photos

Flashback Friday

On the stairs at St. Raphael’s Cathedral following my confirmation. This was the day we were to become “adults” in the eyes of the Church…didn’t look or feel very much like an adult! However, I am the only one in the photo maintaining the prayerful attitude we were instructed by Sister Irma Mary to present all the way out of the church.

Throughout my school years, I wore four different Catholic school uniforms, but this one was the best (way better than the red and gray plaid at St. Anthony’s)! Wool, all year. No pants, no shorts, no long-sleeved blouses – no matter what the weather or temp.

What does it say about me that, of these children I went through five years of school with, I remember the names of both boys in this photo but neither girl? The boy behind me was my nemesis in classroom competition (especially Iowa Tests of Basic Skills; our scores were posted in order from highest to lowest, with names, at the front of the room). The grinning one in front was a regular in our recess games of “Batman and Robin” (I was Bat Girl. Though I longed to be Cat Woman, we all knew I couldn’t pull it off!).

Flashback Friday

The other night, a friend told me that if he could go back in time, he would choose 1973. His reasons were good ones, so I offer my own riff on his reflections: that brief period of childhood just before you fully enter into the self-consciousness of adolescence, old enough to have some freedoms and young enough not to abuse them (much). So the flashback photo is Christmas, 1972 or 1973 – whichever the actual date, this is the time period I’ve been remembering fondly all week.

Left to right:

Back: Jeff, Gwen

Middle: Jenifer, Shirley, Jack, Chris

Little ones on laps: Matt, Anne

Salad Days

So, I wanted to share a post about salads as entrees and how I have come to love them in a way that I never expected. I began by giving the post the title, above, then got sidetracked looking up where the term comes from.  Luckily, I found all I needed to know on Wikipedia.

The origin of the phrase, “salad days” appears to stem from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, when Cleopatra, regretting an affair in her youth (with Julius Ceasar no less) utters the couplet:

my salad days/when I was green in judgment, cold in blood.

The Wikipedia entry goes on to quote Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, which summarizes several other possible meanings of the metaphor:

“Whether the point is that youth, like salad, is raw, or that salad is highly flavoured, and youth loves high flavours, or that innocent herbs are youth’s food … “

I love this summary, and the characterizations of both youth and salad.  Perhaps, subconsciously, I have made similar connections and this is why I delight in salad as my main dish. It is youthful, highly flavored, raw and herby. Innocent, in that I prefer salads without a a lot of fancy preparations – just start with a nice mix of greens and lettuces, then toss in any fruit, nuts, veggies on hand. A little highly flavored cheese (in the salad pictured above, the cheese is smoked gouda). No need for meat, expensive dressings (I prefer a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar and a spritz of olive oil) or anything sophisticated. The flavors are varied and lively. Yep, young and yummy. I feel energized after eating a really delicious fresh salad.

So, a late-bloomer as usual, I have finally in mid-life discovered my salad days…and they are good. Deliciously good!

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Sugared Walnuts

Continuing on my quest to try the recipes I’ve been collecting, I ambitiously set out to make my first ever risotto. As I have complained previously, ingredients readily available elsewhere are sometimes difficult to find in my small midwestern city. However, since even in my town, people have not only heard of but actually eat risotto, I expected no trouble. Three grocery stores later, and I returned home with two boxes of pre-packaged risotto, after having read the directions to know the rice was separate from the seasonings, so I could use it in my dish. (I complained incessantly for several days, which paid off in that I believe I now have a “local” source for Arborio rice…Sam’s Club!)

This dish was time consuming, but not difficult. I was not pleased with the garlic: since you add it to the squash uncooked, and it basically only warms, it tasted raw. I will need to experiment with adding it sometime during the cooking process. The recipe suggests 20 minutes of stirring and adding the liquid, but I found it took more like 30.  It was worth it, though!

One serving of my first risotto!

Apple-Parsnip Soup

Imagine, if you will, the day after a major blizzard. You have spent just over four hours with your trusty shovel, clearing 13 inches of snow including drifts reaching almost three feet high. The sun sets in a blaze of color, as the temperature is plummeting to an overnight low of -12 degrees.

You go inside, unpeel sweaty layers of clothing, and grasp a cup of hot tea to warm your frozen fingers. Suddenly, you remember it is parsnip week at your house! Warm apple-parsnip soup, made in the midst of the blizzard, is only minutes away from filling your empty stomach with velvety goodness. Bliss!

This soup is so good, I braved the worst of the blizzard on Tuesday night to deliver a container to my friend Layne (she lives about 300 yards away). We agree that a little more heat might improve the soup, but it is wonderful made faithfully to the recipe, too (which can be found on the recipes tab, above). I have one serving left, which I plan to savor after a little snow shoeing later today!

Flash Back Friday

Since I wrote about my grandfathers in my Wednesday post (The Odd and Unusual: My Grandfathers) I thought it would be fun to post a photo of my Grandpa Postel today.  The children, from left to right are: me, Gwen, Chris and Jeff. The photo is dated May, 1967. Chris is dressed in the uniform we both wore during our years at St. Raphael’s Cathedral Grade School. If you look at my attire, you will see that my early fashion sense left plenty of room for growth!

Spinach Salad with Chicken and Crispy Potatoes

This salad is so delicious, I was genuinely happy to be eating it!  The recipe originally came from Everyday Food.  I followed the recipe except that I didn’t wish to make four servings since I was having dinner by myself.  I found it impossible to cut the dressing recipe down to one serving, so I measured and divided accordingly AFTER the dressing was complete.  I saved the extra dressing.  While it is not impossible to cook just one half of one chicken breast, it is damn inconvenient to do so.  Therefore, I made a different salad (good but not as good) the following day with the remainder of the chicken and the dressing.  Two more notes about the chicken: I don’t bother with bone-in, skin-on breasts.  Also, rather than drizzle so much oil on the chicken, I gave it a healthy spray with my trusty spray olive oil.  It was so delicious, I doubt it would have been much improved by slavishly sticking to the recipe directions!

The full recipe can be found on the recipe tab, above.

This is my first foray into food photography, and I am clearly no food stylist (notice the shadow I created by leaning over the plate to get the shot!).  Don’t let the inferior quality of the photos prevent you from trying the salad.