Homecoming

Bill comes home this weekend.  He had knee replacement surgery and has been away since May 7 for recovery and for physical therapy at an inpatient place.  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to having him home again.

My biggest challenge was making sure there were clear paths through doorways and hallways so he can move around on his own without fear of bumping into something.  Okay, the BIGGEST challenge was finding a place to put all the stuff I had to move to clear the paths.  Y'see, we are kinda packrats.

I have looked on this as a learning experience and an opportunity to purge a lot of stuff that made me wonder why I bought it in the first place, as I removed it from its box, examined it and placed it in the give-away pile.  There is a trip to the used book store in my near future.

The next challenge will be finding things to keep Bill busy as he recuperates at home (and continues physical therapy with an in-home caregiver).  TV is out of the question.  His roommate had the TV on all day and all night and seemed to watch nothing but Cheaters and Law & Order marathons.

Maybe I can give him a new box each day to be sorted into "give away", "throw away" and "just get it out of here, I don't care how".

And we wonder what the cat will do.  She has not seen him for nearly three weeks.  She will either cuddle up immediately or treat him aloofly, as she has me most of this time (except when she was desperate for ear scratching).

Quotable Quotes; in the category It's A Good Thing She Was Here Even If He Was Not!

"One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home."  Pam Brown

Knit Wit

Mom taught me to knit when I was about 6 years old.  I think.  I may have been older.  I only remember I wanted to knit and begged her to show me how.

Money always being on short supply, there was no trip to the yarn shop for supplies.  Instead, mom scrounged a pair of knitting needles from somewhere and took apart a kitschy doll made of rug yarn.  Such things were (I guess) popular at the time.  In my memory this doll was an octopus made of pink yarn.  A ball of yarn, or perhaps Styrofoam, made the head, the yarn, tied in the center, covered the ball.  The yarn was all gathered together at the "neck" then separated and braided to make the legs.

Mom snipped all the ties and we painstakingly un-braided that doll.  The task of tying those hundreds of short lengths of yarn together to wind into a ball was left to me.  This falls under the heading of "false economy".  It is virtually impossible to knit anything when a giant knot interrupts your scanty progress and your failing concentration every few stitches.  Still I must have persevered because I knit fairly prolifically today.

When I was about 13 I wanted to knit a sweater.  I knew how to knit, didn't I?  No reason not to tackle such a project.  Luckily, our neighbor was an avid knitter and was willing to offer assistance, advice and impromptu lessons when necessary.  She taught me to purl, to read a pattern and the basics of garment construction.  In my recollection the sweater was out of style by the time I finished.  I don't recall ever wearing it.

Anyone who knits knows there are countless tool, supplies and doodads available.  Stitch markers, point protectors, row counters, stitch holders, gauges and needle pouches.  If someone can think it up someone will make it and others will buy it.  I never went in much for these gadgets.  Needles and yarn were my basic tools with an occasional stitch holder (think large safety pin without the point) thrown in.  If I needed a stitch marker I tied a scrap of yarn into a loop.  If I needed to count rows I marked them on a scrap of paper and crossed them out as they were done.  I did not believe in spending money unnecessarily.  If a rubber band would serve as a needle holder, well, it was free!

Lately, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of knitting and, consequently, a spate of newly designed or improved knitting supplies.  Recently, a local store had a sale on knitting items.  I stopped in to check and was surprised to find the prices almost ridiculously low.  An item that might cost $3 retail was on sale for 99 cents - and not for one, for a whole packet full.  I splurged, spending maybe $5 and outfitting myself with a wardrobe of plastic stitch markers, little row counters, gauge testers and needle sizers.

These days, as I knit, I find myself reflecting on those early days and my wealth of tools today and I understand why so many knitters use them - - - they're FUN!

Quotable Quotes; in the category Practice Makes Perfect!

“Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either.”

Elizabeth Zimmermann; Prolific knitter, author and television knitting host, and all around knitting guru of generations of knitters.

It's A Sin

I recently read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I had never read this book and had sometimes felt I should.  I am glad I did.  I don't think I have ever seen the movie all the way through, either, but what bits of the movie I remember prove that the director clearly knew what he was doing, and the casting of the characters was spot on.

As always, the book delivers much more depth and insight than the movie can but I really think they got it right.  I also think Harper Lee knew exactly what she was doing.

If you have not read this book I urge you to do so now.  An excellent read.

Quotable Quotes; in the category Oh, So That's Why . . .

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Come See About Me

It seems my blog has started to become "food heavy".  Nothing wrong with that, but I thought it would be helpful to have a blog dedicated to food with a food-centric name so it might be easier to find.

I'll tell you was was NOT easy, finding a name for a food blog that was not already in use.  Well I finally found one and it should be up and running.  I hope you'll stop by and visit, comment and tell your friends!

Find my food blog here and let me know what you think.

By the way, don't stop visiting madKnews - I'll be keeping it up too, as well as I can.  Thanks and say hi for me!

Quotable Quotes; in the category Let's See, Milk, Bread, Eggs, What Else Do I Need?

"A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list."  Anonymous

You Say Tomato!

I love a BLT sandwich.  If I make a batch of bacon I will make BLTs until the bacon is gone.  Once when I did this I realized I still had lettuce and tomatoes leftover and I still wanted a sandwich.  I decided to try it without the bacon - an LT if you will.  It was delicious.  My taste buds were so conditioned to taste bacon when eating toast with mayo, lettuce and tomato that I almost believed my sandwich contained bacon.

But whoever heard of a Tomato Sandwich?  Well, if you have read Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh you know all about them.  A Tomato Sandwich was the only thing Harriet ate for lunch all through grade school.  No matter what was suggested for lunch the answer was always the same.  "Tomato".

A tomato sandwich is tasty.  A tomato sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise is tasty too.  A tomato sandwich with mayonnaise and lettuce on toast is one step away from a BLT both in ingredients and in deliciousness factor.

Next time you crave a BLT and don't have any bacon handy, make some toast, slice a tomato and wash & dry some lettuce.  Spread the toast with mayo and top with your fixings.  Note:  I almost always have to eat this over the sink if the tomatoes are juicy.

BLT memories - at work, if there was any bacon left over from breakfast, the lunch ladies would move it to the sandwich station to make BLT sandwiches until the bacon ran out.  One day, there was bacon and I ordered a BLT.  The lunch lady took pride in fanning the lettuce "just so" and layering the tomato artfully upon it.  She spread my toast with mayo, laid on the fan of L & T then held up 7 slices of bacon.  She put three on my sandwich, then another, then pondered the three remaining slices.  After a few seconds she shrugged and put all of them on my sandwich.  Fair is fair, right?

Quotable Quotes; in the category You Thought I Was Going With Homer Simpson, Didn't You?

"I unfortunately still crave chicken McNuggets and bacon, which is the meat candy of the world."
Katy Perry

Welcome In!

That is what the waitress told us the name of the restaurant means.  We stopped at Hala In yesterday for the first time.  This small storefront opened 2 years ago and we discovered the neighborhood mail coupon, about to expire, in a stack of old mail, so we set off to see if we might find a new favorite Mediterranean restaurant close to home.

Hala In is small - just 9 tables (some pushed together to make tables for 8).  Decor is simple, service fast and friendly and the food excellent.  The menu ranges from a vegetarian combo for $7 to chicken, beef and lamb dishes and combos ranging from $7 to $15.

Whatever you choose to order, start with a small dish of superlative hummus for less than $2 (a larger portion is also available).  The hummus was creamy, smooth and perfectly seasoned with a pool of lemony olive oil in the center and generous pinches of spices adorning the rim.  The pita was so hot we had to let it cool before tearing off a piece for dipping.

My vegetarian combo consisted of more of that wonderful hummus and equally delicious baba ghanouj, creamy and mild with a smoky kick.  Taboule chock full of parsley, felafel and stuffed grape leaves (2 each) rounded out the platter.

Mr. ordered the Combo Plate ($10).  Pieces of beef kabob, kifta kabob and chicken kabob with a mound of chicken shawerma topped with slivered onion and ground sumac.  I tasted everything and everything was delicious, especially the perfectly cooked rice pilaf.  The combo came with a small salad of romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion with a light vinaigrette.  Just right.

Fearful that Mr. might not have enough to eat we opted for an extra hummus just to be sure.  We needn't have bothered.  We were both full beyond comfort but I still insisted on finishing every grain of rice, it was that good.

With our coupon the bill ran to $15.  Without we would have had trouble topping it out at $20.  The restaurant does not have a web site but you can order online at Halainrestaurant@yahoo.com.

Quotable quotes; in the category I can see how they're both important!

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."  Fran Lebowitz

Breakfast in the Strata-sphere?

The first time I saw a recipe for a breakfast strata I did not know what it was.  I read the recipe and it sounded awful.  Then I attended a brunch where this dish was served.  To my eye, unused to dishes of the casserole variety, it did not look much better than it sounded.  Alas, this was the kind of event where not tasting the dish would have been a big mistake.  Not to worry, I knew my manners and I also knew I could survive anything - even a deplorable breakfast dish.  I only needed to eat a bite or two and it would all be over.  I was so wrong.

The first bite let me know that I had been missing something.  My mom did not cook this way and for good reason - my dad did not like it.  But every so often we learn something new.  And when it is a delightful and delicious new recipe, I say let the knowledge begin!!!

Since then I have tasted many versions of this dish, one which included bacon, ham AND sausage!  Sort of a meat-lover's-pizza answer to the age old question "what's for breakfast".

I have been "pantry shopping" lately.  This means that my fridge, freezer and pantry are filled to overflowing with food that has to be eaten before it has to be thrown away.  The next item in the freezer (read the one I can reach and remove without causing an avalanche) is a package of breakfast sausage links.  This one is a no-brainer.  Who doesn't love breakfast for supper? 

I will cook all the sausage.  The first night's supper will be sausage and pancakes.  The rest of the sausage will be made into a strata to be cooked for supper (or breakfast even!) the next day.  Bonus Points!  Not only do I gain another inch of freezer space, Bill will be in sausage heaven (he's the meat lover mentioned previously) AND he loves this particular dish.  Here's how I make it.

Breakfast strata is essentially a dish that uses stale bread and any leftover meats or vegetables that taste good when baked with cheese.  Think quiche.  Think savory bread pudding.  I generally use a proportion of eggs to milk to cheese when cooking dishes like this.  That way I don't need to consult a recipe and I can use up whatever quantity of leftovers I have on hand.

A good proportion is about 1 egg per 1/4 cup of milk, 1 slice bread, 1/4 cup meats and 2 oz. shredded cheese.  Amounts will depend on how much of any ingredient you have to work with and how many you have to serve.  I usually make smaller portions to serve the two of us.  Easy and quick.

I like to cut the bread into roughly 1 inch cubes and spread them on a baking sheet in the oven for a few hours, either with the pilot light on or turned to a very low 150 degrees f.  Beat eggs and milk together in a  bowl (use half and half or a mixture of milk and cream if that is what you have).  Beat in seasonings like pepper, nutmeg, cayenne pepper for a little heat and maybe some dried thyme.  Go easy on the salt, especially if using salty meats.

Layer the dried bread in a buttered casserole of an appropriate size, again based on how much you are making, and scatter the meats cut into pieces over the bread.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese and pour the custard over.  If you wish you can saute onion and mushroom and/or scatter over some leftover vegetables.  Cooked broccoli or asparagus would be especially good - or make a vegetarian version with some cooked spinach, red and yellow peppers, and any other vegetables you like.  I would not complain if there was corn in there too. 

Allow the strata to stand overnight (for breakfast) or several hours (if it's for supper) then bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 35 minutes, covered with foil.  Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes longer to brown the top.  Don't forget to scatter a little extra shredded cheese over the top before you put it in the oven.  This insures a brown and crusty top.

The lovely thing about this dish (and quiche, and bread pudding) is that it puffs up dramatically in the oven and rises above the rim of the baking dish, not unlike a souffle.  Unfortunately it deflates quickly but this in no way diminishes its deliciousness.  All that's left now is to dig in!

If serving this for breakfast you will likely have a basket of muffins, a bowl of fruit and some butter and jam to go with it.  Mimosas would NOT be out of place.  For supper you might like to serve a green salad, some marinated vegetables, steamed broccoli or green beans along side.

Quotable quotes; in the category If Breakfast Is Good For Supper Then What 's Up With This?  A Guy With A Name Like That Ought To Know Better!

"Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper."  Francis Bacon.