Now that our Christmas feasting is over -- or, should I say, in a lull until New Year's -- I thought I'd share our food highlights from Christmas week. As is our usual modus operandi, none of the recipes here are terribly difficult, and almost all are online. Here are our favorites from the past week. For each one, click on the title and you will connect to the online recipe. Enjoy!
1. Panettone Bread Pudding This was easy and delicious. Instead of prunes, I soaked dried cherries in grappa (my new favorite liquor to cook with). It was easy to make ahead, though would be even better served warm from the oven. I served it with Dulce de Leche Sauce and whipped cream. Grown up and yummy.
2. Beef Tenderloin with a Garlic Crust. No recipe here. Just combine several cloves of chopped garlic with oregano, salt and pepper. Use your hands to pat the mixture onto a large, long beef tenderloin, which has been removed from the refrigerator to come close to room temperature for quicker cooking. Sear the tenderloin in a large pan until browned on all sides, then cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, to a temperature of 110 degrees on a digital meat thermometer. Let the beef sit a while to cook a bit more, then slice. Everyone's happy.
3. Roasted Beets with Orange and Goat Cheese. This is a very easy way to make a beet dish for a crowd. The most difficult part of the dish is peeling the beets, which is really just annoying, not difficult. For 8 people, peel and quarter approximately 12 medium-sized beets. Place in roasting pan and sprinkle with olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees approximately 30 minutes, until browned and tender. As beets cool, squeeze half an orange over the beets. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese, a bit of salt and pepper, and serve.
4. Banana Coconut Muffins. These muffins have turned into a staple in our house (much like Nonna Santopietro's Italian cookies). They are incredibly easy to make, last for several days, and are very tasty. I have no idea how many calories are in each muffin, but they're worth it. I make them in a regular muffin pan, in large foil muffin cups. Of course I don't toast the coconut -- an extra step that is too bothersome -- but I do sprinkle either coconut or cinnamon-sugar on top for a nice extra boost. Of all the recipes, I suggest trying this sooner than later. It doesn't have to be holiday season to whip these up.
5. Catherine's Holiday Antipasto. Anyone who's been to any party at my house has had a version of this antipasto. I've included it here as a suggestion for anyone hosting a small crowd. You can do this ahead, without cooking, and look like a professional caterer. All you need is a large platter and a good shopper to purchase the specific list of ingredients. First, cover the platter with a combination of cut-up romaine, baby spinach, or whatever greens you prefer. The greens act as the base of the antipasto. Onto the greens, place any combination of the following, each placed in a reasonable but significant amount to wow your guests: salami, prosciutto and provolone, each rolled up separately; small fresh mozzarella balls; thinly sliced roasted red peppers; drained pepperoncini; canned, drained tuna packed in olive oil (I buy Pastene); quartered marinated artichokes (also Pastene); marinated mushrooms; any combination of olives, green or black; cherry tomatoes; prosciutto and ham-stuffed cherry peppers; and sun-dried tomatoes, for an extra boost and color. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a cool spot until serving. Serve alongside cruets of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with a good loaf of fresh sliced Italian bread. Trust me, it's easy, no-cook, and delicious.
6. Homemade Caramel Popcorn. Last but not least, here is the recipe for the caramel popcorn that I use as gifts throughout the holidays. While not SO easy to make, the taste is worth it. I double the recipe, use a candy thermometer, and then put it in bags for teachers, friends, etc. I spray cooking spray directly onto my granite island top, spread out the cooked popcorn, then pour the caramel directly onto the island. I then use a spatula to scoop it all together before placing it on a baking sheet and breaking it into pieces. You have to move kind of quickly, before the sugar completely hardens. Let me know if you try it, and how it turns out!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Card? What Christmas Card?
Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope these days between Christmas and New Year's are finding you and your family healthy, rested, and still speaking to each other after days of togetherness and family bonding. Holiday togetherness brings out the best, and sometimes worst, in my family, with never a dull moment in between. Why is that?
Meanwhile, I am trying to get things together to put the family Christmas card in the mail. I have the cards all signed, addressed and ready to go. The problem is the picture. Right now, I have a better picture of the three dogs than I do of the three children. I tried to get pictures of the three children with the three dogs, but that's nearly impossible. So, I'm thinking that I will post all of the pictures here, and post the following Holiday Message in lieu of a card? We'll see. In case I don't get to the card, here is the Sullivan Holiday Newsletter that you will be happy I'm not sending....
Greetings from the Sullivan Family! Hope the New Year is finding you all as fabulous as we are. We have had just an amazing and incredible year, and want to share the details of our incredible good fortune and hard work with all of our dozens of closest friends and family around the world. I know you all will find our lives and our experiences as incredible as we do.
This year we had no weddings, no college graduations, no engagements, no transatlantic journeys, no home construction projects, no family reunions, no rehab, no meetings with world leaders, and no significant awards of any kind. Somehow, we managed to have an incredible year, as you will no doubt agree.
William, our oldest son, who changed his identity when he changed his primary residence, is still in college (stay posted on this, as kids everywhere are returning home for the holidays to stay....). Trey is simply fabulous now that he is in Charleston, South Carolina. He went from a school with no girls to a school with 65% girls, so you can imagine his and our every day delight at his change in social circumstances. Trey was named President of his fraternity pledge class, which is fabulous, because it means he is the primary source of funding for all of the upperclassmen's social necessities, which is wonderful. Oh, and did I mention his fraternity is completely dry? My children are so wonderful that none of them ever drinks any alcoholic beverages at all, ever.
Ethan also did incredibly well this past year. He is the smartest, fastest, cutest, tallest, nicest, most well-rounded and empathetic 16 year-old we know. Ethan never seems to have any time for himself, as he is constantly focused on what he can do for others, especially his sister, Julia. Their bond is incredibly close, and I am just amazed every day at how loving and kind they are to each other. I know those bonds will last a lifetime and are a model for others. Ethan spends every day volunteering, getting straight A's, being elected officer of one club or another, and generally being nice to others. It is truly amazing how he requires almost no sleep yet maintains a sunny and cheery disposition throughout the day and night. That's just our Ethan.
Julia is also incredible these days. She loves her brothers, and is a shining star not only in our family but to all who are lucky enough to be in her presence. Julia shines at school, in the pool, at home, in the backyard, while walking the dog, and well, everywhere she goes. Julia's lack of drama, unlike so many other 9 year-old girls, simply amazes us. Perhaps Julia's sunny personality can be traced to filling what little free time she has with reading, walking the dogs, and doing crafts, and not watching any TV or playing computer games. We marvel at how Julia manages to have dozens of friends vying for any time she has left over, and how she loves her daily violin and swim practice. As with her brothers, we find ourselves incredibly lucky just to be in Julia's presence every day.
As for Bill and me, we are just incredible. Together and more in love than ever after all these years. In fact, we love each other more and more with each day we have together. It is simply incredible how easy it is to ignore each other's snoring and farting day after day after day. The two of us became incredibly close during the presidential election, as we found ourselves agreeing on nearly every issue and candidate. We were both incredibly disappointed, and shocked, when the McCain-Palin ticket succumbed, and, frankly, are worried for the country in these admittedly historic times.
We hope you all had as an incredible year as we did, and that your children are as loving and successful as ours. It's okay if life isn't always fabulous and incredible, but make sure not to tell us so in your holiday newsletter; it would spoil all the fun!
Meanwhile, I am trying to get things together to put the family Christmas card in the mail. I have the cards all signed, addressed and ready to go. The problem is the picture. Right now, I have a better picture of the three dogs than I do of the three children. I tried to get pictures of the three children with the three dogs, but that's nearly impossible. So, I'm thinking that I will post all of the pictures here, and post the following Holiday Message in lieu of a card? We'll see. In case I don't get to the card, here is the Sullivan Holiday Newsletter that you will be happy I'm not sending....
Greetings from the Sullivan Family! Hope the New Year is finding you all as fabulous as we are. We have had just an amazing and incredible year, and want to share the details of our incredible good fortune and hard work with all of our dozens of closest friends and family around the world. I know you all will find our lives and our experiences as incredible as we do.
This year we had no weddings, no college graduations, no engagements, no transatlantic journeys, no home construction projects, no family reunions, no rehab, no meetings with world leaders, and no significant awards of any kind. Somehow, we managed to have an incredible year, as you will no doubt agree.
William, our oldest son, who changed his identity when he changed his primary residence, is still in college (stay posted on this, as kids everywhere are returning home for the holidays to stay....). Trey is simply fabulous now that he is in Charleston, South Carolina. He went from a school with no girls to a school with 65% girls, so you can imagine his and our every day delight at his change in social circumstances. Trey was named President of his fraternity pledge class, which is fabulous, because it means he is the primary source of funding for all of the upperclassmen's social necessities, which is wonderful. Oh, and did I mention his fraternity is completely dry? My children are so wonderful that none of them ever drinks any alcoholic beverages at all, ever.
Ethan also did incredibly well this past year. He is the smartest, fastest, cutest, tallest, nicest, most well-rounded and empathetic 16 year-old we know. Ethan never seems to have any time for himself, as he is constantly focused on what he can do for others, especially his sister, Julia. Their bond is incredibly close, and I am just amazed every day at how loving and kind they are to each other. I know those bonds will last a lifetime and are a model for others. Ethan spends every day volunteering, getting straight A's, being elected officer of one club or another, and generally being nice to others. It is truly amazing how he requires almost no sleep yet maintains a sunny and cheery disposition throughout the day and night. That's just our Ethan.
Julia is also incredible these days. She loves her brothers, and is a shining star not only in our family but to all who are lucky enough to be in her presence. Julia shines at school, in the pool, at home, in the backyard, while walking the dog, and well, everywhere she goes. Julia's lack of drama, unlike so many other 9 year-old girls, simply amazes us. Perhaps Julia's sunny personality can be traced to filling what little free time she has with reading, walking the dogs, and doing crafts, and not watching any TV or playing computer games. We marvel at how Julia manages to have dozens of friends vying for any time she has left over, and how she loves her daily violin and swim practice. As with her brothers, we find ourselves incredibly lucky just to be in Julia's presence every day.
As for Bill and me, we are just incredible. Together and more in love than ever after all these years. In fact, we love each other more and more with each day we have together. It is simply incredible how easy it is to ignore each other's snoring and farting day after day after day. The two of us became incredibly close during the presidential election, as we found ourselves agreeing on nearly every issue and candidate. We were both incredibly disappointed, and shocked, when the McCain-Palin ticket succumbed, and, frankly, are worried for the country in these admittedly historic times.
We hope you all had as an incredible year as we did, and that your children are as loving and successful as ours. It's okay if life isn't always fabulous and incredible, but make sure not to tell us so in your holiday newsletter; it would spoil all the fun!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Indignation
I just read a book review of the novel Indignation by Philip Roth. For those of you unfamiliar with Roth, he is one of the most prolific and respected American writers of our time. Of course, if you are not Jewish and male, it's entirely possible you haven't heard of him, since his most famous (recurring) character is Nathan Zuckerman, as in Goodbye, Columbus, etc. His most recent novel is Indignation, about -- and I'm only guessing here since I didn't actually read the book (who has time to read these days?) but only read the NYTimes Review of the book, which was fairly cryptic so as not to give away the plot highlights -- a dead man fairly indignant (get it?) with his circumstances.
I don't expect you to go out and buy Roth's book. I do expect you to marvel at a 75 year-old who is able not only to write a well-respected, complex and thoughtful novel but also able to churn out three such novels in the past three years. How does he do it? You get the feeling that he has a lot to say before he has to rely substantially on ghost writers (coincidentally, the title of one of his books). Roth has won a Pulitzer, a National Book Award, and countless other literary awards over the years. So, I'm a Catholic girl completely inspired by a guy like Roth, even though he's a bit indignant about life, and life in America, these days (if you've read Roth's book, American Pastoral, which won the Pulitzer Prize, I think you'll agree).
What does Philip Roth have to do with my life these days? Nothing, really. Except that I love the word Indignant. And think it's so completely perfect a word to describe that state of mind, without the need for further explanation.
As we get older, there is no doubt our consciousness takes one of two paths. We either mellow, or become increasingly critical, with the events and people around us. You don't have to be 75 to have this happen to you. It happens all through life, where you (hopefully) mature to the point where you can either increasingly go with the flow, so to speak, or fight back. Of course, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, and you can be mellow one minute and critical the next.
What I'm trying to say (yes, yes, get to it ....) is that the whole point of this blog was an attempt on my part to take a more mellow approach to life swirling around me, and around my family. I'm still doing everything I can to take that approach, but it isn't always easy. There is always the danger of becoming indignant over the frenzy. Because, well, the danger seems especially real these days. Especially when,
The puppy peed on Ethan's bed last week, requiring a new mattress (it really was time for a new one, but it's nice to be able to choose the time, rather than have it chosen for you by an over-excited mutt); we lost power for 48 hours last week, causing near total upheaval; we had a full weekend of swimming in Cambridge, MA (45 minutes from our house) including trials/finals (swim in the morning and at night, with a break in between for swimmers (not parents) to eat/sleep; the ice storm that caused the power outage caused considerable destruction of trees and lots of cleanup; Julia and I had an orchestra concert on Sunday afternoon (power came back on Saturday at 6 pm), followed by dinner at our house for my mother's birthday (about 20 people for lasagna); Chloe (12 year-old golden retriever) is suffering from another bout with lyme disease; Leila (puppy) got neutered yesterday and can't play with the other dogs but has to be walked several times daily; icy conditions led to an early morning drive back and forth to St. Johns yesterday and likely Friday; big snowstorm coming Friday night; have to pick up Will from airport tonight; have to retrieve Ethan from water polo camp at Deerfield (2 hours away) on Sunday late afternoon; was in the car on the way to deposition last week and called to confirm time, only to be told counsel had rescheduled without confirming; lots of legal memos under construction; don't have an xmas tree yet, nor ANY presents wrapped; still need to get ready presents for teachers and coaches (not to mention host/hostesses of open houses and my neighbors who removed the snow from the end of my driveway.... oh, and the winner of the Biggest Loser weighs less than me? How can that be? And, why do you have to weigh 250 pounds to get on there, anyways; couldn't we all use a personal trainer and a spa vacation from our kids (not to mention dogssssss)?
Anything else? Well, to be honest, and mellow, at least we have power. And healthy kids. And a house. And presents to wrap. And work. And, a winning candidate (out of Chicago in the nick of time?). And the Celtics and Bruins are winning (though who knows what will happen to the Patriots).
So, you might say I'm doing everything I can to remain completely UN-Indignant with respect to events surrounding us these days. It certainly isn't easy. In fact, it's all too easy to rant and rave at circumstances facing the country, like the economy, stupid; events facing the world, like continuous threats from complete whack jobs; and everday situations concerning my family, like the changing landscape of Christmas as kids get older and Santa (and God) are harder to discern; and, well, events generally (NB: I absolutely refuse to join a soccer league, if only to hold back the oncoming tidal wave).
Un-Indignant is a good thing, considering I'd give myself a complete heart attack at this point if I didn't go with the flow. Not that it's easy. Many times I find myself on the edge of holding it together, honestly, and only the complete fear of what may happen if I succumb holds me there. Believe it or not, I find myself buying more and more sugar cereal for my kids as a sort of panacea for the insanity of activities and school they have to face each day. Crazy? You betcha.
p.s. from the list above, you can cross off the pick-up at the airport tonight; Will just called to say flight was cancelled, he's coming in tomorrow at 11:30 (so much for my re-scheduled hair appointment...).
I don't expect you to go out and buy Roth's book. I do expect you to marvel at a 75 year-old who is able not only to write a well-respected, complex and thoughtful novel but also able to churn out three such novels in the past three years. How does he do it? You get the feeling that he has a lot to say before he has to rely substantially on ghost writers (coincidentally, the title of one of his books). Roth has won a Pulitzer, a National Book Award, and countless other literary awards over the years. So, I'm a Catholic girl completely inspired by a guy like Roth, even though he's a bit indignant about life, and life in America, these days (if you've read Roth's book, American Pastoral, which won the Pulitzer Prize, I think you'll agree).
What does Philip Roth have to do with my life these days? Nothing, really. Except that I love the word Indignant. And think it's so completely perfect a word to describe that state of mind, without the need for further explanation.
As we get older, there is no doubt our consciousness takes one of two paths. We either mellow, or become increasingly critical, with the events and people around us. You don't have to be 75 to have this happen to you. It happens all through life, where you (hopefully) mature to the point where you can either increasingly go with the flow, so to speak, or fight back. Of course, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, and you can be mellow one minute and critical the next.
What I'm trying to say (yes, yes, get to it ....) is that the whole point of this blog was an attempt on my part to take a more mellow approach to life swirling around me, and around my family. I'm still doing everything I can to take that approach, but it isn't always easy. There is always the danger of becoming indignant over the frenzy. Because, well, the danger seems especially real these days. Especially when,
The puppy peed on Ethan's bed last week, requiring a new mattress (it really was time for a new one, but it's nice to be able to choose the time, rather than have it chosen for you by an over-excited mutt); we lost power for 48 hours last week, causing near total upheaval; we had a full weekend of swimming in Cambridge, MA (45 minutes from our house) including trials/finals (swim in the morning and at night, with a break in between for swimmers (not parents) to eat/sleep; the ice storm that caused the power outage caused considerable destruction of trees and lots of cleanup; Julia and I had an orchestra concert on Sunday afternoon (power came back on Saturday at 6 pm), followed by dinner at our house for my mother's birthday (about 20 people for lasagna); Chloe (12 year-old golden retriever) is suffering from another bout with lyme disease; Leila (puppy) got neutered yesterday and can't play with the other dogs but has to be walked several times daily; icy conditions led to an early morning drive back and forth to St. Johns yesterday and likely Friday; big snowstorm coming Friday night; have to pick up Will from airport tonight; have to retrieve Ethan from water polo camp at Deerfield (2 hours away) on Sunday late afternoon; was in the car on the way to deposition last week and called to confirm time, only to be told counsel had rescheduled without confirming; lots of legal memos under construction; don't have an xmas tree yet, nor ANY presents wrapped; still need to get ready presents for teachers and coaches (not to mention host/hostesses of open houses and my neighbors who removed the snow from the end of my driveway.... oh, and the winner of the Biggest Loser weighs less than me? How can that be? And, why do you have to weigh 250 pounds to get on there, anyways; couldn't we all use a personal trainer and a spa vacation from our kids (not to mention dogssssss)?
Anything else? Well, to be honest, and mellow, at least we have power. And healthy kids. And a house. And presents to wrap. And work. And, a winning candidate (out of Chicago in the nick of time?). And the Celtics and Bruins are winning (though who knows what will happen to the Patriots).
So, you might say I'm doing everything I can to remain completely UN-Indignant with respect to events surrounding us these days. It certainly isn't easy. In fact, it's all too easy to rant and rave at circumstances facing the country, like the economy, stupid; events facing the world, like continuous threats from complete whack jobs; and everday situations concerning my family, like the changing landscape of Christmas as kids get older and Santa (and God) are harder to discern; and, well, events generally (NB: I absolutely refuse to join a soccer league, if only to hold back the oncoming tidal wave).
Un-Indignant is a good thing, considering I'd give myself a complete heart attack at this point if I didn't go with the flow. Not that it's easy. Many times I find myself on the edge of holding it together, honestly, and only the complete fear of what may happen if I succumb holds me there. Believe it or not, I find myself buying more and more sugar cereal for my kids as a sort of panacea for the insanity of activities and school they have to face each day. Crazy? You betcha.
p.s. from the list above, you can cross off the pick-up at the airport tonight; Will just called to say flight was cancelled, he's coming in tomorrow at 11:30 (so much for my re-scheduled hair appointment...).
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