Seed Coins

I think I've found my "go-to" recipe for an appetizer, and I've made it my own! OK, I found the original on Pinterest, but after making it a number of times, I've added something and subtracted something else, and now it is uniquely mine! I also have perfected the rolling out and slicing of the coins, and no one can make them as small and petite as I can! Plus, I don't think I'll ever get tired of the taste! So what if I eat the most of them every time I serve them now? Isn't that THE POINT?? Ha!

Look at these lovely little golden coins of cheesiness -- the picture is making my mouth water! So, without further ado, the recipe:

·      1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

·      1 tablespoon grainy mustard (I use German-style)

·      1 tablespoon fennel seeds

·      1 teaspoon Cancale N. 11 (Fleur de Sel, orange, fennel seed) (or kosher salt)

·      ½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2½ cups) (I use white cheddar)

·      1 cup self rising flour

Directions:

Using an electric mixer at low speed, mix the butter with mustard, fennel seeds and salt. (Since I don’t have an electric mixer, I do this by hand. Makes for easier clean-up!) Add cheddar and continue to mix. Slowly mix in flour. Transfer to sheet of wax paper and form a log, about ½ to 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice into ¼-inch slices and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

Makes about four dozen

Happy Birthday to Row-Row

Tribute to good dog

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=443c6044326bf1403315f89dbf2f35f7&sid=0AZOWTFs5ctWjCXA

So happy to be returning home to Dalton for another gallery exhibit!: http://www.creativeartsguild.org/

The best "un-birthday" party ever!

When my sister and I were growing up, my mother borrowed a concept from Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland to make sure we each had a reason to celebrate the other's birthday: the "un-birthday". It was genius. It meant that on my sister's special day, while she was blowing out her candles and opening several birthday gifts, I had one "unbirthday gift" to open (and view versa). It's a concept I use to this day to explain any gift I give without the standard reason ("it's your un-birthday! Here -- happy un-birthday!" I'll say as my friend stammers ". . .  but w-w-why. . .?")  


Un-birthday parties are the best, because everyone is being celebrated, not just one person. And by that token, I want to make sure as many people as possible know about "The Mad Hatter", which in my mind is the best "un-birthday" party ever!  It will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10-noon at the Woodruff Arts Center.  There will be all sorts of arts-and-crafts activities that will delight the kids, but in my opinion, the MOST fun is the hat making. This is an activity that is brought back by demand, and it is hard to tell who enjoys it the most: the kids, their grown-ups, or the volunteers! I love watching as some kids tear through all the materials trying to make a hat as fast as possible, while others deliberate very slowly and thoughtfully on their choices of embellishments. No matter the choice or process, ALL the hats show the diversity of creative thinking, and are just plan FUN!

"I can wear a hat or take it off, but either way it's a conversation piece."

-Hedda Hopper

Pictured here is one of the hats I made last year for one of the volunteers to wear: rolled up brown paper bag decorated with tissue paper, ribbon, pipe cleaners, buttons and a cut out of the March Hare. I challenge you to come see if you can top this topper!


I've been volunteering for "The Mad Hatter" ever since I became involved with Young Audiences, a nonprofit organization hell-bent on making sure our kids (especially those with the least support, resources, and access) get exposed to the arts, artists and arts education. This has become increasingly important as the recession has forced schools and school systems to cut art and music teachers from their budgets. I could give you all sorts of statistics about how important exposure to the arts is for the future success of kids, but you can get that in a multitude of other places, if you haven't already heard it. What I would rather do is to convince you to grab a kid you know (your own, your grandchild, a friend's kids), buy tickets (only $12 Advance) and come HAVE A GREAT TIME watching the kids HAVE A BLAST! (All the proceeds go to help Young Audiences ensure that they can continue to provide arts programs to Georgia's school children.) So basically this is one of those "do good while having fun" things. A "two-fer!" (Which sounds like a word Lewis Carroll would have invented: "two-fer!")
Don't have a kid to bring? Well, then go to the web site  (link attached) and sign up to volunteer like I do. Or buy tickets to donate to kids who can't afford it; better yet, be a sponsor! You can also purchase raffle tickets to some really great prizes (I won't tell you which is  my favorite because I've been trying to win it for 3 years and don't want the competition!)


So join me* at this great un-birthday party and make a hat to bring art into our classrooms.
________
*I HOPE to be there; more about why I may not be in my next post.

Taste of Cortona #5: A taste of two pastas!

Penne with fresh tomato sauce shares a plate with fettuccine al funghi 

You gotta love the Italians: if one pasta with a fabulous sauce is good, then two of 'em must be better! I always love watching people new to "The Cortona Experience" as they realize the heaping pile of pasta they have just been served is going to be followed by a second one  of a different shape and sauce -- they just can't quite believe it. This happens often at special dinners at Tonino's -- and I'm glad it does! There are never enough days for me in my limited trips here to try every combination I fancy, so I always do my best to join the "clean plate club".  Not only is my tongue quite happy with the experience, but it is a lot of fun to try to decide which I like better ("I think definitely this fresh tomato sauce . . . no -- wait, this fresh fettuccine with the subtle hint of mushrooms . . . how DO they make it so creamy without tasting too heavy? . . . Hmmm, maybe I like the simplicity of the tomato sauce against the al dente of the penne. . .") My mind argues with itself as my taste buds dance with delight.


And this is JUST the second course!

A Taste of Cortona, Installment #4: Abundant , Ambrosial Blood Oranges!

Blood oranges on display outside a Cortona store

Blood oranges are as beautiful as they are delicious. I never saw or tasted one until I was well into adulthood, and "my first time" I was as entranced by their ruby-to-orange-back-to-ruby color as I was by their sweet tartness.  Here in Georgia they can be hard to find, but in Italy they are abundant.  I love strolling down Via Nazionale in Cortona and seeing the display of fresh fruits and vegetables lining the old stone walls; I especially love how the sunlight reflects off of the vivid hues of a box of blood oranges. I can't resist: I purchase one to take back to my room, where later I cut it open and sink my teeth into its juicy  flesh. I love that this a pleasure but not a guilty one. I love to lick the crimson droplets off of my lips. I love how this fruit is as much a feast for the eyes as for my tongue. It's as if I have bitten into the Italian sun and swallowed some of its unique warmth and purity.

The fruit is so red that my white shirt is tracked with scarlet stains -- a typically "Del" sort of souvenir of my Cortona visit!

I will attempt a painting of this photograph soon -- I look forward to capturing the vivid color in pure pigment. I know that as I am pushing and stroking the pigment onto the paper my  mouth will water as my mind recalls this bright taste of Cortona.

Chestnut Pasta with Shaved Truffles: Brown and Down!

When I look at this photograph I took of my lunch in Arezzo, I see a "study in brown" -- it all looks brown! The chestnut flour pasta is, of course, a beautiful chestnut color, and the shaved white truffles on top are almost the same shade. (I've learned that white truffles aren't really "white" as in snow, vanilla ice cream or mashed potatoes, but are definitely a lighter shade than the also-delicious black truffle. . . which isn't really "black"! Hmmm-- the color theory of truffles: perhaps a topic for another day?)

Chestnut fettucini with shaved white truffles in Arezzo

Since I love shaved truffles over a simple pasta, and since I had never tried chestnut flour pasta before, this menu offering drew me in. The place was a little trattoria on a side street away from the monthly Arezzo antique market. My companions and I were getting quite hungry and were in a desperate search for something other than pizza when I spied the outdoor tables. What a find it turned out to be!


It was a relief to sit down after a morning of browsing the antiques and other offerings all over this charming town. The day could not have been more beautiful, so it was perfect for eating al fresco. When this bowl-full-of-brown was set before me, I breathed in the aroma: it smelled of Italy! Earthy, fresh, simple goodness. The pasta was perfectly al dente, giving my teeth a slight resistance. It didn't taste like chestnuts, but it did have a fuller flavor than regular wheat pasta, with a wonderful nuttiness. I'm not sure exactly what the sauce was, but it was that "barely-a-sauce" slight of hand the Italians do so well, especially when adding truffles. It tasted slightly buttery, perhaps with a tiny bit of young olive oil that had been introduced briefly to a bit of garlic. I couldn't see a sauce, yet my tongue knew it was there! Topped by the paper-thin bits of precious white truffle, that magical fungus that has a flavor and aroma that defies description -- subtle, earthy, REAL. 


While I was twirling it onto my fork the artist side of my brain was musing that it sure needed to have a bit of color on the plate or in the dish to make it look more appetizing (maybe a sprig of flat-leaf parsley? A slice of lemon? The splash of bright red from a sliver of roasted pepper?) But once the fork made it into my mouth, the gourmand portion of my brain took over, and it took all the grace I possessed not to wolf the entire bowl down in minutes. "I'm in Italy" I reminded myself. "Stretch this meal out and enjoy it!" 


Which is exactly what I did. 

Bacon & Eggs Pizza: Inspired or Absurd?

Bacon and Eggs Pizza from FuFluns in Cortona, Italy.

OK, it is time for me to get back to telling you about my amazing meals in Cortona this past spring. (Thank goodness I have photos to remind me what they were!) I'm still having a hard time incorporating blogging into my life. (And I used to be such a good  multi-tasker! That talent seems to have been affected by my autoimmune disease.)


FuFluns is one of  my favorite places to eat in Cortona -- it is just down the Via from the main piazza, and you can always depend on it for a good meal. I especially like their pizzas: thin, crispy, tasty crusts, with perfect combination of toppings.


I had been staring at this offering for a number of visits, over a number of years. As you probably know by now, I am a complete bacon FREAK, and I love my fried eggs, too! So it seemed as if this menu item was calling me. Why did I resist for so long? I think because it seemed to be an item aimed at Americans or Brits, and I usually want something very Italian when in Italy. But on this particular visit I was with a young friend, one of the students in the spring semester of UGA's program, and she encouraged me to try it. Since I had a small kitchen back in my apartment that I could heat the leftovers for breakfast the next day I went for it.


And I'm glad I did-- it was wonderfully tasty! Like the best of American food with the best of Italian pizza: the bacon was definitely American bacon, thin and crispy-chewy. While the pizza was still very hot I broke the shimmering yoke and spread it across the hot cheese, where it cooked itself into the hot Italian cheese.  It was like having bacon, eggs and cheese toast all in one bite (but the toast was the best toast ever made!) 


It was even better for breakfast the next morning; toasting it in my apartment's oven brought the crust back to its crunchy goodness, crisped up the limp bacon, and warmed the eggs and cheese into a gooey-chewy morning delight.


This is so good that I am surprised we don't see it offered more often here in the States. I think Waffle House should invest in a wood-fired pizza oven!

A Taste of Cortona: Installment #1: Turkey is NOT just for Thanksgiving!



First night's antipasta: thinly sliced turkey,asparagus and carrots with some sort of Bechamel-type sauce. Incredible!

I just recently returned from Cortona, Italy, where I was privileged to lead a workshop on creating your own travel journal as part of your travel experience. This was one of the offerings of the University of Georgia's "Cortona Experience", an annual 10-day trip to Cortona, Italy that enables its participants to be immersed in this wonderful Tuscan Hill Town and its environs. The trip was truly a "Cortona Experience", jam-packed with excursions, demonstrations, cooking classes, wine tastings, and wonderful meal after wonderful meal.  I may post some of my journal entries and sketches later, but since I made an effort to record some of these wonderful meals, I thought I would do a series about the FOOD. . . because, after all, I'm all about good food!

The first installment is from our welcoming dinner at Tonino's Restaurant. If you've been to Cortona, you know where Tonino's is: right in Piazza Garibaldi, where you get off the bus (if you've arrived by bus!) If you were a student in the UGA Cortona Studies Program, Tonino's is where you had many a meal. . . but I can promise you, students were never served anything like this!

This was the "opening act" of an over-the-top meal, and it was my favorite course (as well as my cousin Leisa's favorite course.) Had I not been a glutton, I could have happily stopped here.

So simple, yet so sublimely good. Thinly sliced roast turkey (and when I say thin, I mean mandoline-thin!) along with just as thinly sliced asparagus and carrots (just a touch of carrots for color.) I had never seen asparagus sliced length-wise before; it was brilliant. Not only did it look great, but it let your tongue taste the tender greeness of the asparagus as a silky counterpart to the roasted saltiness of the turkey. The sauce was creamy and rich -- just enough of it to wrap everything up in a hedonistic flair. I'm not sure what it was, but it reminded me of Bechamel: not too cheesey, but just enough tang-to-sweetness ratio to make me have to control myself from licking the plate.

And like I said, this was just the first course! It epitomizes to me what is the essence of Italian cooking: emphasis on a few simple but QUALITY ingredients, put together in a pleasing way.

So, I shall savor this taste memory for a while!

Glimpses from Bali



Page from my Bali Journal: Sketch from the Water Palace



It looks like I'm not doing to well at consistently blogging about my Bali experience, so I'm going to go the "snippet: route. You know, writing little snippets when I have a snippet of time. (One day I'll get a scanner and can scan my journal into the blog, a few pages at a time!) But for now. . .

This is a sketch from the end of the first day of my trip around the island. Literally, AROUND the island! I hired a driver (Christian, a Javanese Christian--- love that coincidence, don't you?) It was the best thing for me to do, as I really got to see the country, and understand it better. The cost was 400,000 rupiah, which translates to about $45-50, so I'm not talking big splurge here.

Anyway, the last stop we made, Christian and I, was at this ancient "water temple", built by one of the long-ago rulers. It was overcast when I arrived, and with claps of thunder in the background began raining as I left.  It was pretty awe-inspiring, seeing all the fountains, with the mountains framing the scene from a distance.

Savoring the musician who created my life's soundtrack

Photo of Elton John in Reno concert taken by friend Stewart's i-phone

I've just returned from my annual (almost 20 years!) visit to Lake Tahoe, visiting friends. Our hosts, a friend I've known since 1st Grade and his lovely wife, are incredibly generous, and this year surprised us with tickets to see Elton John in concert in Reno. And not just "tickets", but tickets ON THE FLOOR, on the 12th ROW! (Do you know how close that is??! I could actually see Elton's cute pudgy face!)

Surprisingly, I was the only one out of the 5 of us who had ever seen Elton in concert . . . and this makes my 4th one! All have been different, and all special in their own way. But the constant is how I (along with all the other thousandas of people in the audience) know almost every word to all the songs (except the new ones sprinkled in, which soon become "old favorites"), and how each song brings back specific memories of time and place. Sir Elton's music popped onto our radios in 1970, and his hit singles remained there throughout my high school and college years. I listened to all his albums throughout that decade, and studied and caressed their artful covers.

I now live in the same building that houses one of his many homes, and I've not only had the honor of meeting him, but used the photograph of us from that occasion to create a Christmas card   ("NOELton") that many of my friends still keep on their refridgerator all these years later. I have ridden in the elevator, both up AND down, with him, and it was only my shyness (and his) which kept me from blurting out to him "I LOVE YOUR MUSIC! YOU CREATED THE MUSICAL BACKDROP OF MY YOUTH!!!!"  (Instead I nodded hello, he politely nodded back, and we assended/descended in silence.)

The Reno concert, high energy though it was, seemed less out of control than the two I saw at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta (more like the one I saw at the Lakewood Ampitheater, when it rained). Perhaps that is because most of the fans, like me, are older, and no longer have an enexhaustable supply of energy to expend. Or maybe it's because Sir Elton is older, and no longer jumps up on the piano or leaps about the stage with the hyper-energy he displayed when HE was a younger man. (We've aged together, Elton and I.) But he still had the energy (or the professionalism) to perform for 3 hours with NO intermission WITH BRONCHITIS!  And perform amazingly. (It is only seeing him perform live that one realizes what a talented pianist he is.) How he was able to get a voice he could barely speak with to do the vocal acrobatics he engaged in that evening was something that had me shaking my head with every other song.

So, I thank my hosts; I thank their friend who got the tickets from a gambling friend of his; I thank the dear four people who were there with me that night to enjoy the evening (especially the two of them who are also part of my high school and college memories); and finally, I thank Sir Elton John, for not only his talent , for not only this particular performance, but for being a survivor (like me.)  I'm glad your are still part of the soundtrack of my life.

Where did last year go?

I can't believe I haven't posted anything on this Blog since last year. Well, yes I can. It isn't that I didn't think about it a lot. But last year was a struggle for me. I admit it. I'm hoping to do, and BE, better this year!

So, I think my book club died last night. Frankly, it was a mercy killing. Oh, there is still some last gasps of breath as the long-time members try to keep it going as a supper club or movie club, but I don't think the effort will succeed. If so, it will be without me. I wanted a book club, and what I got was a get together of old friends... and I wasn't part of their history. The few who would actually read the book would talk about it with me for about five minutes, if that. What I really want is a book club of like-minded folks who love to read, with some sort of organized discussion about the book. I'll probably have to start one myself... but not this year. Too many other things to accomplish first.

However, last night wasn't a total loss. I got to play around with a new salad recipe, as I was the designated salad-bringer. Being low on cash and time, I needed something easy and inexpensive, so I found a recipe for a salad that sounded good to me, and I adapted it. The result was this light, crunchy salad that went perfectly with the hostess' lemon chicken and rice. The leftover salad held up well overnight (even with the dressing in it) and I polished it off for lunch today.

So, here's  my recipe. I think I'll call it "Pepita-Lemon Salad" (or should I call it "Pepita Cilantro Salad"?)

Del's Pepita-Lemon Salad

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or pistachio or sunflower oil)
• 3 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
• 2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (more if you like cilantro!)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons roasted and salted pepitas (pumkin seeds) 

 1. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing is mixed well. 2. In a large bowl, toss together the sliced napa cabbage, sliced romaine lettuce, parsley and baand cilantro. Mix in the dressing, salt and pepper. Gently toss until dressing is distributed evenly. Top with chopped pistachios. Enjoy!

Note: pepitas are naturally high in magnesium and iron, so this is not only a refreshing salad, but nutritional as well.

I promise to be back here soon. I want to post about my trip to Bali!

Book Clubs and Brussels Sprouts

I decided early last year that, in my "new" life, I wanted to join a Book Club. I had never had time before, so why not take advantage of the time I had now? I thought that by belonging to one, it would force me to read -- a pasttime I used to love with a passion, but one which had sadly lapsed over the years of so much "work reading".


A few initial outreaches taught me that most existing Book Clubs were NOT looking for new members. So for a while, I explored the notion of starting one myself.  Since I came to the conclusion that I did not want to take on that leadership role, I was so pleased when my friend Laura's Book Club decided they wanted some "new blood".


Life intervened for a while -- for the first two or three meetings, I was out of town or had a previous commitment. (This club doesn't meet at a set time/date each month.) Then I broke my leg-- that was was about 4 1/2 months out of commission. But this month I was able to "officially" join their Book Club!


The book chosed to read could not have been a better one for me: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I purchased it in the LAX airport in late January, read half of it on the trip home, and the remaining half later that week one evening. What a delightful read! It was EXACTLY what I had hoped for when I first decided I wanted to join a book club. It was easy to read (it's a short book, and I flew through it.) It has history (I learned a lot about World War II that I had not known before), humor, mystery and romance. And it celebrates the love of books, and the love of mankind, throughout.

So now for the second part of belonging to a book club that I think I will enjoy: food! I discovered that the host of the "meeting" provides the main course, and the rest of the members fill in with the "fixin's". I volunteered to bring a salad, and used the opportunity to try out a recipe from Saveur Magazine that I had been saving for quite a while.


Brussels Sprouts in the Raw?
Brussels sprouts are a funny vegetable. I never heard of them until I was a teenager, and then it was mostly hearing friends speak of their dislike of them. While I was in high school, my mother decided to try them for our dinner, and prepared some from one of those frozen boxes. I liked them -- not LOVED them, but didn't understand why some people seemed to loathe them so much.


It wasn't until much later in my life, when I began to cook myself and enjoy reading about food and cooking, that I discovered their true potential. I think first I was drawn to them as an artist: they are a quite unusual looking vegetable, aren't they? Tighty little bulbs of green and pale yellow, with a wonderful textured design where the little leaves overlap each other.


My first success in cooking them was when I learned that if you roasted or grilled them until they carmelized, you had hit a home run. You see, I think most people don't cook them LONG enough, or hot enough. Caramelization brings out their nutty sweetness. My friend Joey and I prepared them one year as shiskabobs on the grill for a Green Pond repast . . . even those guests who professed to hate Brussels Sprouts loved them! (The caramelizing grill marks, olive oil, lemon, kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper helped!) And they are perfect for threading on Kabob sticks -- they look so cunning! A great way to add green to your shiskabobs.
So when I saw the recipe in Saveur (one of my favorite magazines, by the way. . . it is more than a cooking mag-- it is also a travel magazine, a culture magazine, and a history magazine all rolled into one beautiful slick publication!) I wanted to try it immediately. Of course, life got in the way again, and I needed a reason (and a crowd) for which to make it.


Enter the book club meeting! TA-DAAA! So I purchased the ingredients at the Fresh Market on my way home from my IVIG treatment (thankfully, the store had some beautiful small, brightly green sprouts on hand) and assembled the salad.


Now, I must admit that I had to do some last minute improvising: evidently I had either misread the recipe or copied it incorrectly into my computer. Where it should have read "1/3 cup cheese", I thought it said "3 cups cheese"; and where it said "1/4 cup olive oil" I had down "4 cups olive oil". !!!!!! Thankfully, as I was pouring, I quickly became aware that the amounts were WAY too much, and was able to adjust downward in mid-preparation.


The result? Delicious! This is a very flavorful salad, with a nice crunchy texture. It was a great accompaniment to our host's lasagna, and later that week, the leftovers were fabulous with sliced turkey thrown in. (It keeps very well, so it is a perfect "make-ahead" salad.)


However, I need to come up with another name for it -- some people won't even try a "Brussels Sprout Salad", so I would rather tell them AFTER they have eaten it what the main ingredient was! (Sprout Salad with Walnuts? Green Walnut and Pecorino salad? Nutty Green Salad? I'm looking for suggestions!)


The recipe is below (with my suggestions added).


The alliteration of Book clubs and Brussels sprouts: bountiful and beautiful!

Photo: Andre Baranowski

When shopping for brussels sprouts for this appealing side dish, look for small ones that have a bright green color. Brown spots on the cut edge of the stem or yellowing of the leaves usually signifies older sprouts, which tend to have a more bitter flavor. Store brussels sprouts in the refrigerator in a paper bag.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. brussels sprouts
• 2 cups toasted walnut halves (I found that I liked it better with the halves broken in half -- smaller pieces)
• 1⁄3 cup grated pecorino, plus more for garnish
• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish (I used a lemon infused olive oil)
• Juice of 1 lemon (I used a Meyer lemon for sweetness)
• Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1. Working over a large bowl, shave brussels sprouts into very thin slices on a mandoline, starting from each sprout's top while holding it between thumb and forefinger by its stem. Discard stems. (I don't have a mandoline -- I'm afraid of slicing my fingertips off! I used my chef's knife.)

2. Add walnuts, pecorino, olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste. Depending on the saltiness of the cheese, season lightly with salt to taste.

3. Toss with a spoon until just combined and divide salad between 4 bowls or small plates. Using a peeler, shave more pecorino over the top; drizzle with more olive oil and add more pepper to taste.

SERVES 4


This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #115

It's snowing, so I must be blogging. . .

It is one of those rare days in Atlanta: it is showing outside, so much so that it seems as if I am looking through rice paper as I gaze out my kitchen window. The trees are outlined in white, and the ground and building tops are beginning to look solid while. I think it was snowing like this the last time I wrote here. . . hmmmmm. . . maybe I should move to a colder climate to be a better blogger!

I have fennel roasting in the oven, with parmeson, herbes de provence, and lemon olive oil (which also seems to be one of my snow-day activities!) My little dog is beside me -- all I am missing is a roaring fire! But alas, this condominium doesn't allow even a gas fireplace.

A horse is a horse; of course, of course. . .

Last night I met some friends at the High Museum of Art, and we toured the Da Vinci exhibit (go see it! I believe this is the last week.) Very well done, and I really enjoyed it. Especially the Da Vinci's equine drawings. I remember studying them as a kid (a very horse-crazy kid!) I had a book of famous artists drawings (something I am sure my mother found at a garage sale or library sale, since that is where she bought almost everything nonessential!) The are small, and exquisite. There was something quite breathtaking about seeing the real thing. . . seeing the master's strokes on the paper. Another little surprise was who owned these little treasures: the Queen of England! There was actually quite a lot in this exhibit on loan from Her Royal Majesty. My friends and I all agreed that the High had missed a real marketing opportunity in not publicizing this: there are quite a few people that might not be that interested in seeing an exhibit on "Da Vinci and Sculpture", but who would make it a point to see something belonging to the Queen!

As much as I loved the little drawings of horses, my favorite thing was OUTSIDE the exhibit: the reproduction of Leonardo's horse sculpure, long since destroyed. It fills one end of the piazza with its powerful looming presence. It is so exquisitely EQUINE-- the proportions, the sensuality, the strength . . . it just filled me with joy. I wish we (Atlanta) could keep it! I would enjoy sitting outside sketching it (but not in the snow!) Unfortunately, I believe it travels next to the Getty in L.A. (it will look spectacular there, too.) Magnifico, and bravo to the person who thought to put it there!


A Life Lesson
One of my things I resolved to do is to try to make sure I use this blog to share "lessons learned". So I'll end this post with my new "motto". I can't take credit for it, although the paraphrasing is mine. Let me give you the background, before the motto.

I enjoy doing cryptograms. (I admit I only seem to do them on planes, in waiting rooms, and (ahem) in the bathroom. I was working in a new book my cousin had given me for Christmas, and when I solved it, discovered it was quote from Mary Pickford (the silent film actress who went on to become a powerful Hollywood business executive.) I don't remember what her quote was exactly, but it was quite lengthy, so I shortend it and paraphrased it to be this:

Failure isn't falling down . . . it is getting back up after you fall.

Man, does that hit close to home for me! Literally and figuratively. I'm going to keep that close to my heart from now on. I have a feeling I'll need it again and again in the future!

I must state for the record that dark chocolate with sea salt is a SUBLIME combination . . . divinely and deliciously sublime!

Late-in-life chocoholism?

Something peculiar has happened to me, and I can't understand it. All my life I have been the OPPOSITE of a chocoholic. I never even really liked chocolate very much. Not even as a kid. (I would give away most of my Halloween candy to my sister, except for the Sweet Tarts, caramels, or hard candy.) If I did eat chocolate, it would just be a little nibble. . . say, one Hershey's Kiss would do it for me. Don't get me wrong: there were a few chocolate-related candies I could pig out on, like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, or Reeses Pieces, or Toffee, or Turtles (mostly something with nuts, caramel and/or peanut butter involved!) And it was always milk chocolate, never the hard core dark stuff! The sight of thick, gooey chocolate fudge would make me almost cringe (and actually, it still does.) However, today while I was at the drug store getting prescription refills, I did something that is very bizarre for me (my mother wouldn't believe it!) I bought a Lindt bar of dark chocolate with Fleur de sel. !!!!! And I have already eaten half of it!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME???

This all started when I was imprisoned in "Golden Living" (the rehab center I spent 3+ weeks in after I broke my leg). Friends brought me goody bags, and since people who like chocolate think that everyone likes chocolate, I recieved several chocolate bars (the upscale kind -- one even had bacon in it, as ALL my friends know of my love for bacon!) Maybe it was because I was hungry (the food at Golden Living left MUCH to be desired); or maybe I was bored; or frustrated; certainly I was depressed. More likely it was a combination of all those things, but I began nibbling on them. It started as one little bite. It then became like a little treat to myself at odd hours in that bleak place. To prove that I wasn't eating a lot, I actually came home with part of an uneaten bar.

I didn't really think anything more about it for a while. I certainly didn't feel any cravings. In fact, I purchased two bags of Kisses  (one milk and one dark) to take to our "Gaming Party",. thinking that I wouldn't eat any. Here's the interesting thing: I started munching on the dark chocolate kisses that night. I couldn't stop! And the rest of the bag I brought home, I have DEVOURED! It's only the dark ones; the milk chocolate ones just don't do it for me.

So, can one develop this kind of craving late in life? I always thought I was safe from this particular craving, but I'm starting to scare myself! I know EXACTLY where the rest of that bar is I bought today, and I am fighting the urge to go finish it off.

I may have to enroll in a 10-step program!

One small step is one giant leap!

Today I had a "victory" of sorts.

You see, I was reaching for the door handle of a restaurant about 4 months ago (August 28, to be exact) to go inside for a meeting of Atlanta Pet Rescue. (I had volunteered to help out with some fundraising advice. . . this is the organization from which I adopted my beloved Oggi.) As most of you know, I never made it inside. . . somehow I tripped, and went hurdling into the door, bouncing back onto the sidewalk, and in the process broke both my tibia and fibula (broke them badly... compound fracture).

Well, this afternoon I agreed to attend another meeting of this group. It was also at a restaurant. . . a different one, but still a restaurant. AND, there was remnants of ice still around. So as you can imagine, I was somewhat nervous inside as I approached the restaurant door (So much so that I used my cane, just to be on the safest side possible!)

I'm VERY happy to report that I've come and gone to that meeting without incident. WHEW! One small step for mankind is a pretty big leap for Del.

SNOW DAY! Others get milk and bread; I bought fennel

If you live in the south, and especially in Atlanta, you know how the media hypes the heck out of possible snow, and how southerners react to such hype. EVERYONE races to the store to stock up on milk and bread. Well, about two days ago the predictions came fast and furious about a snow storm, and true to form, grocery stores saw the classic run on milk and bread. This shows you how quirky I am: yes, I turned into a grocery store on my way home yesterday morning from an appointment. But it wasn't to stock up on "staples" . . . no, I had been salivating over a recipe I had stumbled upon recently, and it occurred to me that it would be a GREAT "snow day" meal. I mean, what is more perfect in the middle of winter than roasted root vegetables? Specifically, FENNEL.

I never even heard of fennel until I was an adult, and I don't believe I tasted it until well into my 40's. Thank goodness that first taste of this vegetable (which sort of looks like a cross between a giant leek and celery, with a bushy head of dill weed on top) was in Italy. The Italians know what to do with vegetables: simply roast them until they caramelize. It was love at first bite.

Since then, I've used them a lot in my own cooking. I'm happy that I introduced my mother to fennel (she loved licorice, so it was an instant match.) My stand-by risotto is in fact Fennel Risotto (which is yummy, if I do say so myself.) I hadn't had any in a long while (they didn't serve roasted fennel in the Golden Living Rehab Center, funny enough) so the more I thought about the recipe, the more I craved them.

So, I made "Parmegianno Roasted Fennel & Carrots" today, and boy, did they hit the spot! They were also beautiful to behold (I regret I didn't take a picture before I dove into them.)

So, here is the recipe:

PECORINO-ROASTED FENNEL & CARROTS (okay, right off the bat I substituted Parmigiano Reggiano, which I had, for Pecorino; it worked!)

• 3-4 fennel bulbs, cored, sliced horizontally, plus 2 tsp
  chopped fronds


• 3-4 large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch
  thick slices


• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence


• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese


• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used
  Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, because I had it, and because I thought it would add to the taste. . . it did!)


• Kosher salt


• Freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 13 x 9 inch
baking dish. Layer sliced fennel and carrots in dish, sprinkling layers with
salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Herbes, then cheese. Drizzle with the oil. Bake
until veggies are tender and top is golden brown, about 1 1/4 hours. Sprinkle
with fronds and serve. (Great with roast chicken, fish, or just about anything!) (I found this recipe on line, "adapted from Bon Appetit via
Epicurious")

I admit that made a smaller portion just for myself (using one fennel bulb and adjusting accordingly.) The roasting made the veggies soft and sweet, and the seasonings just melted into the nutty, slightly licorice-y taste of the fennel. The carrot bits were a good foil for the fennel.

Kind of makes me want to paint a picture of it!

So, that was my snow day treat!

Stepping Out Means Stepping Back??

I try hard not to be negative, but sometimes it is so hard! Especially when I use a perfectly good day to "recover". Yesterday I felt like the Freddie Fender song "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights". . . I was so EXHAUSTED . . . I couldn't get out of bed.. . and when I did get out, it wasn't long before I was back in it, asleep.

I knew when I got home Saturday night (at a perfectly reasonable midnightish hour) that Sunday was going to be a recovery day; I just didn't realize it would take ALL day and ALL night.

You see, I think my autoimmune disease, polymyositis, combined with the still recovering compoundly-fractured leg, is pulling a double whammy on me. Getting ready for the "gaming" party took a lot out of me; by the time I loaded up my car with all the food, drinks, cooler, ice, etc., my body was hurting. But the comraderie and laughter of the evening helped me overlook all that, But by the time I got home to the quiet of my bedroom, I couldn't ignore it any longer. And boy, did it grab me in a choke hold for a while! Makes me mad.

But, I tell myself, I can't let that get me down. Today is another day; it is cold but gorgeous outside; I have to get dressed and go out for a 2:00 appointment. Let's make this a productive day!

Anyway, the "gaming" party was a success, I think. I know I enjoyed it. A bunch of people like me who enjoy playing board games: we played Clue (I won!), Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit. And most of all we laughed.

I'm afraid the "Dalton" people outnumbered the others by a large bit, but those intrepid few were made of stout stuff and so were able to handle us. (I don't know what it is about my hometown--- but we gravitate toward one another. Or at least the ones with the same sense of humor and intellectual curiousity seem to do so. I know it seems weird to others. . . heck, it IS weird! But it is very comforting to me in a way. )

The good news, I think, is that some of the attendees enjoyed it to the point that they want to do it again, so maybe someone else will host one before too long! (I'm afraid I don't have enough room here . . . maybe when my studio gets fixed up?)

OK, Del, let's go get dressed and step out to face the world today, before too much more time has slipped by!