Malignant Marriage

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I've got strong feelings about marriage and cancer these days.  Note: I said strong feelings, not clear or rational feelings.  The cancer is on my mind because I've got some routine-ish doctor appointments coming up.  Scans, and blood work and follow-up types of things.  That, and the recent death of Elizabeth Edwards have put cancer, once again, in the front of my mind instead of in that dark, quiet place which I don't often visit.  My thoughts about cancer are musings about why people develop cancer in certain parts of their bodies.  Like me, for instance.  What are the odds of having cancer removed twice from an area as small as the neck?  Isn't it likely that the cancer is in my neck because my head and my heart are in in conflict - and apparently have been for for more than a few years? 

Which leads directly to my current thoughts on marriage... Did you see this article in last week's Sunday New York Times? As I read it, maybe my second time through, I felt as if I might have written it myself - a response which a number of my friends attested to feeling themselves.  My husband even asked me if I was using a pen name because he so clearly recognized what the female author was saying from our own conversations.   While chatting about the article with my writer friend, Rachel, I told her I thought this "little divorced" thing could very well develop into a social phenomena that future anthropologists would be studying for years.  The only question is: is it a revolution or a plague?

Olive Greens



so pretty - so delicious



When faced with a freakishly large head of broccoli rabe, and the desire to limit carbohydrate consumption, what would you do?  If carbs were not an issue, I'd be all about making a pot of polenta, Union Square Cafe-style with milk, Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts.  I've been trying to wean my body off carbohydrate satisfaction, though, so this was not an option.  What I did have available, however, was about a third of a pint of fantastic mixed olives that I had picked up last month at Eataly.  Speaking of which, have you been there yet?  Let me tell you, it is off the hook crazy, fantastic.  When you go have lots of time and lots of money - but don't go hungry.  I personally found it a bit overwhelming because there were so many options - options for dining (eat in/take out/full service) options for products (olive oils, cheeses, meats, baked goods, pastas, wines, chocolates, etc) and beverage (vino, vino, vino).  And, my issues with making choices have been repeatedly documented of late.  I walked out with a large bottle of Ligurian olive oil and a pint of olives and made my way down Fifth Avenue to Otto where their comprehensive menu seemed inherently more manageable to me.

But, to return to the simple task at hand - greens and olives.  I heated up some olive oil (not the Ligurian which unfortunately met an untimely demise when it landed on the ceramic tile in our hotel lobby.  A sad story, but easily enough replaceable.) and made a few cloves of minced garlic golden brown.  I then unceremoniously dumped in my olives, along with the orange peel, slivered hot red peppers and unidentifiable (to me) leafy green herb which accompanied them.  Next up was the freshly washed (purposely not spun dry to add a little liquid to steam), coarsely chopped rabe.  The broccoli rabe needed to be added in batches because the head was so humongous that I couldn't have fit it all in the fairly large saute pan at once.  My "technique" was to fill the pan up, put a lid on it and walk away for a couple of minutes - at this point the heat was somewhere between low and medium, perhaps a 3.5 on a scale of 1-10.  As the rabe wilted, I tossed it around a bit and added more, trying to keep the cooked greens on top of the raw.  I repeated this until the greens were cooked al dente.  To finish, I seasoned with salt and crushed red pepper flakes.  Admittedly, these would have been divine served in a bowl crowning a mound of creamy polenta, but, I thoroughly enjoyed them nonetheless.

Cella Bistro

I've been wanting to get to Cella Bistro for a long, long time.  A recent post on Table Hopping finally made it impossible to not go - open Sunday + 3 courses for $30 = I'm there.  We made a 5:30 reservations and relied on Google maps to get us there, which fortunately worked.  When we arrived, we loitered by the bar area for a few minutes until we were warmly greeted by the apparently sole front of the house employee, Hanna.  She invited us to sit where ever we wanted and brought us menus and water in no time.  The Sunday menu options are limited: only 3 starters, 2 entrees and 2 desserts from which to choose.  Good, I say.  I'm tired of overwhelmingly long menus with far too many choices.  Remember?  I'm suffering from an inability to make choices these days. 

Artichoke deliciousness

We went with a garlicky bean and greens soup and a gorgeous herb and bread crumb stuffed artichoke.  The soup was light, filled with intense garlic flavor and still firm greens - delicious.  The artichoke is something I've always wanted to make but have been too lazy to deal with - tamping the breadcrumb mixture between the leaves just seems to me like something I don't have the time or patience to deal with - kind of like making pie crust or working with phyllo dough.  The artichoke was wonderful - it really set the tone for a homemade tasting Italian meal.  The leaves were tender and there was a small puddle of butter to drag each one through prior to scraping the yummy flesh off between my teeth.

Cavatelli with broccolini

We selected one of each of the two entree options - the eggplant served with pasta on the side and the Sunday gravy with bucatini on the side.  I am a fan of eggplant and the towering portion I received did not disappoint.  The proportion of eggplant to cheese to sauce was spot on and I also really appreciated that eggplant was cooked with respect - it wasn't mushy or crunchy, just perfection.  The cavatelli was lightly coated with garlic and olive oil and accompanied by broccolini.  My only complaint is that I wished for more broccolini - not a huge problem because the portion was literally enough for 3 meals and I was able to add some of my own greens to the leftover pasta during a subsequent meal. 

Eggplant

The Sunday gravy was ridiculous - it totally reminded me of when I dated that (fairly)nice Italian guy many, many years ago and we were expected at Sunday dinner every week where a very similar meal was served.  As was the case with my entree, this meal demanded 2 bowls to contain its goodness.  The first bowl was a couple of meatballs, a couple of sausages, a beef rib (still on the bone) and braciole.  On the side, in its own bowl, was a mound of bucatini, which, if you're not familiar, is a thick, long pasta, kind of a fat spaghetti.  Or, what I'd look like if I had attempted to eat even half of what had been placed in front of me, without the long part, of course.  Sundays, for me, are a day of enjoying family, slowing down, relaxing, and this meal epitomized those desired feelings perfectly in a bowl.  The beef was tenderly falling off the bone, the meatballs were tender, the sausage flavorful and firm.  The braciole was a little different than the one I get regularly at Lupa, but that is by no means a complaint, merely an observation.  There were no criticisms at all about these meals - fantastic flavor, abundant portions, quality ingredients, thoughtful service - the full package.

For dessert we had a trifle and a hunk of tiramisu.  Both were fairly light since the foundational ingredients to both were feather weight sponge-type cake, one being an angel food and the other lady's fingers.  There was a certainty density from the marscapone and cream, but still, these were lovely finales to a worth-waiting-for dining experience.  And - what a value.  Dinner for 2, which essentially translated to 6 meals, with a perfect bottle of Italian red and a fat tip came to $125. 

Now is the winter of our discontent...

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I'm not one to get all Shakespearean on you  - in all honesty, I've never read an entire Shakespeare work in my life; despite having an undergraduate degree in English.  But, this morning while I was looking out the window and watching the glorious white stuff fall from the sky, this quote just popped into my head and felt apt for my mood

While I've loved the flakes falling from the sky, I've been less enamored by the conflicted feelings swirling internally.  If  only I could figure out a way to get away...Sometimes it seems that I am so occupied listening to everyone else's voice that I can't hear my own.  Figuring out what I want, where I want to be, who I want to be, feels more like a continuing saga than an increasingly more illuminated path.  Some time alone, without the distractions (joyful or otherwise) of everyday life, would probably go a long way in making me feel a bit more grounded and serene. 

I know this will pass.  I believe each day brings me closer to a deeper understanding, a more clear acceptance of self and others, but, there are days when this holding pattern I find myself flying within feels more than a little constricting.  For now, I remain optimistically pessimistic. 

Naughty vs. Nice (or Date Night with 2 Lilly Boys)

Before I share my impressions and experience as a spectator at the Slay Belles Rollerderby event this past Saturday night, I have a confession to make... I'm not always nice.  Often, I stop just short of being naughty, sometimes of my own volition sometimes due to another's influence.  There - I feel better now that I've shared that fact. 

Saturday night, I was travelling light with only 2 Lilly boys in tow.  After a fantastic dinner at Emperor's Palace, we headed west in the family wagon, for a new adventure: Roller Derby.

Thanks to the generous folks at All Over Albany, I scored a couple of tickets to the Troy Hellion's Slay Belles - Naughty vs. Nice intra-league bout which was held at Rollarama in Schenectady.  I have no prior experience with roller derbies, (despite what you may have heard) other than a vague memory of some movie from my childhood.  After attending my first roller derby, I have to admit, I still don't know much about it as a sporting event, but, as a good time, I can now say, I'm quite familiar. 

From what I could gather, roller derby is essentially a race between 2 individuals on opposing teams.  The purpose of the remaining team members seems to be to block the opposite team as their "racer" tries to get around the track fastest.  While this may be a succinct description of roller derby, it doesn't begin to describe the highlight of the evening for me - the outfits!  Anytime fishnets, rollerskates and shiny lingerie can be worn together in public, is a banner event, as far as I'm concerned.  Add a little (or a lot) of eyeliner and a feather boa or two, and you've got yourself a good time.  More photos below...

Forced

Have you ever forced Paper White bulbs?  It is one of the easiest, most satisfying, indoor gardening projects imaginable. 

Like each of us, they sometimes require a little support.

1. Purchase a few bulbs - I think I bought a dozen for about $20 at Hewitt's.  
2. Stick them in a pot of soil or even on a pile of gravel suspended over water in a jar. 
3. Water when you remember keeping the soil somewhere between not wet and not dry.
4. Watch them grow.
5. Enjoy their beauty and fragrance.

The flowers should last at least 2 weeks.

These took about 3 or 4 weeks from purchase to bloom.  Buy some today and you could be sniffing them for the New Year.

See the similarities to daffodils?

If only lighting a candle could make it so...

What would your candle say today?