Category Archives: Food

Dinner for ten

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I spent most of last week worrying about making a dinner party on Sunday. When I lived in Chicago I made frequent, large parties. I had a wonderful kitchen, large dining room table and all the other necessary paraphernalia. Most of it went bye-bye in the big house sale before I left. I made one party, not a sit-down dinner, in New Jersey, celebrating my birthday, getting a master's degree and being laid off and retired from a job I wanted to quit. Since then, very little cooking and no parties.

My neighbors have been wonderful to me and I wanted to reciprocate in some way–thus the dinner party. I have a terrible kitchen,  but a nice size dining room with a table and six chairs I acquired after I moved. My first problem was a table cloth or some other table covering. Since I was going from a comfortable six to an intimate ten, placemats weren't going to do it. I looked at table covers and runners in IKEA; nothing pleased me. Finally decided to go through my stash of fabrics and found three yards of something I had originally used at least thirty years ago to cover my dining room chairs in Chicago. The selvages were fringed so I finished the two ends by fringing them and used it wrong side up, which made it look more like a table cloth. I only had seven dinner plates, having split those with my EX. IKEA had glass plates for a dollar each–I used five of my old white plates and five of the slightly smaller glass plates. Fortunately, I still had enough glassware and silver. Then there was the menu.

Robin and Steve were invited and they would not eat meat at my house; I don't keep kosher. I thought about making an all vegetarian dinner, but wasn't sure about the rest of the guests. I also considered small appetizer kinds of things; decided it was too much work. My energy will only go so far. After a week of deep thought I decided on salmon with yogurt sauce, squash and pear crumble, bulgur wheat pilaf with dried apricots and a green salad. I made three shopping trips, but did all the work on Sunday and even had time for a nap. My recipe ideas came from the internet. I don't know where I'd be without my computer. And it makes me feel great to know I can still do it.

Eating again

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Another beautiful day in the 'burgh. When I left the house before 11 am I thought it would be cold and wore a heavy coat. We walked the dog, and it got warmer. Then we took a walk in Schenley Park and I was sweating by the time we finished. It stayed warm for an hour or so, then cooled off just as quickly. I think I need two coats for this kind of weather.

Renee and I went to lunch at Hokkaido, a seafood buffet, recently opened that I've been wanting to try. I still need an eating companion to go to restaurants with me, so I'm taking advantage of Renee's visit. The restaurant was good; I enjoyed the Chinese dim sum kinds of things and the sushi. I'd like to go back again soon. I try not to overeat at buffets; I just like the chance to taste lots of different things.

Day after

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Alice, you owe me a gold star. but, I'm just barely making it. It's 11:25 pm, I just got in and my eyes are closing. Went over to Robin's about 12 hours ago, had lunch (mostly not the left overs), then Renee and I went to a movie–An Education. We had trouble understanding the dialog–British accents, bad sound system–but the acting was good enough to hold our attention regardless. Came back for Shabat dinner (mostly the leftovers) then dessert (really great cakes) at a friend's. All in all another good day.

Mage, I was taking the picture; I'm not in it. My hair is still not entirely white.

I'll explain about Hanukah bushes next week.

Great dinner

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We had a lovely, small Thanksgiving: Robin, Steve, Charna, Renee, my Chinese ESL student and wife, and me. As usual Robin made enough great food for two or three times as many people. We'll eat well for the rest of the week. It was nice having my Chinese friends; they learned about American customs and we learned a lot about Chinese customs. I think I enjoy my ESL tutoring so much because I learn at least as much as my students. Here are some pictures from yesterday's visit to the farm:

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The two donkeys were the cutest.

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Black Angus pets.

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Renee photographing our hostess's kitchen.

Visiting Cleveland

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We went to Cleveland today, Renee and I, taking my Russian ESL student along with us. It's not a bad drive–about 2 1/2 hours. I've been wanting to go to the Westside Market since I read about it in Kathryn's blog. We were hugely disappointed to find the market closed on Tuesday.

Our second destination was the art museum. Google directions took us on secondary roads across downtown Cleveland and about eight miles east, the slow way. We finally got there and had a somewhat nondescript lunch at the botanical garden across the street from the museum. Then on to the Gauguin show. What did I like best? A beautiful van Gogh drawing and a Kuniyoshi print. I know this sounds a little down, but we really had a good time, talking, laughing, looking at the city.

Holiday week

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Renee came from New York today and will spend the week with me. I am delighted to have her here, but if I manage to post every day this week, I should get an extra gold star. We had a good time shopping at IKEA then going out for dinner. Even though I seldom cook for myself I don't often go out to eat. I don't like going to dinner alone and rarely have anyone to go with.

We went to a new place called Plum in East Liberty. It's supposed to be pan Asian cooking. We had great hot and sour soup, shrimp and scallops with lemon grass, baby bok choy and perfectly cooked snow peas, and an Indonesian style dish: Mee Goreng. I'm really pleased to have this place nearby. Now I have to find other people to go with me.

Dear Mage

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Your comments always make me think. It's interesting to look back at some of this stuff 50 years later. I wasn't great; just a miserable child trying to follow rules I couldn't live with. I chose the high road because there were limits to what I could do to defy my mother, and I needed desperately to get away from her. I never seriously considered running away from home, although that's what I was trying to do. Probably what kept me safe was that my only drug of choice is food. I don't have to tell you–I'm still fighting that battle. Now I know I would have been much better off if I had been going toward something, instead of running away. It took be the better part of 60 years to learn that one.

Thanks for writing.

On the road again

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Actually, I'm in
a hotel in San Francisco, sightseeing and keeping Robin company while
she attends her yearly Java conference. I've spent the entire day
walking around and now I'm back in the hotel too wiped out to do much
of anything but watch TV and write this post. I began the day at the
Andersen Bakery, Crocker Galleria, for breakfast. The bakery is
actually from Japan, but not quite as good here. Across the street
there is a sign: YARN–Art Fiber. I was looking forward to going there,
but found it was gone, possibly another victim of our current economic
problems.

I
walked over to the tourist office on Market Street to pick up maps and
current info then spent time in Nordstroms. I'm not a big shopper, but
I have picked up some choice things there. Not today, though. Sometimes
I find the fashion offerings dismaying.

Last year, on
the last day of my visit here, I was walking through that same shopping
mall killing time while waiting for Robin to get finished at her
conference, and I was given a taste of grilled beef from Buckhorn
Grill. It was delicious, but we were scheduled to go out for dinner to Greens,
so I did not indulge. I've been thinking about that meat all year.
Actually, I thought I'd never get back here. Robin didn't think she
would come back to the conference, and I certainly wasn't coming back
here alone. Needless to say, I headed right back there  for lunch.

There are things
in the world one ought to appreciate without trying to expand on them.
Lunch was good, but not nearly as good as that one tiny piece of meat.
I had heartburn all afternoon and probably ruined my cholesterol.I eat very little meat. I thought it was on principle, but maybe I don't digest it very well. 

The new Jewish Museum
is just down Mission Street. The had an interesting exhibit of Passover
Seder Plates and an excellent exhibit about Marc Chagall and the
Russian Jewish Theater.The building
that now houses the museum was originally a power station, one of the
first buildings to be restored after the 1906 earthquake, now repurposed by Daniel Liebeskind, the architect who designed the New York 9/11 memorial.

I needed to sit down so I got on a bus and went to Japan town to the Kinokuniya bookstore. The website says it's just like visiting Japan, an amazing exaggeration. Lots
more walking then back on the bus to the Embarcadero to the Acme
Bakery. I recalled getting walnut whole wheat bread there last year and
was able to get it again–without doubt one of my favorite things to
eat and very hard to find.

Still walking

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The weather the last few days has been conducive to walking and I'm taking advantage of it. On Thursday I went to the Strip, an area with restaurants, night clubs and many old time food stores. I was looking for poppy seeds, one of the essentials for food for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which occurs tomorrow and Tuesday. I found poppy seeds in two places (usually not so easy to do) and bought what probably constitutes a lifetime supply. Robin used some to make a stuffed challah (with onions and poppy seeds) for Shabat dinner on Friday. Today she will probably make hamantaschen, I hope. While this errand involved some walking it was not enough.

Darcy was full of energy when I got to Robin's to drop off the poppy seeds, so I took her for a long walk. I always seem to need some motivation in order to get going. We walked over to Mellon Park where she sat for a long time watching other dogs playing. Usually she hates other dogs and will bark and snap at them, but she seems to like watching them run around and play. I can't let her off leash; even if she behaved with other dogs she really couldn't run around with them.

Friday I walked over to the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt. That's about 3.5 miles and I was very proud of myself. Yesterday I walked to the Squirrel Hill Theater to see Milk. That was 2.5 miles each way and on both days I still had energy when I got home. It's been raining a little this morning, but I'm thinking about going out soon. Just haven't figured out where to go.

Numbers rule my life

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The sun is shining; there is snow on the ground and it is minus six degrees here in Pittsburgh with a high of four degrees predicted. Yesterday was similarly cold; I don't remember seeing the sun. My class was canceled yesterday. I thought about going to work out, but never got there. Today, I'm not even thinking about it. Instead I spent about a half hour doing my leg exercises.

Exercise has become very important to me. I lost about 15 pounds while I was in Asia because I was doing so much walking. I confess I was not on a diet. I ate very well in China and frequently had chocolate or other candies. In Japan, I ate a lot of bread, sweet rolls, and other no-no's. For most of those two months I walked most of every day. I don't do that here. On days like today, I won't walk at all.

I don't want to gain back the weight–altogether too easy for me to do. So I have no nosh in the house. I have food; I'm not going hungry. There is tofu, spinach, another kind of tofu, tomatoes, clementines, but no sweet rolls, scones, cookies, not even popcorn. It's driving me nuts. I've been working on my China book with breaks to continue organizing my work room. Every so often I get up, walk into the kitchen, remember there is nothing I want to eat and go back to work. It's very difficult. Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to 19 degrees–I'll go out and walk.