Monthly Archives: May 2010
Sunny Days
(Word to the wise: when you are digging in the garden and the shovel isn’t going into the earth, jumping on the shovel can be a bad idea, especially when the shovel hits the rock that is in the way. Recent experience shows that your back bears the brunt of the recoil.)
After nearly two weeks of acute lower back pain, I’m finally on the mend. I was terribly uncomfortable for days and days. It hurt to sit, it hurt to sleep. It didn’t hurt as much to stand. It didn’t hurt to walk the dog. At work, my friend Eric rigged a set of boxes to prop up my monitor and keyboard so I could work standing up. That setup definitely helped get me through the days.
Since Friday, I’ve been relatively pain-free and almost back to normal. I’m not sure what the turning point was, but I’m happy to have passed it.
We had GREAT weather this weekend, perfect for gardening. However, I resisted the urge to dig or weed in order to rest my healing back a little longer. I did not resist the urge to buy plants, though. I have some new geraniums waiting to be potted, a huge hanging fuschia plant, another fuschia waiting to be repotted, and some small shrubs (‘Ivory Jade’ euonymous and boxwood) to replace the inkberries under the magnolia tree out front. Now I just have to remember to keep everything watered until I can dig some holes.
We had a fun-filled weekend overall. This weekend, Lexington had Open Studios where many local artists showed their work. We visited my friends Cassandra (photography) and Joyce (prints) to see their work and saw others as well. It also was the library book sale, always a highlight for me, especially the $5 bag sale on the last day. I always find some treasures that I didn’t know I couldn’t live without. We met friends for dinner on Saturday and shared a birthday celebration with John, Laury, and Isabel tonight.
This morning, I read this timely blog by one of my favorite cookbook authors Dorie Greenspan. It was about spending the morning shopping, for food and other things, only to arrive home and not have anything to eat for lunch. From a can of salmon and other pantry/refrigerator ingredients, she created a lovely lunch. I found myself in the same situation today. Dorie’s post inspired me to open a can of salmon and do the same. Mine ended up like a sort of salmon guacamole. It was quite tasty.
Salmon Guacamole
Serves 2
1 can (6 oz) salmon, drained (I used Wild Alaska salmon)
1 handful (about 6-8) grape tomatoes, quartered
2 scallions, sliced
1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
1 avocado, diced
1 Tbsp lime juice
Salt & pepper to taste
Sliced Challah
In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the bread, with a fork until combined well.
Serve open-faced on slices of challah.
Ocho de Mayo (Cinco de Mayo Postponed)
We usually make margaritas and have a Mexican dinner on May 5th to observe Cinco de Mayo, even though, according to Wikipedia, Cinco de Mayo is an insignificant Mexican holiday, observed by more Americans than Mexicans. This year, on the 5th, Howard was still on a business trip to Chicago, so our celebration was delayed until the weekend.
Today was rainy, pouring buckets at times, with some thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure. Howard lucked out on the timing of Bella’s walks. He managed to take her out when it was only sprinkling lightly or not at all.
We had a relatively lazy day. We had planned to go to Maine, but the weather didn’t look good. Instead, we combined a shopping errand in Beverly with lunch at Woodman’s in Essex, where the fried clam was invented. Of course, we had fried clams (with bellies), with fries and onion rings. It was greasy and salty and wonderfully decadent.
Dinner was our delayed Cinco de Mayo meal. To start, Howard made his mango guacamole. I made margaritas. We had rice baked with tomatillo sauce topped with shrimp and bacon. It was sort of like a paella, but not exactly. For one thing, the flavors were Mexican, not Spanish. For another, it was mostly baked, not cooked on the stovetop. And, finally, it was much easier to make. It went nicely with a salad of baby arugula with a dressing I made with more tomatillo sauce.
Tomatillo Rice with Shrimp and Bacon
Adapted from Salsas That Cook by Rick Bayless
Serves 6
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups arborio rice
2 cups tomatillo sauce (from a jar, or using recipe here)
1 cup water
½ tsp salt
4 scallions, sliced
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
Generous amount of chopped cilantro
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a small Dutch oven or another pot, over medium heat, sautee the bacon until the fat renders and the bacon crisps. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and reserve.
You will need about 1 Tbsp fat for the next step. If the bacon wasn’t very fatty, as the bacon from that I used Chestnut Farms was not, add some vegetable oil. If there is a lot of fat, remove the extra from the pan.
Saute the rice for about 5 minutes, until it is lightly browned. Stir in the tomatilla sauce, and let it cook for about 1 minute. Add the water, salt, and scallions. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir again, cover, and turn off the heat.
Place the pot in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven (keep it on), and arrange the shrimp on top of the rice. Cover and return the pot to the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the shrimp cooks through.
Sprinkle bacon and cilantro over the shrimp, toss everything together with a fork, and serve.
Margaritas
Makes 2-4 (depending on the size of the glasses)
3 oz tequila (Jose Cuervo Gold)
1½ oz Triple Sec
1 6-oz can frozen limeade concentrate
3 cups crushed ice
In a blender, add all the ingredients in the order listed. Turn the blender on high, and puree until the margaritas are smooth and slushy.
If you want, rub the rim of the glasses with a cut lime, then dip the rims in a plate of kosher salt.
Fill glasses and enjoy.
A Plateful of Happiness 