Daily Archives: July 27, 2009

Varied Interests

One grandfather was a carpenter, the other was a bridge-builder. I don’t know what their interests were early in life, except my mom’s dad taught me copper tooling and that was the only time I ever got an A in art class. Most kids were doing a daisy or something simple and I did a jaguar in a forest. Then in fifteen minutes I did a daisy for extra credit (had to make up for soap carving).

Interests change and are certainly moulded by parents. I started violin at age six, along with ballet and piano a year later. Those were not my choices but I kept with them for several years.

At age 12, “Santa” bought me a cheap guitar and I taught myself a few chords and we even performed. Amazing. Day is Done, and Teach Your Children. That didn’t last either. But at age 50, I’m back! Real guitar this time. I’d love to be able to play well enough for family and friends to sing along.

Cooking started early and has lasted for more than 40 years. It is such an honor to be able to cook for friends and loved ones and share with you my recollections and recipes. At times I’ve tried knitting and needlepoint, even took a class in basket weaving that made me a basket-case in one afternoon!

Birdwatching is contagious here staying on a nature preserve. If I keep my mind open there may be opportunities to expand the interests and talents I have with new ones. I’ve always believed that one should learn something new every day. Hoping we’ll learn something today. Cheers, Dee.

Elk!

We’re lucky to have windows the entire width of our townhome on both floors. Upstairs, the master bedroom overlooks a nature preserve and three of the nation’s top 15 ski resorts.

This morning I was up at six and saw movement in the Preserve. Two elk were walking, then bounding, toward the highway. It was a sight to see. I’ll try not to think of the pound of raw elk meat and bone in the freezer for Zoe food. They bounded past the Greater Sandhill Crane family out shopping for breakfast with their colt, Eddie. Frazier? The show. The littlest Crane is Eddie, the dog.

Yesterday I made a great fruit salad out of my mystery basket of organic foods that are delivered weekly. I could have used some strawberries, raspberries and blueberries but here’s what I used: mango; pear; peach; plum; and cantaloupe. I’ve enough to make another salad tonight and perhaps serve it over a scoop of organic raspberry sorbet.

Jim is not a great fan of chicken but lately I’ve been making one that he likes. I take two bone-in, skin-on breasts and dredge them in milk, then seasoned flour, beaten egg, then panko crumbs (also seasoned) and bake them in the oven for about 50 minutes at 400 degrees. It’s not fried chicken but is close enough for me!

Our family friend (and inspiration for this blog) Joan made her version of this when we were kids and we thought it was great! She used cracker crumbs or even potato chips for the coating.

For seasoning I made a smoked paprika rub. I add a bit to the flour and to the panko and mix it in. Darn, I thought I knew where to find the recipe for it. It’s perfuming my pantry right now even though it’s in a glass jar! It smells intense but has dark, rich flavors that I might use on a roast loin of pork or other meat. Not on a NY Strip, though.

It’s another day in paradise and Jim’s brother is coming in later in the week so I’m working on lists and menus and what they should take fly-fishing. The answer to fly fishing is … everything but me. I’ll have dinner ready in case we have no trout. It should be a fun weekend. Hope you’re cooking this summer. I just sent myself the NYTimes piece on 100 summer salads and look forward to reading it and trying some. Cheers! Dee