When Seein' You Just Breaks My Heart Again

Two types of Hot Fudge Sundaes from the ice cream shop below us.

I seldom allow myself treats from the ice cream shop downstairs but on this day, I broke down.  A Hot Fudge sundae on a chilly day sounded perfectly decadent.  On this particular day, unbeknownst to me, the only day in several years that I felt a strong desire to treat myself to a dessert, the hot fudge machine would not be working.  I asked my mate if he'd be willing to go down and fetch the warming dessert, with any chocolate ice cream flavor.  He obliged and minutes later came rushing in with not one but two ice cream flavor choices!  For a moment I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, but after tasting, realized the fudge was..... cold.  Oh yeah, he apologized that the machine was broken, my mate said nonchalantly as if it wasn't the most important element of the sundae.  My heart sank, I was speechless.  I felt slighted by life and my husband and that kid in the shop.  This tragedy felt so rich is symbolism and I could hear operatic music playing in my head.  With everything that is happening to people in the world, in America, here in New York, even in my little small circle of friends, how could I react so selfishly to something so relatively trivial when real problems plague good people.  What felt like an hour was probably just a moment of silence to recover and  when P asked me how they were, so proud of himself, that he was kind enough to run downstairs and fetch these for his woman, I reluctantly smiled and said, So good!!!  All the while, I secretly wallowed in my own misery.  I resented my husband for not realizing the severity of this calamity.  He didn't even get the flavor of the ice cream right!  Why does God punish me?  I seem to get life lessons through these cruel little symbolic jokes.  Ice cream yes, hot fudge no, chocolate ice cream, no.  Broken hearted but torn between knowing how close I was to pure joy but how these are not real problems.  

Having a full breakfast of fruit, bacon, griddle eggs and toast in my belly helped to ease the pain. 

Beauty I'd Always Missed

White Chicken Chile Lime Soup

This tangy concoction was of my own invention, inspired by my love of creamy and tangy tasting green things, like roasted poblano peppers. cilantro, and lime.

After all we've been through and continue to go through, in the world, thank goodness, that goodness and beauty are always working hard, tapping us on our shoulders and saying, hey, look at me, see me!  The time is now! This will never be again.  Do something good right now!

A day off walk around the hood gave me inspiration for a warming Fall soup. 

White Chile Lime Soup

Onions, chopped

garlic, chopped

poblano peppers (fire roasted stovetop, peeled and diced)

bell peppers, chopped

jalapeno peppers freshly chopped

shredded cooked chicken

sausage (optional)

Slurry of sour cream, chicken stock & corn starch

Chicken Stock

Lime

Cilantro - one bunch, chop up stems, separate from leaves.

Green Onion - chopped

Sour Cream for garnish

Saute the onions and garlic, then add the chopped peppers (add a lot, these are the main star of the soup).  If adding sausage, add now and cook through until it begins to get crispy, before adding the cold chicken stock.  Pick up all bits with wood spoon off the bottom of pan and stir into broth.  Add shredded chicken and all the cilantro stems chopped from the bunch (reserve the leaves).  Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes.  In a cup, add a big dollop of sour cream, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon and stir it into soup slowly. Let cook another 10 minutes to thicken.  In the last five, add the chopped green onions, squeeze a whole juicy lime in and add all the cilantro leaves.

Garnish how you see fit!  I like more lime, green onions and white onion finely chopped.

Eat, relax and be grateful

Don't Make a Bit of Difference, Don't Know Why it Should

Whether you make them correctly or just throw them in a roaster and do a quick fill, stuffed peppers never disappoint.  I saved time by not chopping but roasting seasoned small tomatoes alongside because they taste so good with the peppers.  This way, you could have a bite with the peppers or your salad greens.  I had string cheese sticks, so I scissor cut them on top in the last minutes.  Quick easy and highly satisfying.

In your lifetime you will make so many meals, most you won't remember and the only thing that is important is that you enjoy it while you're actually eating it.  And for that reason, sometimes the speed of prep time might take precedence over proper procedure.  There is also a deep satisfaction in knowing you achieved deep flavor in a smaller amount of time. 

It's Autumn in New York

Halloween decorations around the hood

Fall colors in my $11 Carne platter from Freddy's Taco Truck.  A bounty of seasoned steak on a bed of Mexican rice with black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, 3 corn tortillas and two sauces!  

A strawberry-banana yogurt shake for breakfast

Temu trial haul - a bag-load of very inexpensive stuff got me this $10 hoodie that was a Day of the Dead cat, complete with ears.  Sweet!!

These Are the Days of our Lives

This may be the first pumpkin I ever carved and it was for a movie we shot leading up to Halloween.  I play another wife that gets murdered (insert suspicion of husband and brother-in-law that constantly write in death of wife in short films)

 

And this may have been the ten thousandth chicken I roasted in my lifetime. You live a while, you roast a lot of chickens, that's all I can tell ya.  Many will be succulent and delicious, others dry and uneventful.  Thus are the days of our lives.   Luckily, this was the former and I double carbed it with potatoes and rice.   

Took a walk around the neighborhood and was surprised to see how many flowers still existed at the end of October. 

Everything Bacon and egg bagel for breakfast