The Sandwich Life

Random Notes from Rod Picott Day

1. Have I ever had trouble finding chicken thighs when I wanted them? That is a rhetorical questions because NO, I never have. Yesterday and today however, multiple stores are out, or their shipment didn't come in or whatever. Don't tell me where there are massive amounts hidden because it's too late I have made the philosophical switch to chicken breasts. Just don't blame me if they are dry....blame the failure of massive distribution techniques. 

2. God only knows how the curred red lentils will be because I keep looking at this recipe and that recipe and then THAT recipe, consider combining them all, then think NO....and now I'm using a recipe that is actually for lamb. Who the hell knows. If you come tonight you will be guinea pig. And where DOES that phrase come from?

3. I am waiting to for toasted cumin and coriander seeds to cool down and for the onions to come home from the store. Although since Ernie also has to run to the bank and the hotel it could be awhile....and yet I feel strangely disinclined to clean. Oh, and nobody except kids gets to go upstairs tonight, o.k?

4. Be warned....we're buying cheap beer.

5. Here's one of Owen's other favorite songs:

6. Here's where we saw Rod coming up on a year ago...beautiful Lubec, Maine. Sigh...wish I were there right now but I guess our ramshackle little house will work well tonight too.  Can't wait!

7. You're still invited by the way..... 

 

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1. Rod Picott on Friday.  Woo-hooooo! Email me if you'd like to come or have any questions...

 

2. Only two days til the house concert and I'm still not sure what I'm making. I'm thinking curried red lentils with basmati rice and some curried honey chicken....whaddya think?

3. I like this time of year on campus. Quiet, quiet, quiet....

4. The boys are on count down til the end of school. Ernie is in mourning at the thought of losing his all too brief time alone in the house during the day but I'm looking forward to it. It always feels nice to stop having to worry about homework and bedtimes for a while.  Then, of course, I look forward to it starting again in the fall....but right now I'm like the idea of things loosening up a bit.... Two weeks from yesterday is their last day. Hard to believe. And when they start again in the fall it will be Owen's last year of elementary school and Leo will officially be a teenager. I don't quite understand the passage of time but some of what it creates is so lovely....like my boys....

5. Please consider joining us on Friday...and please invite anyone you think would enjoy it....just email me for info, etc.

6. Tonight...shopping. Where's the cheapest place to get boneless skinless chicken thighs in town...anyone?

 

Best

Some days feel full of worries. I worry about the guys for various reasons. I worry about Ernie for obvious reasons. I have the everyday worries about work, house, yard, school.....and sometimes I worry about myself for god only knows why reasons. But yesterday....there was not a worry in sight and it will most likely go down as the best Mother's Day ever.

They let me sleep a whole half hour later than usual (gee, thanks) but I couldn't complain because I woke up with a boy on either side of the bed smiling at me and giving me kisses and hugs. I went down stairs and partook of Ernie's Sunday biscuits and looked at the computer and the newspaper. Later Ernie took me to Prairie Gardens so I could get a couple of plants for our windowbox. I did the unfathomable and only spent a little over $6. I know...I don't understand it either. We got back home and I puttered with my windowbox and made the boys move mulch for me. I can not begin to tell you how much I love watching the two of them do yard work. They were quite amenable although they did give their standard response when I thanked them: "why thank us when you forced us to do it?" I just roll my eyes at them and thank them anyway. 

Watching them do stuff like this is pretty entertaining. Leo shovels mulch into the wheelbarrow and most of it actually makes it into the wheelbarrow.  Owen....not so much....he has great enthusiasm...but the only about 1/4 of the mulch makes it in....about 1/4 falls short and about 1/2 goes too far. It's like watching them swim. Leo is straight and efficient....Owen seems to have an extra limb or two and there is great splashing....  

Then there was a lot of kindle reading on my part and playstation conniving on their part. I took a NAP and enjoyed it greatly. Then the boys explained their plan for the rest of the day. Ernie was to take me out for a drink so Owen could prepare dinner in private. After dinner they would be escorting me to the media room for family movie night and I, yes, I, got to pick the movie. They just stood there grinning at me and I told them how absolutely wonderful that sounded.

We obediently vacated the premises and Ernie only took four phone calls during the hour we were out. We came home to the most divine smelling smoked/grilled chicken ever. I retired to the front yard with my kindle while Ernie assisted with final preparations. I came back in and Owen, in full waiter regalia and a slight English accent, explained that he would be waiting on me as well as cooking. He explained that he had duct taped a blanket over the kitchen door so I wouldn't have to see a messy kitchen while I ate. Then Ernie and I were served the greatest grilled chicken ever (he uses smoked paprika and wood chips to make the fire particularly hot and smoky...that boy is a masterful griller) corn on the cob (he cooked it absolutely perfect in the microwave....huh) and sauteed swiss chard.

Leo scurried in and out of the kitchen during the meal and after we finished he produced his world famous brownies, fresh and warm, on my favorite blue willow plates. After all that I was escorted to the media room where we all watched one of Ernie's favorite movies that he had just picked up, Waiting for Guffman. Owen and Ernie howled throughout. Leo and I enjoyed watching the two of them watch it. At one point I said to Leo, "I think this is the best Mother's Day ever" and he tried not to smile but then he couldn't help it----he grinned and said quietly, "I'm happy to hear that." They traded off sitting next to me and even put up with me hugging them a lot. When the movie was over lo and behold it was almost 10:00 and Leo said, "well, why don't we go up?" and so we did. I hugged them and kissed them and told them it was the best Mother's Day ever. I told them as much as I loved my mother I wasn't sure I'd ever given her such a wonderful day and that I so appreciated all they had done for me. They smiled proudly. Lord....I just can't tell you how much I adore those boys. I will savor the memory of this Mother's Day always.

Reasons I Feel Good

It's Saturday morning.

I get to put in seeds and plants in the yard today. 

We have no plans for today other than getting Owen to his guitar lesson.

I'm going to experiment with French green lentil recipes today.

I have too many packets of seeds but that's not a bad problem.

We bought smoked pork chops from Triple S at the farmers' market this morning.

And a poblano pepper plant.

And sugar snap peas.

And asparagus.

And strawberries.

And swiss chard.

And celery.

I'm reading a good book.

As much as I want to the weekend to go slowly...I won't mind too much when Monday comes around.

Each and every one of my boys is beautiful and sweet and they all smell good too.

I had a dream last night that Bobby Flay cooked dinner for me and a bunch of friends. It was a nice dream because in the dream he was a friend of Judi's and we talked about her a lot and looked at pictures of her and my grandparents and he made some of her favorite foods in memory of her.

Rod Picott is going to be here this Friday.

The air feels good.

The world's friendliest roofers are working on the house next door.

Tomorrow is Mothers' Day and Owen is planning to cook dinner for me.

I don't know what Leo is going to do but I know I'll get his sweet smile and a hug.

Owen has beautiful green eyes.

Leo has beautiful brown eyes.

Ernie has beautiful blue eyes.

O.k. I'll stop now.

I hope your Saturday is good.

Bob seems to think I have too many seeds.....

 

 

Curried Red Lentil Pilaf with Barramundi and Avocado Salad

I got home last night to find Ernie had done lots of weeding so we should be able to finally get my seeds and plants in this weekend. Not that we'll fit them all in. Anybody need some zinnia seeds? We sat outside and admired our dirt before Owen dragged Ernie off to shoot baskets. I went inside and puttered around the kitchen talking to Leo and trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I ended up with barramundi over curried red lentil and orzo pilaf with a salad of avocado, asparagus and onion.  Oh, and with a little celery leaf puree on top! It really needed another dash of color---if I'd had some tomatoes tossed into the sald it would have looked lovely but all in all it was pretty damn good. 

The barramundi (we got it frozen at Schnuck's...I really like it and it's supposed to be sustainable etc.) is quite thin. I cut each piece into three and dusted it with flour mixed with curry powder and salt and pepper and sauteed it quickly. My only mistake was that I should have seasoned it a little  more aggressively.  For the pilaf I sauteed an onion as long as I could stand and then added about half a cup of orzo and stirred til it started to brown a bit, added a teaspoon or two of curry powder and some red pepper flakes, stirred for a few minutes and then added an equal amount of red lentils. I added some water and let it simmer for awhile until done. I had two gorgeous avocados that were going to go if I didn't use them so I cubed them up, dumped in some leftover cooked asparagus and some thinly sliced onion that we'd soaked in water....added a bit of lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Oh, and I had some thin celery I get from Greg....it's not thick stalks---it almost looks more like parsley.  I love it....it was getting a little tired though so I just pureed it in my food processor with a tiny bit of oil, water and salt and pepper.  It was wonderfully bright and fresh on top of it all.

My picture isn't great but it IS an honest picture.  Yes, that is what our kitchen peninsula (we can't call it an island because one side is against the wall) really looks like most of the time....stacks of plastic containers, cookbooks, some bleach wipes, a computer, metal cups, speakers, miscellaney....and my eldest son. And no, my children didn't eat this but we didn't care last night....they were hungry early so we fed them and ate ourselves later....

Oh, and on a separate note....Owen's class is visiting a park today and parents can attend. Here's the note he left on the bathroom mirror (where all important notes go) to remind him. I hope Ernie remembers to bring his 'good spirit.'

 

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1. What would I do without music? This song is one of those that helps relieve the ache I get inside me sometimes. I adore Rod Picott. A week from TOMORROW folks! Man, I can't wait to have him in our house again. Time to send your money in.....Friday, May 18th....potluck at 6, music to follow...this will be a great one. There's something about his songs that is just good for my heart. Why is it that songs with a lot of hurt in them somehow heal?

 

2. Rod has promised to sing Sheetrock Hanger for Owen and me. And even if he hadn't, I think that if Owen asked with his new cheetah puppet he made at school, Rod would have to agree....

3. Iris isn't particularly one of my favorite flowers but they can suck me in....and I do have a weakness for Siberian Iris....here's a white iris that is out at Japan House....

4. Here's another picture from the ponds at Japan House....although I haven't seen the goslings in the last few days...I hope they're o.k...

5. I got a few plants in the mail that I had ordered some time ago when I guess I was feeling more flush...and between the plants and all the packets of seed I have strewn across my sideboard, I fear once again I have been too ambitious. We were talking about putting raised beds on our patio but it's almost planting time and it hasn't happened and...well...I'm just not counting on it. Especially since Ernie told me that some garter snakes live under the daylily plant back there....he just looked at me and said, "Didn't you know that?" Like I'm stepping foot on the patio again....  Geesh.

 

Fucking Cancer

When we got home last night Ernie parked on the street, in order to leave our tiny driveway open for basketball. As we walked toward the house Owen came out with my phone, which I'd forgotten at home yesterday....it was a call for me. It was a friend whom I love deeply but don't talk to near often enough. I was delighted when I heard her name but she quickly said, "no, this isn't that kind of call. Are you sitting down?"

Her husband, whom I adore, has been diagnosed with a lousy cancer. One of the well-if-you-to-have-cancer-just-don't-pick-this-one kind of cancers. I've known them both since I was about 20 years old and worked with him for many years. They are one of the few couples I know that I am confident is as bonded together for life as Ernie and I are. I just stood there on the front porch as I talked to her because I couldn't stay sitting down---even though I had obediently sat down when she told me to. And I kept saying, "fuck...damn it...no....I know life isn't fair but...."

Breaks my fucking heart.

I went inside and Ernie looked at me warily. I gave him the news. He swore quietly. Leo came downstairs and I asked him for a hug. I told him I was sad and he said, "yeah, I know" and repeated everything I had just told Ernie. I forget what little sponges they are. He hugged and kissed me sweetly. Owen came over and did the same and said, "I'm really sorry Mom." Leo went to Minecraft at the kitchen computer and Owen dragged Ernie outside to shoot baskets. I just sat there with the laptop. I googled the type of cancer madly for a while. Then I ordered a pizza because I knew I wasn't cooking dinner. We ate pizza curled up in front of the tv. I tried to watch American Idol but gave up halfway through and went up to bed. I played a little Rod Picott and started a romance novel set in 1770s England. Even those two things couldn't distact me though so I took a couple of Unisoms, turned the light and the music off and just laid in bed until I fell asleep.

Fucking cancer.

 

Question for Other Parents

Do your kids have a snack after school and if so, what do they usually have?  AND, when do you usually eat dinner? We tend to eat dinner too late (a failing of mine) and lately we've had some arguments about after school snacks which are a really stupid thing to argue about....

Advice and thoughts welcome....

Eubie and the Sweet Pea

Leo represented Eubie Blake very nicely at the Harlem Renaissance Fair last night. My sweet pea.

we also listened to our friend Parker's presentation

 

Balance and Spanakopita

It's hard to balance everything in life.

The spot where things hang in the correct balance is SUCH a small one.

 

Last night Ernie picked me up from work and we headed over to Krannert Center.  They were announcing the upcoming season's shows and there was free wine and food involved. I made the mistake of asking Ernie if he'd given the boys an early dinner. Suffice to say he hadn't, I thought he should have, he thought I was being a bitch and really....we were both right. Eventually he pulled over because he said he couldn't drive if I was going to yell at him. I wasn't yelling. Honest. At least I don't think I was. Eventually we got to KCPA and sat down. He got us both a glass of wine and I took a few sips and told him why I was cranky...that I was worried about A, frustrated with B and tired of C. We both started to relax. He got a little plate of food and let me eat his spanakopita which tasted good even though it was a tad soggy. Things started to feel more balanced.

He got us a second glass of wine and we listened to them run through all the plans for next season. The staff at Krannert Center are ridiculously good at what they do because for the price of some wine and food they got us wanting to buy a HELL of a lot more tickets than we would have otherwise. I kept thinking, "oh, Owen would love that" and "oh, we should take Owen to see THAT" and "well, Leo's just going to have to suck it up because I want to take them BOTH to that."

We won't be able to afford all the tickets we want but we'll get some and figure that's our Christmas present to each other or some other rationalization that I am so good at creating.

And we'll try to make it all balance out.