Jake

Jake. Jakey. Jacob Sebastian. Ricky Bobby, Jr. "Hello, I Johnny Cash!" Sweet Jake. The Jakenator. That's all. Just Jake. Just because.

What Goes Around

Ten years ago I moved from New York to Texas. When the moving truck was about three-quarters loaded I realized that 1) some things were maybe not going to fit, and 2) I would pay dearly for every ounce over whatever the moving company's estimate had been. And you know how on moving day you finally reach a point where you just don't care anymore? It's all too much by that time. When I reached that point, I called my friend Arlene and told her I was leaving some things in my apartment, and that she should come see if she wanted anything. Then I went off to the airport, where Lucy sat in the middle of the floor and peed---if anybody ever tries to tell you moving isn't stressful for grownups and kids, just send them to me to be set straight. Seven years later when I moved back to New York (yes, I'm a slow learner) Arlene, who had herself moved to Connecticut by then, pointed out a nice butcher block table in her garage: the very one I had left seven years earlier. Husband Artie (known as Saint Arthur for some reason I'm sure I don't understand by all who know Arlene) had sanded the top and it looked GOOD. Today, the second hottest day of the year so far at only 100 degrees, Arlene shows up at work with the table in the back of her beautiful new Hyundai. She and I unloaded it from the car, and then Lucy and I dragged it up the stairs, and now we have extra work space and extra storage in our big kitchen. And you get to see Arlene and her sweet grandkids, Caitlin and Jake. Thanks a bunch, 'Lene.

A Titanium Spork

Since I know you've been wondering for ever so long, please be advised that Lucy definitely intends to bring a titanium spork in her pack when she hikes the Appalachian Trail in a few years. Whew, aren't you glad to have that little detail worked out? My friend Kay Killgore did half of the AT, from Maine to West Virginia, when we were in our 20's (or, hell, maybe it was our 30's; those decades are all a blur now; the only thing I'm ever sure of is if it was B.L. or A.L). It took me several years of asking Kay questions about it to get that she really, truly did that. Seriously. A little difficult for a slug of my ilk to take in. But, once I looked at a map and saw what she did and heard enough answers to my dumb questions, I was in awe of her accomplishment. I still don't understand the how (I mean, it takes months...of walking, carrying everything you need on your back, sleeping outside...animals....heat....cold...) but I get the why for certain people---people like Kay, and maybe my very own Lucy. Mostly I shake my head in amazement. And then I grin.

(The back packing photo is Lucy on a 5-day hike last year in Vermont during Farm & Wilderness Camp. All camp and hiking supplies courtesy of MaMere & Poppy.)

Chilly Today, Hot Tamale

OK, so I told a half-lie. It was 103 degrees in New Yawk today. We actually wanted chalupas for dinner tonight, but sometimes it's amazing what Tex Mex items one can't find in the grocery aisles around here. Thank goodness Costco recently started selling Ro-Tel, cuz when I checked their website, there was no place within 100 miles with that staple. And although unrelated to Tex Mex, Sister will be glad to know I finally located Cavendar's Greek Seasoning at Zabar's, so you don't have to send me care packages anymore. That item is truly a staple. I mean, who can cook without Cavendar's? Don't you use it every day?

Hmmmmm....Sure do wish Pappasito's would open around the corner.

Happy Birthday, Peeeeeeeeny!

July 6, 1968...dateline, Chickasha, OK

A cone-headed blonde-haired baby girl was born. She soon went home to suck on the Siamese cat's ears and harass her mother by refusing to eat or sleep, to the point of using her fingers to hold her eyes open when she was too tired to stay awake. As soon as she got teeth, she would pretend to nuzzle me sweetly and then proceed to take a big bite out of my neck. An all-around sweet girl, that Penny Laura. In West Texas she survived driving lessons (aka parental abuse) taught by her dad, a marathon holiday baby-sitting session for twenty-eleven rowdy kids for which she was "paid" in costume jewelry, and the arrival of a fat baby sister who colored on her walls. Lo, these MANY years later, she's still our "sweet Peeeeeeeny." Happy Birthday!

Make ahead, nutritious, low-fat...What more is there?

The night before:

Mix a cup of your favorite yogurt with a half-cup of old-fashioned oatmeal---uncooked. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.

In the morning:

Throw in a handful of your favorite fruit, and maybe even top with a Tablespoonful of crunchy granola.

If you're having or going to a brunch, mix up a bunch of it in your most beautiful trifle bowl. For a 4th of July brunch I put a few blueberries in the bottom of the bowl, used lowfat vanilla yogurt mixed with the oatmeal, sprinkled more blueberries in the middle and then added the rest of the yogurt-oatmeal mixture. I covered the top with strawberries in the very center and blueberries to cover the rest of the top. It was beautiful, red-white-and-blue, and everyone loved it. Too bad it was the day before I started my food blog, or I would have had a picture of it. So, you make it and send me a pic of yours, ok?

For my everyday recipe, I use nonfat plain Greek yogurt and sometimes add a tiny bit of vanilla extract. I'm lazy/late in the morning, so I often cut up half a banana and mix it in the night before. If Lucy hasn't eaten all the blueberries, I love just a sprinkle on top. Between the Greek yogurt and the oatmeal, it's 28g of protein before you ever walk out the door--keeps you nicely filled up until lunch. Sometimes I eat it at night for dessert or a snack. Reminds me of the yogurt parfaits we had in Santa Fe at the market cafe on the Plaza. Enjoy!

Life is Just a Bowl of...

Am I the only person who has eaten my weight in cherries over the past month? Thanks a lot, Whole Paycheck. At least they did mark them down to $1.99 per pound FOR ONE STINKIN' DAY, and the price has moderated somewhat since the very first of the season. But the truth is, it doesn't matter. I can't resist them at any price. Just when I think I've surely OD'd on them, I find myself with another little plastic bag in my hand and a $20 bill to pay for them. At least a google search tells me cherries have multiple health benefits and tons of nutritional value, So There. But I'm the person who once a year even wants one of those yukky old Cherry Mash candy bars-eeeeeew. Do you think they still make those? Maybe gas stations sell them.