A cooking weekend

 

Jordan hard at work in Costa Rica

Fort Worth has enjoyed a lovely, rainy, dreary weekend, although I admit the temperatures are a bit cool for my taste. But I’ve enjoyed every minute, doing the things I love to do—writing, reading, and cooking. Lots of the latter, and some experiments I’m proud of.

Last night, friends came for happy hour, one of whom needs to eat carbs on time because of diabetes. So I was concerned to have something with bread. With my order from Central Market, I included a small jar of dipping spices. When the order came, they had removed that—apparently, they no longer had it. But my whole appetizer plan was based on those spices! I was going to put out individual dipping dishes (actually some lovely china coasters), a small pitcher of olive oil, a dish of Pecorino, and the spices. Somehow, cheese and oil didn’t do it by themselves. So I went online—often my savior—and found a recipe for making your own spices. I had almost all of them on hand, and I just left out the two I didn’t have—dried parsley and dried rosemary. There were so many other spices, it was just fine. In fact, really good. I also left out the fresh garlic, because everything else was dried. I served it with a sliced baguette from Central Market. I’m not sure anyone else was as enthusiastic as I was, but I thought it was great. I also put out a crock of pub cheese from Trader Joe’s, which I thought was sharp and good. As you can tell, I was pleased with myself.

And last night after everyone was gone, I fed Christian and Jacob British baked potatoes—more about that another time.  But we loaded them with bacon (yes, real bacon, chopped), green onions, grated cheddar, sour cream, salt and pepper and called that supper. So good.

smoked salmon appetzier

Tonight Jean came, and I fixed us appetizers of garlic-rubbed sourdough topped with goat cheese, softened, halved grape tomatoes, chopped scallions, and smoked salmon. It would have made a prettier picture if I had put the tomato and green onion on top—but then
everything would have rolled off. The salmon on top kept It in place.

For the main course: white bean soup, a new-to-me recipe for which I followed every step religiously. Well, almost—I did fudge a bit on the red pepper (and it was fine, not at all noticeable), and I wish I had not put quite so much chicken broth in it, but it was good. When I told her what the garnish is she balked a bit but then declared the garnish made the soup. It was pickled celery, with the celery minced. Pickling it was easy, and we both agreed it would not have been as good an accent if it were not pickled. I will admit the soup was a bit complicated and I used every pot and pan in my kitchen--and I don't have a dishwasher.

Kitchen sink 
after cooking

And my cooking weekend is not over. Tomorrow night, I have committed to fix schnitzel for the boys and me. Jordan will be home for Costa Rica but not until later in the evening. I’ll do roast potatoes and Christian will do Brussel sprouts. And Monday, when supper will be hamburgers on the porch, so we can be ready for trick or treaters, I’ll contribute a green bean salad. I’m a bit intimidated by the schnitzel, though I have an “easy” recipe. But the green bean salad is a snap (no pun intended).

First thing every morning, with my hot tea, I read emails, and that was the closest I came to work today. I read both for messages from friends and for news reports, though I recognize you have to be careful about what you accept as truth. Still, even on a lazy Saturday, that’s part of my day, and a part I enjoy because it keeps me in touch with the world. I am not these days reading the emails of hysteria from various Democratic campaigns. If one more person assures me they’re packing it up and going home, I will scream. We know that Mark Kelly and Val Demings and John Fetterman and others are not giving up ten days before the election. I know it’s a fundraising technique, but I think it’s a poor one, as likely to turn away undecided contributors as to convince them.

Reading rounds out my day, and today I’m lingering over Big Shot, the latest in Julie Mulhern’s Country Club Murders series. It’s a spoof on the eighties upscale, country club life as seen in Kansas City, Mo. It tickled me last week when our minister announced that our visiting preacher was from Country Club Church in Kansas City. Sometimes fiction hits close to home.

So now I’m going to read, but I leave you with a funny picture that popped up on my computer today. Two transported Texas middle-aged ladies comparing their turquoise What could be more of a stereotype?

Texas Literary Hall of Fame, 2010