Chefdruck Musings

The Punk: Write of Passage Writing Well Challenge Week 1

2009-12-08T10:14:00.003-05:00

Today's writing well challenge on the Write of Passage group is character. Find someone, anyone, and build two paragraphs around them.

Do you ever see striking people and wonder what their story is? I love to make them up, entertaining my husband and children with them, or sometimes just recording them in my writing notebook.

This writing was inspired by an unlikely trio I stood in line next to at the Columbus airport last week.

Most people only saw his purple mohawk and the angry red pimples covering his cheeks. Then they wrote him off, tightening their grip on their purse and wallet, taking a step away to steer clear of danger. Rhonda saw it every day as she walked with him down the street, and it made her sad to have the world dismiss him so quickly, missing a chance to know such a gifted young man.

She'd seen his potential right away that day she was volunteering at the homeless shelter. She'd looked up to grab another can to stack up on the kitchen shelf and had found herself looking into his kind eyes. She'd assumed they belonged to a grown man, they were so weary, so tired, and she'd been shocked to find that they belonged to a young fifteen year old boy. She'd known right then and there, before she'd heard his sad story from the shelter manager later that morning, that they had been destined to meet that day, and that she was meant to bring him into their lives. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Jim to agree to foster a white punk teenager. He'd asked, "Are you just looking for trouble? But she had been unshakeable and because he was a good man who loved her, he'd finally given in and agreed to have the boy come live with them for a while.

Rhonda wiped an errant tear before Jim or the boy could see. Both were busy observing the planes taking off and landing. They both looked happy and relaxed with each other, laughing and joking. She couldn't believe they were here, about to board a plane to Chicago to bring the boy back to his parents, to finally set his story back on the right path.

Now it's your turn. Find a character, someone at the mall, a red light, the doctor's office, and write about them. 10 minutes. Go.

Fun for the Whole Family: Sushi Party 101

2009-12-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

I love having sushi parties. When my friend Yumi first initiated me into the secrets of sushi, I didn't believe her. I felt as though I was trespassing in a forbidden world and couldn't believe how easy it was. The wow and fun factors are high, but the effort and cost are low. All you really need, for a successful sushi party, is a high quality Japanese supermarket. The rest is easy.

As soon as we landed in Columbus, I started searching for a Japanese supermarket. I asked everyone I encountered about Asian supermarkets, and whenever I met a Japanese person, I got right down to business, asking them where they shop. The supermarket is key because it's the only place I would trust to buy sushi grade fish. Some regular supermarkets advertise sushi-quality tuna, but that makes me a little nervous. There are no standards for these things, and we all know where a bad piece of sushi can send us. So I prefer to buy my sushi fish from a Japanese supermarket, a busy one packed with customers, with gorgeous fish that looks like candy.

In New Jersey, I loved my trips to Mitsuwa, a huge Japanese supermarket in Edgewater. Here in Columbus, I discovered Tensuke Market (1167 Old Henderson Road 614.451.6002), thanks to The Restaurant Widow blog. Although Tensuke is much smaller than Mitsuwa, I found all of the ingredients I needed, including beautiful fish. As there's little I love more than stepping through the doors of a store and being transported to another continent, I'll continue exploring the other Asian markets in the area.

Other than gorgeous fish, you'll just need a few other items. You can easily walk out with all you need for a sushi feast for under $30. You'll need:

some short grain sushi rice,
a couple of packets of sushi rice seasoning to make it sticky and sweet (see above for picture),
some wasabi paste, a little pickled ginger,
and a package of seaweed sheets.

Now if you want to get a little fancier, you can also get:

A couple of bamboo mats to roll up your sushi.
Some veggies: avocado, cucumber, carrots.
Some fruits: mango, peach, and pineapple.
Fun Japanese salads like seaweed salad.
Wild Japanese desserts and candy to entertain the kids.
Sake and Japanese beer.

And as far as the fish goes, I usually go with tuna (toro and regular), salmon, yellowtail, and barbecued eel that I find in the freezer.

Once you have all your ingredients, it's time to put all of your guests to work, creating their own sushi creations. I set out to steaming bowls of sushi rice in the middle of the table, lay the fish, fruit and veggies on platters all around, and let everyone channel their own sushi chef. People can choose to make rolls with bamboo mats or plastic wrap, or stay conservative with sushi pieces of rice mounds topped with fish. At times, I have even been known to just go with sashimi and have a few bites of rice in between. Amy is pictured above. She had never tried to make sushi before, but she was turning out better looking rolls than anyone at the table within minutes.

My kids love these sushi parties. I don't really encourage them to go with the raw fish though, providing them with lots of veggies and some chicken fingers to roll up in the rice. For our last dinner, Bella stuck to her favorite, the chicken nugget roll, but her friend surprised me by making a gorgeous tuna and avocado roll.

Everyone had a blast, and everyone walked away very full.

Moving on to Planning for Career #12

2009-12-06T22:57:00.002-05:00

I've always toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher, a French teacher, with posters of baguettes and croissants on the walls of her classroom. It's one of over a dozen careers I try on for size on rainy days when the kids are playing quietly and I begin projecting out five years or even ten years down the road. On those days, the future, with my daily seven hours of freedom, doesn't seem so far away, and starts to seem terrifying.

When I daydream about being a teacher, I see two dozen rapt pairs of eyes gazing up at me, drinking in my conjugations of the passe compose of the verb manger.
J'ai mange le gateau... Tu as mange le gateau... Il a mange le gateau...
They're taking notes, nodding and smiling, and repeating carefully everything I say.

This lovely vision dissipated without trace last week when I picked up Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood by Philip Done. He took me into his classroom, chapter by chapter, and, even though he told many hilarious stories about the kids in his classroom, he also showed how tough it is to be a teacher. It takes patience, passion, and persistence. Qualities I already have in short supply for my three kids, before moving on to hordes of others.

And so I kissed this possible career goodbye... and moved on to the other dozen. Librarian, Professional Traveler, Food Critic, Historical Fiction Writer, Personal Chef... just to name a few.

Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind is the featured book for the Silicon Valley Moms Group December book club.

Cheryl's Cookies Giveaway - the Ultimate Sweet Treat

2009-11-21T18:17:00.011-05:00

*** Congrats to comment #280 - Jessilyn82 - she is the lucky winner of the Cheryl&Co brownies and cookies. ***

I'm going down the sweet treat route again for today's giveaway with some decadently delicious cookies and brownies from Cheryl&Co. In addition to being sweet, today's giveaway is also very personal because Cheryl&Co is my husband's company.

We've always kept his work and my blogging completely separate, but I just couldn't hold back since he started his new job for Cheryl&Co. I just had to spread the word about these unbelievable cookies and brownies that are filling my freezer.

You have to imagine that these cookies had to be pretty amazing to justify our relocation to Ohio! As soon as he accepted the job, our entire family set to the task of sampling them all, and we quickly picked our favorites. Mine is definitely the triple chocolate cookie: chocolate cookie studded with chocolate chips, topped with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips.

If you've never tried Cheryl's Cookies, there's actually a great offer going on right now (ignore the expiration date on the page) that will let you try six of Cheryl's Cookies for free. You just need to cover the $6.95 shipping and handling.

The winner of this giveaway will receive two boxes from Cheryl&Co. If you win, you can then decide which one to give away, or whether to keep both. Because Cheryl's Cookies are individually wrapped, You can even give away some of your prize piecemeal to friends, neighbors and teachers. I can tell you from personal experience that anything from Cheryl's is a huge hit as a teacher gift. But don't just take my word for it, you can also read their Valentine's review at Cool Mom Picks.

The first box will be filled with an assortment of 12 holiday buttercream frosted cookies. The assortment of cookies will include plain vanilla frosted holiday cut-outs, mint chocolate, peppermint and chocolate chocolate cookies. The second box will feature 10 of Cheryl's latest invention: buttercream frosted brownies. They've taken their fudgy brownies and topped them with their world-famous signature buttercream frosting. Your assortment will include 10 vanilla, peanut butter, and fudge frosted brownies. The prize is worth over $50.

For a chance to win this Cheryl&Co buttercream frosted extravaganza, leave a comment here with your favorite cookie flavor before Friday, December 4. I'll select the winner at midnight that night.

As usual, you can get extra chances to win by:

linking to this contest on your blog,
subscribing to my Chefdruck Musings feed
subscribing to my Chefdruck Reviews feed.
tweeting this contest.

Just remember to leave me a different comment to get credit for each extra entry.

Kohl's Gift Card Giveaway

2009-12-05T23:29:00.003-05:00

Have you started your holiday shopping? December snuck up on me and, as happens every year, I am completely unprepared. Not only have I done no shopping, but I haven't even begun making lists.

For giveaway today, I have a little something that might help you with your shopping. I'm giving away two $25 Kohl's gift cards (courtesy of Kohl's) to two lucky winners. They won't help you make your lists, but they will help you pay for the items on your list.

For a chance to win one of these Kohl's gift cards, leave a comment here with where you'll be doing the bulk of your shopping before Friday, December 18. I'll select the winner at midnight that night.

As usual, you can get extra chances to win by:

linking to this contest on your blog,
subscribing to my Chefdruck Musings feed
subscribing to my Chefdruck Reviews feed.
tweeting this contest.

Just remember to leave me a different comment to get credit for each extra entry.

No More Whining; I'm Embracing my Inner Hero

2009-12-04T14:43:00.008-05:00

No one likes a whiner. Whiners go on and on, focusing on the negativity in their life, and their conversation sound like the adults in Peanuts cartoons. It doesn't matter if a whiner is 5 and complaining about having nothing to do, or 35 and complaining about having no time to do anything; the end result is the same. Blah blah blah blah. Whine whine whine. Blah blah blah.

Lately I've been doing a lot of whining. I've been listening to myself bring people down with my complaints about being lonely, being tired, and struggling to adjust to the Midwest. I hear the words come out of my mouth, and I hate them as they flow. And then I whine about being a whiner.

But before this post turns into yet another whining session, let me tell you about Be the Hero,and how Noah Blumenthal's book has inspired me to put my whining aside.

I received a review of Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life months ago, but banished it to my bookshelf and left it languishing there until I had the time to review it. You could call it laziness, or you could call it fate that I finally picked it up when I really needed it.

Blumenthal's book is an easy read with a powerful message that you'll be able to implement immediately. He explains his principles through an engaging story about Jeff, a new sleep-deprived father with a tough boss and significant challenges at home and at work. Jeff bumps into an old high school friend who is now a career coach and who teaches Jeff how to become a hero in everyday life.

Being a hero is really about overcoming your urge to see and paint yourself as a victim, and putting yourself back in charge. Blumenthal refers to it as telling victim stories instead of hero stories. I don't love the word stories as it sounds a little trite, but the concept of hero vs. victim makes a lot of sense to me. I remember reading an interview with Jennifer Aniston in Vanity Fair soon after Brad left her for Angelina. She said that her therapist gave her three days to be a victim and after that it was time to take charge again. I figured that if she could do that, with papparazi stalking her every emotion, then I should be able to as well in my suburban universe.

We tell three types of victim stories:

People Stories (that guy was such a jerk to me)
Situation Stories (my life is so tough)
Self Stories (I can't do it, there are too many obstacles in my way)

Blumenthal's book provides easy, concrete examples to help you change your victim stories into hero stories using empathy to understand where the jerk is coming from in the people stories, and using appreciation of what you have for your situation stories. The part I found most impactful however, dealt with the self-stories, and how to take action to enact change in your life.

Bottom line, Blumenthal forbids the reader from whining. He puts the responsibility back on you to make changes in your daily life and how you view the world. I finished the book less than a week ago, and ever since I put it down, I find myself repeating "Be the Hero" under my breath as I go through my day.

When the Starbucks barista doesn't smile, I smile and ask her if they're very busy instead of thinking that Starbucks should hire friendlier people. When the kids trash the kitchen, dropping mozzerella cheese everywhere, I try to think about how lucky I am to have kids that are healthy and are able to drop cheese on the floor (I said TRY... but that doesn't mean I do it with a Mary Poppins Smile). And when I catch myself talking about how much I miss my friends, sister and writing group, I invite my friendly neighbor out for a cup of coffee and make time to write alone, trusting that I'll bump into a new writing buddy in an unexpected place, soon.

Be the Hero is not rocket science. It's not huge life changing theories that will make you chuck it all and move to Nepal. It's simple stuff that you can implement immediately. But it's also powerful stuff that will make a difference in your outlook right away, and will certainly stop the whining.

Star Wars in Concert: Bring on the Tears and the Magic

2009-12-03T09:57:00.006-05:00

The first time the tears took me by surprise. I was barely pregnant, lovingly caressing my budding bump, when an AT&T commercial brought tears streaming down my face. They weren't featuring images of starving infants, just a little girl, dressed up as a princess, dancing on the beach with joy after her mother decided to take the day off from work. But something in my newly maternal brain identified with the emotions and the tears came gushing out.

I rushed to the bathroom, dried my cheeks, and thanked God that I would be kissing pregnancy hormones goodbye in a few months.

But six months later, after I pushed Bella into the world, the tears remained.

They sprung, unbidden, during the moments you would expect: holiday concerts, ballet recitals, play dates, or after a sticky kiss. Those tears, usually shared with other mothers, could be wiped quickly with the sleeve of a sweater.

But then there were the other tears, the ones that marked me for a sappy sucker, that came unbidden at the worst possible times. Big moments, moving music, anything with significance make me at risk.

Last night, the tears were flowing as I walked into the Nationwide Arena for the Star Wars concert. I held Jack's little hand tightly in mine as we made our way to our seats. We were still walking when the lights dimmed and the majestic music rose up all around us, flooding us with the familiar bars. There was something so powerful about the cheers of the crowd, the communion of all those Star Wars fan coming together to celebrate the music and magic of those movies. I held Jack's hand tighter, and he looked up at me, clearly also moved as the music flooded over us, played just feet away from us by a huge symphony orchestra, creating music in perfect harmony.

For once, instead of worrying about my mommy tears, I just went with it, letting them stream down my face, sharing this magical moment with my son.

The tears came again and again last night, as the show producers selected all the most powerful scenes from the six Star Wars movies. I cried as we saw little Annakin Skywalker morph from an adorable pod racer into an anguished young man won over by the dark side. I cried at the beauty of fight scenes, flight scenes, and amazing planets and creatures. But amidst the tears, I also laughed with Jack over the silly monsters in the bar, the rivalry of Luke and Han Solo, and the antics of R2D2 and C3P0, and cowered a little too, whenever Darth Vader towered above us on the largest screen we'd ever seen.

It was a night we'll never forget, a night filled with light sabers, Jedis, and spaceships, a night that definitely deserved the tears I shed.

9 Hours, 4 Movies... Pure Bliss

2009-12-02T06:55:00.002-05:00

I love the movies. I love them on date night. I love them on the couch with Steve snoring softly next to me. I love them snuggled up under a blanket with a child on each knee. Kid movies. Action movies. Romantic movies.

I love them all.

But this weekend, while driving 9 hours to and from New Jersey, I discovered a new way that I love movies.

I love movies with just the sound, with the visuals recreated by the kids' explanations.

We covered all the genres in our 18 hours in the car. There was tween romance with Another Cinderella Story. We then moved on to tween sci fi with Aquamarine. The Smurfs were supposed to be a cartoon for all ages, but ended up being randomly terrifying for all, and had to be replaced by the Care Bears Spooctacular. We even had a 3D showing of The Polar Express.

I "saw" each and every one of those movies with my ears only, but they worked their magic and kept me awake and the kids entertained.

I can't wait for the next road trip. Next time I'll be sure to bring popcorn.

Happy Wordful, Wordless and Way-back wednesday!

Grilled Fish with Kabayaki Sauce and the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook Review

2009-12-01T09:59:00.006-05:00

I love Asian flavors, but I don't often cook with them. My comfort zone is more in the heavy cream and butter zone of the kitchen. But I love it when a cookbook inspires me to get out of my saucy French habits, and play around with more exotic flavors. It's really about letting go of my fear of embarrassment that I won't be able to find the lemongrass or the seaweed shreds in the produce aisle.

When I went to BlogHer Food this summer, I went to a wonderful party on the last night that was organized by a trifecta of amazing food bloggers: Jaden from the Steamy Kitchen, Elise from SimplyRecipes, and Ree from the Pioneer Woman. These women are my inspiration, the golden standard of food blogging. I would have been content to simply sit next to them on a bus, but the party was a dream come true: intimate with great music and decadent food everywhere. And when the guests walked out, each received a foodie dream swag bag. Tucked into said swag bag was a postcard to receive a copy of Jaden's The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I promptly popped the postcard in the mail, and forgot about it. A few weeks ago, I received my copy of the Steamy Kitchen, and I instantly began drooling. With the gorgeous color photos of fish and meat glistening with brown sauces, the drooling is inevitable. But as soon as I tore my eyes away from the pictures and began perusing the ingredient lists, I breathed a sigh of relief. These recipes were completely doable, with short lists of ingredients.

The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook was exactly what I needed: Asian cooking, demystified.

I decided to jump right in with the Grilled Fish with Kabayaki Sauce. I literally wanted to lick the picture on the page. And once I made the sauce (it took less than 10 minutes), I was able to lick the spoon to my heart's content. The recipe is an adaptation of that Japanese grilled eel with sweet soy glaze that you sometimes get in sushi restaurants. As eel is hard to find in our supermarkets, Jaden suggested using catfish instead. I chose to indulge in Chilean Sea Bass instead because I love how it tastes so much like lobster.

Grilled Fish with Kabayaki Sauce (adapted to serve 2)

Ingredients

for the Kabayaki Sauce:

1/2 cup of soy sauce (125ml)

1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) (125 ml)

3 tablespoons of sugar

For the Fish:

1 tablespoon of high-heat cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)

2 firm fish fillets, about 6 oz each, patted dry (I used a large Chilean Sea Bass filet cut in half)

6 cups of steamed short-grain rice

one small handful of dried or toasted seaweed shreds (Kizami Nori), for garnish (I omitted)

2 tablespoons of thinly sliced green onions (scallions), for garnish

In a small saucepot over medium high heat, stir together the Kabayaki Sauce ingredients. When the sauce begins to bubble, immediately turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be careful, as the sauce can easily thicken too much, and you'll end up with caramel! If it becomes too thick, whisk in a tablespoon of water at a time.
Set a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the oil and swirl to coat pan. Lay the fish fillets in the pan, not touching each other. Fry for 2 minutes until the bottoms are browned. Brush the Kabayaki Sauce glaze on the fillets. Flip the fish over and brush the top of the other side. Fry for another minute or two, until the fish flakes easily and is cooled through.
Serve the fish over rice and pour additional Kabayaki Sauce over the fish. Top with seaweed shreds and green onions.

I served this with lightly sauteed sugar snap peas and rice.

A Painful Write of Passage: Riding the Bull

2009-11-30T05:19:00.002-05:00

I was sitting in my office, getting sucked into my computer's glowing screen instead of going to bed like a good girl, when inspiration knocked via email. It was an invite from my new Ohio friend Momo Fali to join a new Ning Group just started by Mrs. Flinger with the most wonderful mission. The group is Write of Passage and it's mission is to bring us back to the essence of blogging: Writing. Community. Challenge.

This week is just the BETA week with a cringe-worthy prompt, but as I am a little brown noser, I jumped right in. I embedded some code at the bottom of this post that should enable you to post a link to your post with the same topic, but if this doesn't appear, please leave it in the comments so I can pay you a visit. And head on over to the NING group so you can join the fun!

My most embarrassing moment. As Natalie Goldberg would say: "10 minutes. Go."

From the onset, I felt like an interloper. When I walked into the back room of the Korean spa, they greeted me in their white bathrobes, champagne glasses in hand. I waved and nodded at each of them in turn as they told me their names, promptly forget them, and then went to change out of my street clothes.

They were a bunch of high school friends on a Moms Gone Wild Weekend in New York City, and it had taken some serious convincing by my neighbor and best friend to get me to crash their reunion. I'm not sure what finally convinced me: the pleasure of getting to spend an entire day with my friend without having to police our kids, the lure of a massage, or the danger of mechanical bull riding. For whatever reason, I found myself driving into New York City that sunny Saturday morning to join a bunch of inebriated women for a Moms Gone Wild weekend.

The afternoon was uneventful, just your typical, blissful, soothing, pampering massage. It wasn't until we walked into the cheesy saloon, off of Times Square, that things began to get interesting. The bull sat in the middle of the deserted bar, a hulking mechanical beast draped in stained leather. I sat with my gaggle of wild moms at the bar, awaiting the first rodeo victims for a few minutes before boredom set in.

The bull sat, frozen in the spotlight, unused, unloved, untamed.

I thought to myself, "how hard can this be? I used to ride horses, this should be piece of cake."

And so, full of bravado and eager to make the night live up to its promise, I walked up to the bull master and signed the waver form.

Minutes later, I had walked across the deeply padded bull pen and climbed atop the contraption. I was towering above the patrons of the rapidly filling bar and being cheered by tourists wearing cowboy hats. Both of my hands were clutching the pommel of the saddle and I gave the technician the nod to begin. He looked back at me and shouted "one hand!" I raised my left hand high in the air, and with a squeak, the bull began moving.

He was jerky, but gentle at first, spinning me slowly around the room in a rough dance. Every quarter turn he would kick up his rump, like a spastic high schooler at a prom. I managed a few embarrassed smiles at my jeering group of moms before the attendant got bored and flipped the speed to high.

Suddenly the bull went wild, bucking back and forth violently, right and left and up and down. He was spinning around so fast that the crowd was a blur. I could hear their shouts but could make out no one. My riding background was helping me too much and I was maintaining my balance. The bull was now so rough and fast that I was scared and had no idea how I would get off gracefully. I tried shouting, "Stop!" but either the attendant didn't hear me, or just ignored me, because the bull just increased its speed.

I must have looked like a pathetic rag doll, bopping back and forth on the back of that black monster with my snazzy suede jacket and my lipsticked lips. Finally, desperate to get off the stage, I simply let go of the saddle. But instead of falling gracefully to the side, I went over the head of the beast, slamming my wrist on the saddle, before falling head first in front of it. I scrambled away on all fours, sinking into the padding until I made it back to the paddock door.

I wanted to skulk off and forget about my very public dismount, but my new friends were waiting for me. Most had cameras in hand, each filled with pics of my mortifying rodeo.

Yoplait Kids Less Sugar More Fun Snack Giveaway

2009-11-29T15:30:00.008-05:00

My kids are big snackers. They come rushing through the doors at 3:30 after school, and dive straight into the pantry, ravenous. Their favorite snack is a cookie, but I do my best to redirect them to a snack with a little more protein power, something that will keep them full until dinner. I have the most success when I tempt them with a fun flavor of yogurt, still sweet, but packed with calcium and protein.

Because Juliette is a big fan of characters, and my food shopping companion, we often end up with Yoplait Kids yogurt in our cart. I'm always happy to stock up on yogurt, but I recently learned, thanks to MyBlogSpark, that Yoplaid Kids yogurt is not only low in sugar, it's also packed with Vitamin D. As a result, I'm even likely to suggest it to my little shopper helper, and asking for her help to add it to the cart.

For giveaway today, MyBlogSpark has given me two Yoplait Less Sugar, More Fun prize packs to giveaway (I also received my own as a thank you for this post). The winners will receive a coupon* for any of the Yoplait Kids yogurt products along with a travel cooler (to take your yogurt on-the-go), a fun spoon that changes colors in warm water, a reusable place mat with games to keep the kids happy while snacking, and a fuzzy tangle puzzle for some after-snack fun.

For a chance to win one of these Yoplait Kids Snackpacks, leave a comment here with your favorite afterschool snack before Friday, December 11. I'll select the winner at midnight that night.

As usual, you can get extra chances to win by:

linking to this contest on your blog,
subscribing to my Chefdruck Musings feed
subscribing to my Chefdruck Reviews feed.
tweeting this contest.

Just remember to leave me a different comment to get credit for each extra entry.

*This coupon offer for a free six pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Macho Puzzling

2009-11-28T07:39:00.001-05:00

Some families bond over touch football. Others bond while watching football.

Our family bonds over a puzzle board.

As soon as the kids fall into bed, exhausted after a day of running wild with hordes of cousins, the adults clear off the kitchen table, and break out that year's puzzle.

The puzzle theme may be tame, about flowers or puppies, but there is nothing tame about the puzzle trash talk.

They boast. They curse. They insult each other.
"I am the puzzle master."
"You're no puzzle master. You suck. You would be nothing without me."
"What! I've done this whole puzzle by myself you loser! I am carrying this whole thing by myself."
"Dream on."

They hover. They shove each other out of the way. There is no doubt that the masterminds at Ravensburger would be shocked by such macho puzzling.

The same childhood stories and rivalries are rehashed, making us all tear with laughter as the retelling improves with age.

I mostly sit around, laughing with my sister in law at our husbands' antics, gossiping and catching up. Nearby my mother in law stands at the sink, finishing doing the dishes. She jumps into the conversation, adding details to the old stories, reveling in the sounds of boisterous boyish behavior back under her roof for a little while.

The Concorde: my Most Requested Thanksgiving Dessert

2009-11-27T07:33:00.000-05:00

Dessert is a serious Thanksgiving affair in our family. The turkey, stuffing and sides are nothing but a prelude to the orgy of desserts to follow. Every year, our list of desserts grows, covering every inch of the dining room table.
This year, contributing to Thanksgiving dinner was hard. I didn't want to disturb my mother in law in her final preparations in her kitchen, but I didn't know how I could keep things cold for the nine hour drive. I ended up baking carrot souffle, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie in Ohio and keeping them in insulated bags with plenty of ice packs for the ride. Nine hours later, the ice was still cold and the pies were still looking good.

But there was one dessert that would not travel, and it just happened to be my most popular contribution. My family talks about this dessert all year long, and I make it year after year, even though it is a huge undertaking. My brother in law calls me to make sure I'm making it weeks in advance of Thanksgiving, and I'm a total sucker for a request.

The cake is called the Concorde. It is intensely chocolaty yet very light because it is made up of layers of chocolate meringue and chocolate mousse. The recipe below is from the first cookbook I ever owned, a French pastry cookbook by Gaston Lenotre. I am translating it into English and have adjusted the measurements to American units, but you will need a scale to make this cake.

This year, my husband's cousin turned to me, one bite into the cake and said, "this sounds like something I should be eating at a really fancy five-star restaurant, not here in the middle of New Jersey."

Concorde
Ingredients
For the French chocolate meringue
5 egg whites
150 grams (5 oz) of powdered sugar
35 grams (1 oz) of cocoa powder
150 grams (5 oz) of granulated sugar

For the chocolate mousse
9 egg whites
60 grams (2 oz) of granulated sugar
375 grams (13 oz) of bittersweet chocolate
6 egg yolks
225 grams of butter
150 grams (5 oz) of powdered sugar

To make the meringues:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar.
Whip the egg whites until stiff (about 5 minutes). Halfway through, add 20 grams of granulated sugar to help them keep their shape.
When stiff, add the remainder of the granulated sugar at low speed.
Fold in the cocoa sugar mixture with a spatula gently.
Prepare two cookie sheets with silpats or wax paper.
Spoon half of your meringue batter into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off.
Pipe your meringue batter onto a cookie sheet in three ovals 6 inch long and 4 inch wide.
Fill the other cookie sheet with long straight lines of meringue batter.
Cook in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the meringue is hard but not burnt. Check the meringue frequently to ensure it does not burn.
Remove from the oven, and when cool, cut the long strips into one inch long pieces.

To make the mousse:

Melt the chocolate in a water bath.
Remove from the heat and beat in the butter. The consistency should be like pudding.
Add the egg yolks, making sure the mixture is relatively cool so that it is ready to be mixed with the egg whites.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, adding 20 grams of sugar half-way through to keep them firm.
Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the egg whites, and fold it carefully together, rotating the bowl a quarter turn after every fold. You want to be very gently to maintain as much of the air as possible.
Put the mousse in the fridge for an hour to chill.

To assemble the cake:

On a serving dish, lay one oval meringue disk.
Cover the meringue disk with chocolate mousse.
Lay another meringue disk on top of the mousse.
Cover it with more mousse and repeat with the last meringue disk.
Cover the entire cake with chocolate mousse and then decorate it to fully cover most of the mousse with the inch-long meringue pieces.
Dust with a little powdered sugar.
Refrigerate before serving. The cake tastes best if made the day before.

Thanksgiving Chit Chat, at Last

2009-11-26T05:13:00.001-05:00

For years, Thanksgiving Day was a blur. I managed a few hellos, quick pecks on the cheek to relatives and friends before racing back to manage one baby or another. Whenever I got the baby down for a nap, the troops of cousins running through the house would wake the baby right back up. The only solution was to put the cranky baby back on my hip and return to the party, attempting to keep up with the flow of conversation while jiggling my hip rhythmically.

But now that Juliette is three, I can finally enjoy Thanksgiving. There are no more worries about stairs, naps, or breastfeeding schedules. Juliette will be joining the hordes of running children, and all I'll have to remember is an occasional reminder to visit the potty.

For the first time in 8 years, I'll be able to join in the Thanksgiving chit chat, to fully focus on my relatives, to talk politics with the aunts and uncles, relationships with the single crowd, and just go with the flow.

I can't wait.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope your chit chat is fun and your turkey is moist.

The Dreaded 'Do Curse

2009-11-25T00:30:00.000-05:00

She cursed me. With a knowing smile, she casually cursed me.

It was during one of my last days in New Jersey, days filled with teary goodbyes, quick hugs, and frantic packing. We'd already said all our farewells, made our plans for future visits, and I was picking up my car keys, when she tossed out the curse.

"Oh, and make sure you don't let them give you the do."

"The do?"
"You know. The Midwestern do. The Jon and Kate special."

I nodded and smiled and then promised that I would protect my hair from the poofy Kate bob effect.

Little did I know that I would be powerless against the Do.

I've had two haircuts since we moved to Ohio, and the end result is always the same. Regardless of my instructions, my hair comes out all wrong. Poofy all over, long in all the wrong places, and short in all the other wrong places. I walk in dreaming of a youthful, clean, new look and come out feeling old and dowdy.

I know it's the curse because my neighbors and other moms at school are not sporting the do.

I squeezed a haircut in yesterday morning before picking up the kids and driving nine hours back to New Jersey so I could look my best for all our relatives. Turns out I'll be squeezing in another haircut today, for an emergency fix.

Thought I'd be preparing for Thanksgiving by cooking, instead of by primping!

Happy Wordful, Wordless and Way-back wednesday!

Got Salsa on your Thanksgiving Shopping List?

2009-11-24T08:04:00.004-05:00

When you're walking down the aisles of your neighborhood supermarket today (if you have your act together), tomorrow (if you have a few hours to kill), or even Thursday (if you live on the edge), do a little something different this year. Throw in a bottle or two of Pace salsas. Trust me on this one.

I'm not suggesting that you mess with your Turkey on Thursday. That would be sheer insanity. I'm the first to argue that you don't mess with tradition. At the most, you play around with a few additional funky sides. Although this year, we will be basting one of our two turkeys with apple cider instead of its own juices.

No, I'm suggesting something a little different for the day after Thanksgiving. The leftover day. A few weeks ago, I received a huge box from Pace Picante sauce and salsas. I opened the box cautiously, half-expecting a dancing girl to pop out, and was relieved to see that it contained four extremely well-protected bottles of Pace salsas, in an assortment of flavors. There were your usual hot and mild salsas, as well as an intriguing salsa verde and a delicious looking black bean and corn version.

I love a good PR pitch, and this definitely fell in that category. The Pace Picante folks included a bunch of recipes for turkey leftovers using those salsas. "Why not use your turkey leftovers a little differently this year?" they asked. And I have to agree that it is a great idea. I mean, Thanksgiving on a bun is fun and all, but there's no reason not to try something a little different. And come Saturday, if you're still with family as I will be, I'm definitely ready for a change.

I gave it a try last night so that I would have some pics to share with you. And I won't lie. It was also fun to do a little Thanksgiving preview by filling the house with the smell of roasting chicken. Instead of using one of the Pace Picante recipes, I opted to use my own so that I could make use of some of the ingredients I had on hand. I'm including the recipe below, along with the ones sent to me by the Pace PR folks, but you could really do it with a variety of ingredients, as long as you have tortillas and some of the Pace salsas. My favorite was the black bean and corn version with its light smokiness and gorgeous deep mole color.

Thanksgiving Leftover Mexican Wraps (Serves 2)
1 cup of diced leftover turkey
1 avocado
1/2 white onion, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/3 cup of sour cream
4 tortillas
Shredded Mexican cheese

Spread the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the minced onion and red pepper. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken to the pan and mix well.
Pour the onion and chicken mixture evenly in the middle of each tortilla.
Sprinkle some cheese over the chicken mixture and close up the tortillas, inverting them so they don't open back up.
Bake in oven to melt the cheese for 5 minutes.
Top with sour cream (which I mashed with some avocado), salsa of your choice, and sliced avocado.

And here are a few more recipes to inspire you from the folks at Pace.
Pace® Cheesy Chicken Bean Skillet

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup Pace® Mexican Four Cheese Salsa con Queso
1 can (about 15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup coarsely crumbled blue corn tortilla chips
1. Heat the chicken, queso and beans in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over
medium heat to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low. Cook
for 5 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.
2. Top the chicken mixture with the tortilla chips just before serving.

Tip: You can omit the crumbled tortilla chips and serve the chicken/turkey mixture as a quesadilla filling or a warm dip.
50522

Southwestern Chicken Chili

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Makes: 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups per serving)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 / 2 cup chopped celery
1 / 2 cup chopped red pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock
2 cans (15 ounces each) great Northern beans
1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Chunky Salsa
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
Shredded pepper Jack cheese
Cubed avocado

1. Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery
and pepper and cook until they're tender. Stir in the flour and cumin and
cook for 2 minutes. Stir the stock in the saucepot. Cook and stir until the
mixture boils.
2. Stir the beans, salsa and chicken in the saucepot. Heat to a boil. Reduce the
heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.
3. Garnish with the cheese and avocado.
Nutritional Values per Serving : Calories 351, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 2g,
Cholesterol 43mg, Sodium 919mg, Total Carbohydrate 42g, Dietary Fiber 8g,
Protein 25g, Vitamin A 14%DV, Vitamin C 17%DV, Calcium 10%DV, Iron 21%DV
24152

Monterey Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes
Makes: 4 servings (about 1 cup each)

1 cup coarsely crumbled tortilla chips
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can (about 15 ounces) cream-style corn
3 / 4 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 / 2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
Chopped green or red pepper
Tortilla chips

1. Layer the crumbled chips, chicken, corn and picante sauce in a 1-quart
casserole. Top with the olives and cheese.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 40 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Top
with the pepper. Serve with the chips.
Nutritional Values per Serving : Calories 337, Total Fat 14g, Saturated Fat
5g, Cholesterol 77mg, Sodium 944mg, Total Carbohydrate 28g, Dietary Fiber
4g, Protein 26g, Vitamin A 10%DV, Vitamin C 8%DV, Calcium 14%DV, Iron 12%
DV
24811

Picante Turkey Rolls

Prep: 10 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

4 flour tortillas (10-inch), warmed
1 / 4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 / 2 pound thinly sliced deli turkey breast or cooked turkey
1 / 2 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped (about 1 cup)
1. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on each tortilla to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Top each with about 4 turkey slices, 2 tablespoons picante sauce and 1/4 cup avocado.
2. Roll up the tortillas tightly, leaving the ends open. Cut each roll in half. Serve with additional picante sauce for dipping.
To make appetizer rounds: Cut each rolled tortilla into 1/2-inch slices and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with additional picante sauce for dipping.
Nutritional Values per Serving : Calories 446, Total Fat 19g, Saturated Fat
5g, Cholesterol 54mg, Sodium 743mg, Total Carbohydrate 44g, Dietary Fiber
7g, Protein 24g, Vitamin A 6%DV, Vitamin C 8%DV, Calcium 12%DV, Iron 21%
DV
50489

Pace® Mucho Queso Pizza

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

1 cup Pace® Mexican Four Cheese Salsa con Queso
1 prepared pizza crust (10-inch)
1 / 2 cup shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1 / 2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Spread the salsa con queso onto the pizza crust to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Top with the chicken, tomatoes, cheese and basil.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the salsa con queso is hot and bubbling.
50484

Salsa Verde Chicken Wraps

Prep: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

1 cup Pace® Salsa Verde
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
1 large red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 large avocado, diced (about 1 cup)
1 / 2 cup sour cream
4 flour tortillas (10-inch), warmed
2 cups shredded lettuce
1. Stir 1/2 cup salsa, chicken, pepper and avocado in a large bowl. Stir the remaining salsa and sour cream in a small bowl.
2. Spread 1 / 4 cup sour cream mixture onto each tortilla to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Top each with 1 cup chicken mixture and 1/2 cup lettuce. Fold the sides of the tortillas over the filling and then fold up the ends to enclose the filling. Cut each wrap in half before serving.

Popcorn Factory Giveaway

2009-11-07T23:28:00.006-05:00

Today for giveaway I have a sweet treat to share: a two gallon tin of three flavors of popcorn from the Popcorn Factory.

When we received our own tin to sample this week, the kids were besides themselves with excitement. They're big popcorn fans and couldn't wait to crack open the huge tin. There was a section for each child: cheddar, caramel, and plain. The popcorn was fresh and crunchy - a huge hit.

To win your own two gallon tin, leave a comment here with your favorite popcorn flavor before Monday, November 23. I'll select the winner at midnight that night.

As usual, you can get extra chances to win by:

linking to this contest on your blog,
subscribing to my Chefdruck Musings feed
subscribing to my Chefdruck Reviews feed.
tweeting this contest.

Just remember to leave me a different comment to get credit for each extra entry.

In honor of its 30th anniversary and National Popcorn Month, The Popcorn Factory has launched a “30 Gift Giveaway” sweepstakes. The sweepstakes, which runs now through November 23, 2009, will provide one lucky grand prize winner with 30 gifts for their friends and family (up to a $6,000 value) just in time for the holiday season.

For more information on the “30 Gift Giveaway” sweepstakes, please visit the Popcorn Celebrations site.

New Moon: I'm on Team Steve

2009-11-23T09:16:00.005-05:00

My husband loves me.... a lot.

How do I know? I know, beyond the Valentine's Day breakfast and the fact that he empties the dishwasher every morning before heading out to work. I know, with full certainty, because on Friday night, he agreed to come see New Moon with me and a theater full of screaming teenagers. The man is nothing short of a saint.

And when I ooheed right along with the barely pubescent audience when Edward (Robert Pattinson) came on the screen and when Jacob (Taylor Lautner) took off this shirt, he didn't get up and walk away, disgusted with his silly wife. He gave me a little amused look, and turned back to the movie, no doubt planning all the war movies he was going to get us to see now that he had agreed to this vampire flick.

I loved the Twilight books. I began Twilight last Thanksgiving and didn't come up for air until Christmas when I finished Breaking Dawn. But I was bitterly disappointed by the first Twilight movie. I found the acting stilted and the special effects comical.

But New Moon was a different story. I'm not sure if it was the bigger budget, the new director, or Jacob's incredibly buff body, but it worked. The acting hit the right note. The special effects were credible. And the colors and scenes in Italy with the Volteri were striking. I still struggled with some of the Edward lines to Bella, a little too intense and serious to be taken seriously. I may get crucified for this by all the Edward fans out there, but I just wanted to tell him to lighten up! But then again, I had the same frustration with the book, probably due to the fact that I'd rather crawl into a warm and comfy bed than a cold and hard one. The nail in the Edward coffin, as far as I'm concerned, were the sparkling body scenes that still didn't look right, and when he took his clothes off for the Volteri.

But after all the gossip about whether Taylor Lautner would be able to bulk up enough to play the movie, and all the pressure for him to quit, I had to admire how he rose to the challenge. He not only looked amazing, completely believable as a scrawny boy overnight metamorphasized into a werewolf, but he also acted the part perfectly. The bulk of the movie was on his shoulders and he carried it well. The werewolf special effects and scenes were amazing, making these massive creatures into bonafide characters, no small feat when you're talking about monstrous wolves. And Taylor Lautner straddled the balance of moody teenager raging against this massive change in his life and pining Bella fan and gave the film the tension it needed, and that I was hoping it would have.

I guess this makes me firmly in Team Jacob, at least for this movie. But really, I'm with Team Steve, the man who endured all of this Twilight fanaticism and pretended to enjoy it!

A Night with Anthony Bourdain, the Bad Boy of Food

2009-11-22T11:37:00.004-05:00

Last night the bad boy of food, Anthony Bourdain, came to speak at the Palace Theater in Columbus.

It was one of the most entertaining evenings I've ever had.

As expected, Bourdain spared no punches, and was shockingly outspoken. But the crowd made the evening. The audience was raucous and highly participatory, yelling out "douche" when Bourdain broached the topic of vegetarians and "don't do it!" when he said he wanted to take back something he said in Kitchen Confidential. "Why Columbus?" asked one of the audience members during the q&a following his talk, "because I get paid for these things!" His brutal honesty is one of the many reasons why Tony Bourdain is revered and adored.

He began the evening by raving about a Japanese restaurant called Kihachi which I've reviewed. "We drove to this strip mall suburb called Dublin and pulled in front of this little random restaurant. Walking through those doors is like stepping into Japan. Best f*ing meal I've had outside of Osaka." Later on in the q&a section when asked how he found Kihachi, he said, "Well, when looking for places to eat, bloggers seem to know best" and then gave shout out to the restaurant widow blog. And concluded that this is yet more proof that print is dead.

He soon got down to business tearing apart the Food Network hosts one by one, berating the network for dumbing down food TV. He argued that the FoodNetwork is getting rid of all the great chefs like Emeril and Mario and replacing them with these lightweights who don't do real cooking. "They're catering to those 400 pound Americans who are sitting in their lazyboys with their gallons of diet coke and their jumbo bags of Cheetos. They're watching Sandra Lee do the thing she calls cooking and saying "yeah, I could do that" and then going right back to eating their cheetos." His feud with Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee has gotten much press, and made the audience go wild.

The man has a point. Although the Food Network has really put food on the map, they've gotten very gimmicky lately and with the exception of Giada, Bobby Flay and Paula Deen, there's more and more fluff and less and less cooking inspiration.

Then he moved on to what I found the most inspiring portion of his talk: the quest for amazing meals while traveling. He took back his advice from Kitchen Confidential to never eat in a restaurant with a dirty bathroom. For the next twenty minutes, he dazzled us with descriptions of incredible meals he had in ratty places across the world, tacos from a little stand in Mexico and sizzling Szechuan soup that makes you feel like you're being "licked and spanked at the same time" and leaves you feeling like "I didn't know that I liked that." I loved his final advice, "a little extra time on the thunder bucket is a small risk to pay for the perfect meal, a meal you'll remember forever."

He concluded with some advice for Americans traveling abroad, at least those interested in eating well.

Stop traveling in packs. If you walk into a restaurant and see other Americans there, keep on walking.
If you're lucky enough to travel in this world, it is important to eat what you are offered.
Travel is a luxury. When people are nice to you, dress well and be appreciative. Eat what they offer and say thank you instead of turning up your nose at local foods.
Avoid Western-friendly restaurants in hotels. It's the first place likely to give you food poisoning and a bad meal.
We may not find world peace this way, but, hey, it's a start.

Beyond all the bad boy posturing, all the name calling, the earing, and the hoopla, is a man with the same message I repeat to my kids night after night. "Taste everything and say thank you." He just does it a little more colorfully than me.

He began his speech by raving about

Aliens in the Attic DVD Giveaway

2009-10-31T19:31:00.007-04:00

We've been waiting for Aliens in the Attic to come out on DVD for a long, long time. My husband and I saw the trailer when we were out on one of our date nights and we turned to each other and simultaneously said, "family movie!"

The movie is a comedy about a suburban family called the Pearsons who pack up their kids and some friends for a vacation in the middle of nowhere. After a meteor shower hits the house, the kids discover that aliens have invaded and decide to fight back. The parents, however, are oblivious. The premise is as funny as you would expect from the writer of Madagascar.

My 8-year old loved the star studded cast including Ashley Tisdale (big sister Bethany) while Steve and I enjoyed the comedy of Kevin Nealon. My 5 1/2 year old son loved the entire aliens plot, especially the goofy antics of Bethany's boyfriend who is being controlled by the aliens. Even Steve and I even found it funny. As we suspected, it was a great family movie.

Aliens in the Attic will be available on DVD nationwide on Tuesday, November 3. I have one copy available for giveaway today. I'll be choosing the winner on Friday, November 14, to enter to win, just leave a comment here. I'll select the winner at random that night.

As usual, you can get extra chances to win by:

linking to this contest on your blog,
subscribing to my Chefdruck Musings feed
subscribing to my Chefdruck Reviews feed.
tweeting this contest.

Just remember to leave me a different comment to get credit for each extra entry.

Her Fearful Symmetry - A Book Review

2009-11-20T10:27:00.005-05:00

Audrey Niffenegger's latest novel, Her Fearful Symmetry, is just as fascinating as The Time Traveler's Wife. The subject matter is completely different, no time traveling, and no encounters between soul mates at different periods in their lives, but it has the same haunting effect on the reader. You will keep on pondering its premise long after you've put it down.

Aundrey Niffenegger interweaves four fascinating themes in this novel: twins, ghosts, obsessive compulsive disorder and grief. The novel begins with the death of Elspeth, a middle-aged twin living in London. She dies alone, unable to call out to her partner Robert who has just stepped out to buy a candy bar in the hallway. Elspeth had stopped speaking to her twin, Edwina, after she eloped with Elspeth's fiance, Jack. From beyond the grave, Elspeth manages to get her revenge, by leaving her London flat to Edwina and Jack's daughters (twins with a striking resemblance to their mother and her twin) provided they live in it for a year before selling it. The revenge lies in the stipulation that Jack and Edwina are not allowed to step foot in the apartment, thereby separating the girls from their parents for a year.

The two girls arrive in London and move into the apartment, still filled with Elspeth's books and furniture. Although the girls are in their twenties, they have not begun working, and seem to float in and out of colleges without ever finishing. And so Elspeth begins to haunt them in earnest, attempting to connect with her nieces in death, as she could not in life. But the girls are haunted by more than the ghost of their aunt. There is also Robert, Elspeth's lover who refuses to make contact with them but follows them from a distance around town, Martin, their obsessive compulsive neighbor who scrubs the floors above their heads, as well as their own relationship as they struggle unsuccessfully to forge lives with some degree of independence from each other. All of this takes place on or around the grounds of Highgate Cemetary, with its elaborate Victorian tombs, where Elspeth is buried.

Her Fearful Symmetry is the type of novel that makes its way into your dreams because of the power of Niffenegger's story setting. As I read it, I could feel the fine London rain and could close my eyes to imagine the landscape of beautiful abandoned tombs and mausoleums. I normally loathe stories and movies about ghosts, but found myself cheering for Elspeth, believing in her life after death, and hoping that she would finally right the injustice she suffered, while teaching her nieces how to avoid the same mistakes.

I wonder if this novel, like the Time Traveler's Wife, will also be turned into a movie. Niffenegger's intriguing characters and exotic locales seem to lend themselves powerfully to that medium. However, if Hollywood does snap Her Fearful Symmetry up, I will certainly avoid seeing it, as I avoided The Time Traveler's Wife movie, preferring to keep the mental images she gave me with her words unspoiled.

Chicken Piccata and Roasted Asparagus: Weeknight Chicken Will Never Be Boring Again

2009-11-19T09:47:00.007-05:00

Chicken breasts are usually boring. Hum drum, forget what I'm eating, dry, what's for dessert, dull. When I'm planning my weekly menus, I rarely get inspired by chicken breasts, opting for pork, beef, and even lamb instead. Roast chickens, with their crispy golden skin and moist meat, are in a different category.

But the other day, enticed by a killer sale at Whole Foods, I threw a package of chicken breasts into my cart. And that night, I attacked the breasts, and made them into something exciting, something that had us all licking our plates, grabbing bread to sop up sauce, and moaning with pleasure. This chicken piccata recipe, with its savory tangy sauce, will spice up your weeknight dinner too.

Our first order of business was to pound the breasts into thin cutlets. I took the breasts one by one and sandwiched them between two long sheets of plastic wrap. Then I handed the job over to my sous-chefs. I'm always looking for novel ways to get my kids involved in the cooking, and the challenge of pounding the meat with all their strength was the most fun they'd had in weeks. They took to it with gusto, taking turns, shouting words of encouragement to each other. Even three-year-old Juliette got into the action.

For the kids' dinner, I simply took their flattened cutlet and pan fried it with butter and a dash of lemon juice - a junior version of Chicken Piccata. The adult version was just as easy, but just with a little more flavor. And if you've steered clear of this dish because you don't like capers, I urge you to give it another try. The pan sauces and the lemon neutralize the harshness of the capers, giving the sauce a fresh and savory richness.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

1 package of chicken breasts

3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons of capers

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

3/4 cups of chicken broth

1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of salted butter

Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pound the chicken breasts, one by one, until they are about 1/2 inch in thickness.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken cutlets (as many as will fit in a single layer), and cook until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through (about 2 minutes on each side). Place on a platter, and cover with foil. Add more oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
Reduce the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Then add the capers, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, about 2 minutes.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the pan. Add the chicken broth. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces by half, about 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and swirl in the tablespoon of butter as well as half of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the sauce over the chicken cutlets. Decorate with a sprinkling of the remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

I served roasted asparagus alongside the chicken piccata.

Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus spears (with bottoms snapped off)

1 lemon

4 tablespoons of olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spread the asparagus on a cookie sheet, all flat in one layer.
Sprinkle the olive oil, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper on top.
Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until just caramelized.

Gelee de Pommes (Apple Jelly): Recreating a Childhood Memory with Apples

2009-10-27T14:41:00.004-04:00

My mother loved making jam, or confiture as we called it. She would gather whatever was falling from the trees at her mother's house in the country and pile it in the trunk of our car for our pilgrimage back to our apartment in Paris. The next afternoon, while my sisters were napping, we would break out her impossibly heavy copper saucepan and get to work.

I don't remember much about the process beyond mountains of white sugar and delicious smells wafting out in big gusts of smoke out of that witch's cauldron. What I do remember with supernatural clarity is the intensely sweet and fruity taste of the hot and liquid jam she would spoon into my mouth during the cooking. The flavor inside my mouth was intoxicating, a million times better than the sweetest candy.

I've never attempted to make jam since those days as a child. I was daunted by the memory of back-breaking labor and hours of toiling around boiling substances. But this fall, enticed by the dazzling rainbow of apples at farmers' markets and Whole Foods, I decided to give it a try.

I consulted a number of online recipes (including the gorgeously photographed Jasmine Cuisine) for "gelee de pommes" which sounds much more exotic and gourmet than apple jelly. The big difference between the French and the American recipes was the absence of pectin.

The French bakers recommended leaving the apple skin and pits in to contribute natural pectin. The process requires longer cooking time, but the resulting flavor and color will be much more intense. However, I should disclose that some of my jars are a little bit runny, even after over an hour of cooking.

My husband was a bit mystified by this entire project, questioning my motivation to make something as "boring" as apple jelly but after watching me moan with pleasure after spooning a little hot liquid into my mouth, he pronounced me completely insane. It wasn't until he took a bite of the finished product that he understood. He has since been putting my "gelee de pommes" on everything from toasted bagels to cold chicken.

Gelee de Pommes (Apple Jelly)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 pounds of quartered apples - use a variety but make sure they are all sweet

2 lemons

8 cups of water

5 cups of sugar

Cut your apples into quarters.
Throw them in a large stock pot. Squeeze the juice of the lemons on top. Cover with water and boil for an hour.
Cover a sieve with cheesecloth. Place the sieve over a large bowl. Put the cooked apples in a sieve in two batches and squeeze gently to collect the juices. Repeat for the second batch. You should have about 7 cups of liquid. You can now discard the apples.
Place the liquid back in the stockpot. Add the sugar and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for an hour or two, until the jelly is thickened and darkened.
Meanwhile, in a separate large stockpot, boil your canning jars.
When your jelly is ready (if it has reached 220 degrees fahrenheit or gels when a small drop is put on a chilled plate), remove the jars from the boiling water carefully with tongs. Pour the jelly in using a canning funnel, leaving a half an inch of space at the top. Screw on the lids and invert the jars.
Leave inverted until completely cooled to complete the sterilization process.
Once cooled, if the jelly is still too liquid. You can boil it for longer and resterilize the jars.
If in the morning

The Power of Your Spoken Words

2009-11-18T01:29:00.003-05:00

The first time I opened my notebook, and read my written words aloud, I was terrified although my audience, a small group of fellow beginning writers, couldn't have been more supportive. They listened attentively, nodding emphatically and looking intently in my eyes every time I looked up from the scribbles on my page. And when I was done, one by one, they repeated back to me the phrases that spoke to them.

When I walked away from the table, I held my notebook more carefully, having witnessed for the first time, the power of my words.

Last Friday, I got up in front of a small audience of strangers and friends to read my words aloud. Instead of holding a tattered notebook, I held a shiny new copy of See Mom Run. But when I turned to the first page of my essay, I felt the same familiar terror. And then I bent my head to the page and began reading. Soon the crowd was responding, laughing and humming in all the right places, communing with my words.

My essay was over all to soon, and I sat down to make way for the next reader. Stage fright had been replaced by relief and exhilaration. Once again my words had reached others.

Whether you write in a blog, in a notebook, or in a greeting card, let your words take flight. Give them life with your lips and read them aloud to someone else. Seeing the response on their face will give your words the heft they deserve, and will banish the fear that keeps them hidden.

Happy Wordful, Wordless and Way-back wednesday!

This is an original Chefdruck post. Please don't copy without my permission.

The Call of the Open Road

2009-11-17T10:27:00.006-05:00

I love the open road. Whether I'm behind the wheel of my dirty minivan or powered by my running shoes, the road calls to me, whispering a dare to just keep going, keep driving, keep running to new places. Nowadays, as I struggle to adjust to life in my gilded suburban cage with its football games and girl scout training meetings, the call is stronger than ever.

Next week, I'll be heeding the siren song of the six-lane highway to drive back to New Jersey for Thanksgiving. The nine hour drive with my three munchkins watching iCarly will probably be short on romance and adventure, but I'm still looking forward to it. There's something about the forced intimacy of a long ride in the car that reminds me of the wagons heading West to blaze new territories.

My friend Amy's blog post acted as a writing prompt for me today as it brought back memories of my first epic road trip, after graduating from college.

After bidding goodbye to my parents at the airport, I returned with fake bravado to the apartment I was still sharing with my ex-boyfriend. Our boxes were stacked up in our respective rooms, all the acrimony of the distribution of our joint-belongings now thankfully resolved. With no more papers to hand in and no more exams to study for, I was now free, for the next 26 days, to do anything I pleased. I had nothing more concrete ahead than a letter on corporate stationary confirming my start date and my salary.

Going home to Paris would have been anti-climactic after all the drama of senior week goodbyes. Instead I chose to jump in with my ex into his bright blue jeep for a trip planned when we were still in love. I threw my duffel in the back and jumped into the passenger seat with an atlas and the memories of our broken promises.

For the next 26 days, we drove, waking up every morning and opening up our Rand McNally atlas to decide where we would sleep that night. We sped through the colors of America, the burnished reds of the Nevada desert, the dusty grays of the salt flats of Utah, and the unexpected greens of Texas Hill Country. We drove for 26 days, top down, blasting Nirvana and U2, terrified but ready for the change the future would bring.

And on day 26, he deposited me in front of the World Financial Center, gave a light tap on the shiny synthetic hose disguising my tanned legs, and waved a quick goodbye before driving off into the downtown morning traffic. I waved back at the departing jeep, bidding farewell to our failed love, and my college days.