This is a post I will write without going back to edit a single word or typo. Bear with me
My Dad had a huge influence on me. He’s been gone for a long, long, time. More than a decade.
If I had one hour with him, just one more hour. This is what I would ask him.
Dad, how did you get into playinhg chess? Who taught you the game? WHy did you start playing and how did you get so good at it?
Dad, can you tell me one thing about you.. one thing you would like to have changed? ONe flaw you regret having? One handicap you wish you had a better grip on?
Dad, I don’t think you had any idea of the impact you had on my life, or how much you influenced me, every single day. If I had one more hour with you, I would tell you. I cannot say I think about you every hour of my life, but that’s because when I think of you it hurts a little. But I think about you a lot. And I miss you . MOre than words can say.
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SE EU TIVESSE UMA HORA
Meu pai teve uma influencia fantástica na minha vida. Ele se foi ha’ muito, muito tempo. Mais de uma década.
Se eu tivesse apenas uma hora a mais com ele, eu perguntaria – Papai, como e’ que voce começou a jogar xadrez? Quem te ensinou a jogar? Por que voce começou a jogar e como se tornou tão bom no jogo?
Me conte uma coisa sobre você. Uma coisa que gostaria de ter mudado. Um defeito, talvez. Algo na sua personalidade que gostaria que tivesse sido diferente, que gostaria de ter de alguma forma modificado.
Eu não sei se você fazia idéia do quanto me influenciou em cada passo da minha vida, a cada dia. Se eu tivesse uma horinha a mais com você, te diria. Eu não posso dizer que penso em você a cada hora da minha vida, porque pensar em você traz um pouco de dor, uma saudade dolorida. Mas o pensamento existe, e’ constante e sinto uma falta que palavras não conseguem definir.
I made these treats for our Halloween party last year, and waited to blog now, so there’s plenty of time for you to make them in case you are hosting a party, or just feel like sharing something with friends on Halloween week. Very easy and fun. First, Screamingly Cute Chocolate-Covered Pretzels.
They were fun to make, even if slightly messy. But that could very well be operator-error. I am not that skilled when it comes to melted chocolate. You will need a bag of pretzels, melting chocolate (the best kind is this one, according to many sources), and eyeball candy. Sounds scary, right? Well, it’s for Halloween, it must be scary!
Second, even simpler to put together: Witch Brooms. Peanut Butter Cups with a strategically placed Pretzel stick. The flavors all work well together too. Hardest part of making them, is unwrapping the peanut butter cups. Be Zen. And enjoy the moment.
If you make the Screaming Pretzels, handle the eye-ball candy with impeccably clean hands. Any chocolate that gets to the white candy will be hard to clean once you place them on the pretzel. Tweezers help. It will be easier to glue them while the chocolate is not fully set, but then it’s best not to try to re-adjust their position. Work slowly and you’ll get the hang of it. I am sure it will surprise you that I had never had the combo of pretzel with chocolate. It works! It is really a delicious combination, a little crunch, a little salt, a lot of chocolate.
A call from the past… one of our favorite Halloween costumes, back in 2002. John and Olivia…
Hey, who said scientists cannot be a little silly?
It’s been two months since my last In My Kitchen post. Time to invite you for another little virtual tour of our kitchen, as part of the fun event initiated by Celia, and now hosted by Lizzy from Good Things. I have quite a few gifts to share so let’s get this party started
Our friends Denise and Hélio came to visit us and showered us with gifts….
Straight from France, a bag of the most fragrant Herbes de Provence! One of our favorite spice mixes, we do not make croutons for our Caesar salad without a nice sprinkling….
Also from Provence, a sampling of gourmet salts. These are incredible! Lavender salt, Hisbiscus, Curry, and sun-dried Tomatoes with Basil. I eat a lot of fried eggs for lunch, and these salts are perfect to finish them, adding variety and fun.
Did they spoil us or what? Gourmet mustards… my favorite, the tarragon version… spectacular on grilled salmon.
This super special tea, which made me do a happy dance all over the kitchen… It turns out I had just saved a recipe for a very intriguing type of ice cream and it called for Rooibos tea. The blueberries in this one will only make that concoction better, if you ask me… Stay tuned.
In our kitchen…
Yes, it’s exactly what the label says. Pistachio paste. OMG. I put it to very good use, by the way. Filling for macarons. You will have to be patient, at some point I promise to share. The smell as you open the bottle is out of this world amazing. I think it might have aphrodisiac components in it. Beware.
In our kitchen….
Or should I say, from our garden… This humongous zucchini that escaped our radar. Are we the classical absent-minded scientists or what? Anyway, I had no idea what to do with it, but it ended up as a delicious dinner. On the blog soon. Yes, you can call me a teaser…
In our kitchen…
Two ingredients that our grocery store now carries in a special spot dedicated to Italian and Spanish ingredients. Have I ever told you I love mortadella? I grew up fighting with my Dad for the last slice, so whenever I see the authentic product for sale, I get nostalgic. One of my pet peeves is people comparing mortadella with Bologna. My blood boils, and I need to count backwards from 100 to calm down. I then go into a lecture, as politely as possible to state that no, Bologna doesn’t even begin to compare to one of the greatest cold cuts in the known universe with its pieces of pistachio peeking at you. A few times we served it to friends and they go “It’s JUST like bologna, right?” I can hear Phil taking a deep breath and whispering “oh, boy, here we go….” Hey, you can love Bologna, and we’ll still be friends, but if you tell me Mortadella is Bologna, be ready for my speech. The other ingredient, is of course prosciutto, the second best cold cut in the known universe. Nothing quite like it, although American speck is very tasty too. But it is NOT prosciutto. Got that?
In our kitchen….
You win some, you lose some. I bought these out of curiosity, as they are supposed to be very low in carbs. Well, the texture is barely ok, but the coconut taste too pronounced and taking the wrap into a sweet territory that I don’t find that great. After all, when wrapping a nice piece of chicken with Mexican spices all over it, I prefer a savory wrap. I know some people love them, but I am not one of them. Phil looked at my face when I took a bite and quickly grabbed a corn tortilla. He is a smart man. But he is taken, so don’t get any ideas. I am small, but I will put up a fight you’ll never forget.
In our kitchen…
Lavender extract. Also something I bought with macarons in mind, but have been using in many other recipes. Just a couple of drops will be enough, this stuff is very potent.
In our kitchen…
A slightly smaller jar to keep my starter in the fridge. I like the bigger size for refreshing the yeast, but prefer to keep a smaller amount hibernating in the fridge between feedings. This size is ideal, and I love the color of the lid. Found on amazon.com.
In our kitchen…
It’s the time for fall colors… I have something in mind for these sprinkles. Maybe a Halloween-friendly version of Brigadeiros? Another surprise find at Marshalls. Love that store! You never know what you’ll find hiding deep in one of their shelves.
In our kitchen….
A can opener. Amazing how much I love this one. It turns out that when we had to drive all the way from Portland to Manhattan bringing Bogey, we needed to feed him his special diet, that involves a particular brand of canned dog food. As many Dalmatians, he had problems with kidney stones. Phil’s sister had quite a few of those cans stored in her garage, but of course we needed to be able to open them. We grabbed this opener from her kitchen. I am sure it is several years old, but it works better than any other opener we’ve ever had.
In our kitchen…
Little dog sculptures of The Fabulous Three! Maybe you should get to know their full names:
Oscar For the Love of God Stop
Bogey Quit That
Buck Don’t Snap Me
Speaking of that trio, it’s time to let them share their own adventures, but first….
Chief’s Stories
Many years ago, when we lived in Oklahoma, Phil trained the dogs to fetch the newspaper in the morning. Each day one of the dogs would fetch. Things were going pretty nicely, until a particular day in which Chief grabbed the newspaper, and just as Phil said “good job” he took away running around the neighborhood, newspaper firmly in his mouth. Phil was not pleased as he chased the little rascal, still in his pajamas and without any coffee in his system. Chief was fired from that job. Pits, our dalmatian, was the one in charge from that day on. Of course, Chief made it very clear he wasn’t happy with the new arrangement. I caught this scene, and it’s hilarious the way Chief grabs the newspaper after Pits fetches it, as if saying, “here, I can do that too! Now pass me that darn cookie, and make it fast!” At the very end he goes back at the plastic wrap, still a bit peeved. Undoubtedly, he had the strongest personality of any dog we ever met…
Buck and Oscar sit down to listen to Dad tell them they need to be nice to Bogey. His new brother has been through a lot and needs to feel welcome.
Buck seems totally fine with it, as the new brother meant he also got a new bed to rest his bones after a tough day of chasing squirrels and killing snakes.
Although he thinks nothing beats his good old bed, where he can relax in all his glory…
Oscar and Bogey get into canine disagreements every once in a while, but for the most part they get along ok. One day I rolled out my mat to do my exercises and went upstairs to change. When I came back, to my surprise, they were both laying by the mat, as if waiting for me, and stayed there very well-behaved during my virtual torture session with Tony Horton.
Bogey is slowly adapting to a different life, spending his daytime outside with the two new brothers….
He clearly thinks he is a lap dog, and tries to prove it to his Dad at every chance he gets…
Of course, Bogey is not alone in being persuasive…
Sir, would you find it in your heart to give me a little bit of whatever is left from your dinner with Mom?
I close this post with a little video. Bogey doesn’t like his paws touched, so “shaking” doesn’t come easily for him.
But, some progress is being made.
That’s all for now, folks… I hope you enjoyed this brief walk through our home… see you next time!
First Monday of October, and here I am to divulge the recipe chosen from my assignment in The Secret Recipe Club. Life has been beyond busy for us lately. Allow me to take a little detour. In our work we are subject to the “publish or perish” doctrine. Once we gather enough data, we write a scientific article and submit it for publication. A group of referees reads it and the assigned editor comes back with the verdict. Accepted or not. But the usual outcome, instead of a simple yes or no answer, turns out to be a lengthy series of requests from each referee for clarification, objections to this or that, “suggestions” of additional experiments. Sometimes the requests are valid, sometimes they are not. But even when they are not, we need to address them and, using as much tact as possible, explain our rationale. Obviously, you never win by getting nasty with a referee. Never. It turns out we have two articles in this final stage of negotiations, so it is a bit of a roller coaster at the moment. What does it have to do with The Secret Recipe Club? Usually I jump on my assignment right away and have the post ready to go within a couple of weeks. This month, believe it or not, I am composing this post mere 24 hours before Reveal Time. Talk about living on the edge! I hyperventilate a little as I type. This month, I was assigned the blog Lori’s Culinary Creations. I must share with you Lori’s motto, which I find perfect:
Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today.
Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby.
Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.
Live today with gusto.
That is pretty much what we should all be doing, shaking ourselves awake, paying attention, enjoying the ride. Do not sweat the small stuff might be too cliché of a phrase, but it is always a valid point to keep in mind. Lori is from California but now lives in Utah with her husband and a bunch of pets. Her recipes are geared for busy empty nesters. For the most part they are recipes that you can put together quickly but then she also enjoys making more complex creations during the weekend. Busy empty nester. It describes me to a T. I stalked her site and saved a bunch of options to share today. Like Spanish Meatball Appetizer (which I would love to have as my lunch); Seafood Crepes for a Romantic Valentines Brunch (write that down, folks, V-day will be here before we know it); Savory Griddle Cakes (I adore this type of concoction); Sweet Potato Burger with Roasted Jalapeno; Chickpea Carrot Burgers; and strangely enough I just saved one dessert, her Easy and Delicious Peach Blueberry Hand Pies. Am I losing my sweet mojo? I hope not. So, what did I fell for? The very first recipe I bookmarked because I could not shake it off my mind. Little Bites of Paradise, made with Brie, Canadian bacon (I used prosciutto), and green apples. Are they adorable or what?
2 medium Granny Smith apples (chopped small)
2 tablespoons pomegranate vinegar
12 won ton wrappers
3 slices prosciutto
3 oz brie cheese, cut in chunks
chopped chives
Heat the oven to 325 F.
Place the chopped apples in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of pomegranate vinegar. Set aside.
Spray a mini muffin pan lightly with cooking spray. Lay the won ton wrappers in the cups, filling every other cup and pinch the four sides as you go so it forms a flower bowl. Pinch the sides, not the corners.
Sprinkle an equal amount of prosciutto pieces on the bottom of the won ton cups. Place a small chunk of brie in each cup. Top with the apples, then with the chives.
Comments: This was SUCH a fun recipe to put together! Won Ton wrappers are quite versatile, and in this type of shaping they turn into cute flowers, waiting for you to pick them and…. wolf them down. There goes the poetic image… But, seriously, these were awesome. A perfect combination of salty and sweet, apples and brie are one of those matches hard to beat. I baked them in our small toaster oven and it took a little longer than 15 minutes, maybe closer to 20 minutes. The idea is to get the edges crisp and golden brown. By that time the Brie will have melted and be all comfy with the diced apple. As you can tell, I forgot the chives before baking them. I sprinkled some all over once the appetizer was out of the oven, and pretended it was meant to be like that. Oh, well… Perfection is overrated.
A LITTLE BITE OF PARADISE INDEED!
Lori, it was fun to stalk your site, I hope you enjoy my post on your beautiful Culinary Creation!
For my readers, click on the frog below to see what my friends came up with this month. For those interested in the ongoing friendly war between me and Dorothy, she gave me a royal beating this month. But I lose a batter. Never the war! Bring it, Dorothy, bring it!
Bewitching Kitchen 