He's A Magic Man(dolin)

I love my new job as the unofficial spokesperson for the As Seen on TV Veggetti! I can't say enough about how it's brought back the joys of eating a large plate of noodles with garlic and good olive oil, red pepper flakes maybe some anchovies melted in.

This time I made a quick, and I mean quick little meat sauce to go alongside.  15 minutes and this was ready to plate. That is the beauty of the Veggetti.  Cooking time is like 3 minutes and the possibilities are endless.  I threw in some kale and baby spinach, sweet onions and fresh oregano.

When I Get to the Bottom, I Go Back to the Top of the Slide

In reconnecting with old friends I see a pattern of heartache and asswipes.  Misplaced affections for what on the surface appear to be cold blooded affection crushers.  I wonder what drives anyone to hurt another, to take more than they give, to engage so intimately with another and then drop them off on the side of the road to find their own way home, with no regard for their safety.  You grow up and figure you won't have to go through these dramatics again, as out of control feelings are connected with your juvenile self.  But it appears that no one is spared.

Do we have any control over the outcome truly?  Do we sometimes want to feel real emotion so badly that we create our own torture?  Do we need so deeply that we ignore all the signs pointing to the concrete?  Are all these folks on the other side armed assassins or worse, cluelessly and selfishly just rolling through life?  Have you yourself been one of these hoggish amour stealers consciously or not? It's easy to appraise your friends when they show their cards but if we honestly want to understand what drives the heart, it seems we need to look other places that exist no where near logic or common sense.  What draws us so closely to some people that we abandon all our sensibilities?  What do they bring to us that is so damn irresistible?  And is it even them bringing anything at all?

It continues to be a mystery if people choose to hurt us or we willingly walk into the fire and if so, does that make us brave, idiots, merely human or our own worst enemy?  Does it serve any useful purpose?

Regardless, many foods can aide the mend.  A soft scramble over bright greens.  This medallion of polenta sauteed in a bit of butter topped with cool pico de gallo can also put salve on the wounds.

How Deep Is Your Love?

One of P's homespun birthday gifts was a homemade dinner.  I took time to prepare things he enjoys, made a little theme of the night, intentionally focused on the details.  A take on surf and turf.  A better steak, cooked medium rare and topped with bleu cheese herbed butter, thyme and garlic.  We love steak but don't eat it ever and consider it a rare treat.  And then sauteed squid served over warmed creamy polenta and that topped with a fresh made pico de gallo with nectarines.  We used to get squid for a dollar a pound in SF and I loved cleaning it and cooking it with everything.  We met in SF and it will remind me of our time there, whipping all the spit and vinegar out of each other.

A side salad of Feta, arugula and red onions.  This is a too good, a little oil of choice, s&p, maybe a spritz of lemon juice.  We both love watermelon for it's light, cooling effects and it never gets old in the summertime.

For me, the gold was in the polenta and squid.  I made sure to zen out, concentrate, stirring constantly, adding just the right amount of butter, cheese and stock.  And it was good! The squid was tender and made perfect buddy bites with it's pals.

We walked and picked out 3 slices from Touch of Velvet and the strawberry and cream was the big winner, with fresh strawberries and cream cheese frosting, a light yellow cake.

After seeing the pics and realizing how much 'I' actually love everything so much in this meal, I have to wonder if there wasn't selfishness involved.