Shrimp Scampi

Someone posted on Facebook that she missed having shrimp scampi so I revised a recipe for her. This recipe serves six and I got it down to 6 points. Instead of putting the reduced amount of butter into the sauce I think drizzling it over the dish at the end will keep the buttery flavor more present.

Full Circle

Today I had such a great moment in culinary memories. I love cooking shows and thankfully, Pat does too. We started watching Julia Child on PBS in the early 80's. On Friday nights after the kids went to bed we would sit next to each other on the sofa and soak in the cooking. The joy of learning different techniques from Julia was magical for me.

In 1997 I was still watching Julia in "Baking with Julia," but now she had guests on the show. Nancy Silverton was the guest and this was what was reported by the Los Angeles Times:

"Silverton, who appeared in "In Julia's Kitchen With Master Chefs" and "Baking With Julia," remembers one particular taping including a moment of sheer terror, followed immediately by total bliss.

"Before the show, Julia took me aside and explained that she was not big on editing and that when I needed to wrap up my segment, she would tap me on my hip with her hand.

"Well, I am making this brioche tart with stone fruits and a hot wine syrup. I'm sauteing the fruits and putting the tart together when I get the tap. So, I quickly finish it off and cut a forkful and hand it to Julia who tastes it. There is silence.

"Then I see tears in her eyes and then she starts crying. I am thinking 'Oh my, I've burned Julia Child.' But, then Julia says, 'That is the most delicious dessert I have ever had.' "

When I saw that episode I cried too. I couldn't imagine being that baker. It has always been my favorite show.

Today I was watching my new favorite cooking show on Netflix, Chef's Table. Half way through, it shows the featured baker as a young woman on "Baking with Julia." It was my favorite episode! It was Nancy Silverton!

This made me inordinately happy this morning. 

Lunch with Great Friends

BACK: Kay Conklin, Kate Cole, Mary Ellen Shea Clifford
Middle: Suzy Schwark, Jackie Medema, Meg Kennedy Shaw, Bethany Cronk
Seated: Dorothy Komarmy, Marj Kunz

In the early 80's I was on the Michigan Council of Cooperative Nursery Board. For three of the years I was Chairperson of the Spring Conference held at Michigan State University for over 1,000 parents and teachers of preschoolers.  I learned so much from these women.

Even though I was brand new and didn't know much about running a conference, they gave me the opportunity to get speakers to fill 40 workshops, find a keynote speaker (The three while I was chair were:

Fredelle Maynard

Author of Raising Creative Children; Raisins and Almonds; and The Child Care Crisis Also a Canadian television show, Parenting 

Louise Bates Ames

Psychologist and co-founder of the Geselle Institute of Human Development at Yale. Author of many books about developmental books by age (and hosted one of the first television shows on child development. 

David Elkind

Child Psychiatrist and professor at Tufts University and author of The Hurried Child and The Power of Play and Miseducation. His research and books were about the importance of play in development). 

With this group I learned how to run a meeting each month overseeing volunteers from all over Michigan who put on a bazaar, brought in vendors, ran a raffle, put on an annual meeting, found hostesses for each workshop, registration, welcoming, and made everything run smoothly.

No one hovered over me, the Board and our mentors were there to help if we asked. It was the most amazing group of people.

I always told the volunteers that the work we did should be on their resumes. After I left the Board to go to my paying job I became one of the speakers at Spring Conference presenting a workshop called, "It Will Look Good on Your Resume."

For the first time since I left the Board to go to work for the City of Saginaw in 1986, nine of us got together for lunch at the Kellogg State Room at MSU. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with memories and friendship.

April 16th

April is half gone. We've only been on the porch two times. Now the river is flooding. But.... We left the condo to go exercise this morning and the roads are okay.

Inspiration

What to do the second day of ice and sleet? Make inspirational posts!

Oprah reported on 60 minutes that Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and professor at NYU, founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. 

This month the EJI will open a Lynching Museum. While watching the segment I got goosebumps on my arms and my stomach turned. The last time that happened I was at the Holocaust Memorial in Boston.

This was the most important lesson in American history I've seen on 60 Minutes. 

Aunt Janie Eggs

One time when we went to visit the Noble Family, my sister made the most delicious scrambled eggs. She added cream cheese and dill.  Over the years they came to be known as "Aunt Janie Eggs."

Many years later my sister had breakfast at our house and I told her we were going to have "Aunt Janie Eggs." She didn't remember making them. What? All those years she was famous at our favorite breakfasts and she didn't even remember them!

Here is an updated Weight Watcher version.

Eggs, Dill, Salt, Pepper, Mrs. Dash and 

1 wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese

for each person.

         I always end up adding more dill

Cook the eggs smashing and smushing the wedges of cheese to incorporate it into the eggs. When the eggs are still very wet, but mostly set, turn off the flame. Continue stirring the eggs and plate them while they are still creamy.

Eggs - 1 pt

Joseph's Pita Bread - 1 pt

4 slices Al Fresco Chicken Bacon - 1 pt

3 Freestyle Smart Points 

Yum!

Mom

Thanks Barb Sharma for sharing this on Facebook. I miss my Mom, but she's always with me.

Live Production Jesus Christ Superstar

This was such a great television show on Easter Sunday. I love the music and was surprised I still knew all the words. The set was fabulous. The casting wonderful. Well done!

Lentil Coconut Soup

This was delicious. Will make again. Makes 4 - 5 Freestyle Point servings (2 ladles each).

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1/2 yellow onion

Garlic 

Ginger

2 tsp turmeric 

1 TBS Mrs. Dash

1/2 tsp salt

red pepper flakes

12 baby  carrots

Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent. 

Add:

1/2 pkg Trader Joe's cooked Lentils

2-3 cups FF chicken broth

13.5 oz can Trader Joe's RF coconut milk

1 container cooked Minute Rice

Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 container of Minute Rice. Take off heat and cover for 5 minutes.

Thankful for Friends

My friend, Jimmy E. Greene, posted something this Easter morning that touched my soul. Thank you Jimmy.

On this Easter Sunday there is much unrest and anger at the scandals surrounding our diocese, priests and leader.  Critics outside the Church will ask how we adhere to an institution that has so many deep flaws and now this. My first response is that the Catholic tradition of thought and practice is that faith and the physical church are as separate as faith and mortal man.  My faith isn’t shaken anymore by the flaws of a mortal man who is but a conduit then it would be if an earthquake made rubble out of the church building.  Our faith is an inside of us thing and not a flesh and blood or bricks and mortar thing.

I’ll never forget the William James phrase that faith is a “live option” inside of us.   How true.  For me, The Catholic Church is the only religious place that I feel at home in and to renounce it based on the misdeeds of failed priests is to question what and who I had faith in to begin with.  I hope that my community of Catholics uses this to remember that crucial reminder; faith is and always has been the message and not in the messenger.   One does not need a conduit to receive it since there’s a direct line for each us of 24/7/365✝️✝️✝️

That “live option” in each of us is just that...alive.

Vintage Jacobson's

If you ever shopped at Jacobson's then you will understand my joy. I found a cute skirt with pockets (I love pockets because I don't carry a purse). We were at Goodwill in Traverse City, Michigan and I was so surprised to find it had a Jacobson's label. One of the most missed places to shop in Michigan and Florida. I just had to buy it. So for Easter Sunday I'm wearing it with great memories of a wonderful store. And.... It's an 18.... yeah!