The Single Life--and Food

I pretty much enjoy my single life. With an empty nest, I've gotten used to the independence and freedom. I've built myself a good life, full of friends, and I have a family so close I can't imagine introducing a new person into that circle. At home, I can keep my own hours, do with my house what I want, fill my closets and not worry about keeping them neat. I'm not sure there's room for a man in this house--or in my life. Oh, sure, sometimes I'd like to have a companion to go to an ocasional theater or music thing (I'm not devoted to either), but I have an active enough social life.
But I'm an admitted foodie--and that's where I miss a man or, even more, the family I used to cook for daily. As I posted on Facebook,  yesterday was a red-letter day because both Bon Appetit and Southern Living arrived in the same day. I spent a goodly amount of time poring over them--a first-time run-through, because I'll go back, more slowly, and savor. Some months not much grabs my taste buds, but this month both were full of things I want to try, notably a lot of varieties of chicken salad. It's not that I eat a lot--I'm currently on a small portion, no carb kick, which means I ordered a cheeseburger without a bun tonight. But I want to cook these dishes, and I can't eat them all myself.
Then, tonight, I went through my miscellaneous recipe file which includes breakfast recipes--I keep my appalling collection of recipes in separate files for Entrees Tried, Entrees Not Tried, Vegetables, Appetizers, and Desserts. This miscellaneous file is mostly breakfast foods and soups. I was looking for ideas for Jordan who will entertain the whole family, 16 of us, on Mother's Day for breakfast. And once again I found all these scrumptious recipes that serve 6, 8, 12. I simply can't cook them all.
Yes, I do entertain fairly frequently, and Jordan said tonight, "Call me. Christian often has evening events, and I'd love to have supper." So I guess I'll do that. I'm always afraid my friends get worn out with my dinner invitations.
Stuffed pull-apart bread anyone? It has bacon, scallions, and cheese in it--okay I leave out the olives. Or how about a breakfast strudel with eggs, onions, ham, chives, cream cheese, and o.j. (Once again, I cater to my tastes and leave out the bell pepper--I don't like them and neither does my stomach.) Cooking does for me what meditation does for others.

Kids, cooking, and writing--the stuff of Judy's Stew

The mail brought a delightful surprise today--Lisa had a 2012 calendar made on Snapfsih--all adorable pictures of their adorable children, Morgan and Kegan. When I wrote to thank her she pointed out that she had annotated it for all the birthdays in the family, anniversaries, and major holidays.  I'm always looking for ways to keep track of birthdays, so this will be perfect. And besides I can look at those bright faces.
The same mail brought another bonus--the new issues of Southern Living and Bon Appetit. Two in one day! Work went out the window while I browsed--reading recipes in magazines is absolutely high on my list of favorite things.
Southern Living has, for instance, a whole spread on pimiento cheese. I have only learned to like it in the last few years, but now I love it. I have made good pimiento cheese at home but I also have a favorite "store-bought" brand--Palmetto cheese (not the kind with jalapenos added, thank you). It has cream cheese and just enough red pepper bite. Jordan has turned up her nose a pimiento cheese for years, I suppose because she wasn't raised on it (nor was I as a northerner). But she eats a lot of this if I put it out for an appetizer. That brand was mentioned in the article, along with several others. And there are directions for several varieties--and a pimiento cheese/bacon sandwich. Be still my heart. And how about chutney chicken salad? Yummm.
Bon Appetit this month is devoted to southern cooking--even directions for caring for that cast-iron skillet you can't live without. The last time I followed directions for re-seasoning my skillet, I thought I'd ruined it. But scrubbing stubborn bits with Kosher salt makes sense to me. And skillet-fried chicken sounds heavenly. I've never been successful at frying chicken but this may make me try again.
And writing? Tonight I talked to the mystery class in the community classes program at TCU. My friend Shari Barnes coordinates it and I'm sure it's her leadership that makes it such a lively, funny group. The session was filled with laughter--and some penetrating questions that I had to think about. General concensus: they liked Kelly a lot, so there to to book reviewer who thought she was a cold snob.
What a nice day! Now back to work, but I'm not through with those magazines. That was just the first go-throiugh.

Memoirs, edits, and a puny cat

My daytime memoir class met today. Those ladies have the most interesting stories, usually told with a nice bit of humor so that we end up laughing a lot. Today we got sidetracked by long discussions of people who are cat lovers and those who are not. Then of course it veered into dog stories, and I finally brought the discussion back to memoirs. But I think that talking and sharing is as important to the class members as the writing of the memoir, though once again I can see memoirs taking shape in a few people's work. This class doesn't have the repeat rate the evening class does, and I don't really expect many to get very far on a memoir in seven weeks. We'll see what happens.
Tonight I finished the edits on my mystery, Skeleton in a Dead Space, and sent it back to the editor. Sign of the changing internet world--she lives in Wales. I think a couple of language differences cropped up between us. Made me laugh. One has to do with plural vs. plural possessive, and the other is the colloquial, "I were you, I wouldn't . . . ." She kept wanting to make it "If I were you," but I told her in conversation, lots of us say, "It were me," etc. It is a good feeling to have that off my desk. I planned to devote all day tomorrow to it, and now it's done. I can read that new issue of Bon Appetit that arrived today!
But tomorrow has a project. My cat is not acting right--not eating much, not pooping much, throwing up a bit tonight The vet said it's time for them to look at him. Another bill I don't need, but I am a tad worried. Wywy will be 19 this spring and seems healthy, but these recent symptoms concern me.

More thoughts on retirement--and cooking magazines

This morning I went in to the office a little early for a ten o'clock meeting I'd scheduled. I miscalculated how long a grocery run would take me and ended up there at 8:45, only to find the staff, including the interim director, in conference, which I was invited to join. Soon as I did, a lot of work landed in my lap, so I did it--in a rush, which always turns out badly. Then the 10 o'clock meeting lasted until 11:30 and it was 11:45 before I got out of the office. I felt like I was working again.

I came home, put the groceries away--none perishable except the tuna salad that I took in to the office fridge--and had lunch, fully intending to work on the cookbook chapters that are still staring at me. But the mail brought new copies of Bon Appetit and Food and Wine. They were definitely calling my name. Still it was 2:30 before I finished with emails, paying some bills, filling out a time sheet, and a form from my health insurance company. I flipped through Bon Appetit--that's my pattern: I flip through it and then go back and study it thoroughly. After a nap and dinner--I sauteed fresh zucchini and summer squash from the John and Cindy's vegetable garden--I lingered over Food & Wine. My neighbor Jay says he gets all his recipes from there, but I had always thought it a bit esoteric for me. Tonght I found over a dozen recipes I want to try, so I'm rethinking letting my subscription lapse. In one article about urban farming, a woman wrote about pulling snails off her tender young vegetable shoots only to remember the escargot she'd recently eaten in France. Research showed her they're the same critter, but I can't fancy eating the snails I pull off plants. Besides I never did like escargot as well as just sopping the bread in the juice they came in. It's not something I would order in a restaurant today, in spite of those who think I eat weird things. (Melinda read yesterday's blog and vowed to keep her mouth shut after this!)

So maybe that's retirement. I can read when I want--and I may not touch that blasted cookbook all evening. After all I've got a long weekend to look at it. And as for that google webinar staring me in the face--well, maybe next week.

Jordan just called. They are back from four days in Jamaica. I am always relieved when all my chickens are in place where they belong, but I am delighted that they all, including Jacob, had a great time. Jacob at three is not an adventuresome soul but he apparently had lots of fun and handled the airplane trip--3-1/2 hours direct--very well.

A couple of friends have told me the link to the video of me and tuna salad didn't work well, so if you want to watch it you might just go to You-Tube and search for my name. Jeannie wrote me, "A Star is born!" after watching it, but I think she exaggerates. I still think I look like a frumpy old housewife. Elizabeth posted a link on Facebook (wish I knew how to do those things) and when I thanked her she said I didn't look frumpy, I looked like a woman who knows how to cook.