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We started the day with breakfast at a little neighborhood boulingerie on King’s Road-coffee and ham and cheese croissants.  We then made our way to the tube to Waterloo Pier to buy tickets to a riverboat cruise down the Thames to Greenwich.  The weather was picture perfect, partly sunny and a cool breeze.  The tour guide gave us the history of London on The Thames as we motored slowly down the river.  I liked the Mayflower Pub which commemorates the place where the Mayflower ship launched for America.  We de-boated in Greenwich about lunch time.  We found a local pub and had fish & chips and a cold lager. (They actually serve it cold now.)

After lunch we took the boat back and got off at the Tower of London stop.  We had done the Tower tourist stuff on our first trip to London years ago, so we just took a couple of photos and tubed back to Sloane Square.  We stopped at a market and bought food for the flat - eggs and streaky bacon, beer and wine.  All of the essentials. 

We also stopped in a stationary store and bought a card to write a message to Stacey Kent and Jim Tomlinson.  She is a great jazz singer and he is a sax and flute player and their music is what caused us to make this particular trip.  We’ll see them perform tonight in celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary.  We wrote a note in the card saying how happy we were to be able to be here in London seeing them on our special occasion, and we asked them to play our song, “Never Let Me Go.”

We took the tube one full hour to Hornschurch and then walked another 25 minutes to the Queen’s Theatre.  We were pretty glowing by the time we arrived, but boy was it worth it!  Stacey and Jim and group were truly awesome!  They were more improvisational than the last time we saw them in the States.  And the highlight of the evening was when Stacey made a beautiful tribute to us and sang our song.  We both sat with tears running down our faces.  What a miraculous evening.  We made the tube trip back in a kind of romantic haze.

Oh, by the way, we heard on our walk home from the tube station that Michael Jackson has died.

We left DFW late. AA flight 50 was supposed to leave at 4:45pm, but we didn’t lift off till 5:45. The couple in the center aisle seats brought a very unhappy little boy who looked under 2 years old.  He screamed at the top of his lungs for the first 2 hours and was very fussy most of the trip. But that is just the cost of overseas travel these days. We made it and I’m thrilled to be landing at Heathrow.

It’s 10:00am and we’re at our flat at 11 Redburn Street, Chelsea, London. It’s quite small, but suits our needs perfectly. It has a small living room, one bedroom, kitchen and bath. It has a great shower (hard to find in London) and an efficient little kitchen. And it came with Scotch. Who can complain?

After we unpacked and settled in, we walked the neighborhood to get our bearings. We’re a 10 minute walk from the Sloane Square tube station and we got a 7 day Oyster Card for use anywhere in the central district. We stopped at the phone store and got a little phone for L4.95 and loaded it with minutes so we’d be able to make restaurant reservations, call taxis and make any other calls we might want to. We took the tube to Harrod’s (that’s obligatory) and had lunch at the Green Man Pub. I had a salmon nicoise salad and LJ had a roast beef club. Both were even better than they sound. Nice start. We walked around Harrod’s and down Sloane past the top flight shops and tubed back to Chelsea. We both immediately passed out. We napped at least 2 hours.

We cleaned up and left for dinner in our neighborhood at a little cafe called Blushes. I had Parma ham, mozzarella and tomato pannini, and LJ copied me. We then took the tube to the National Theatre where we saw Helen Mirren in the Greek Tragedy “Phedre”. I have never seen such beautiful acting - even on the New York stage. It was stunning. Afterward, we stopped by a little pub near our flat called Phoenix for a nightcap.

What a great first day. More to come.

Friends are coming! That’s my favorite thing. We’re having friends to the lake for down home food and fun. We had hoped for sun so we could go out on the lake, but no such luck. It’s raining like crazy. We’ll have fun anyway. I’ve got a brisket in the oven, and I’ve got a potato casserole all whipped up and ready to be baked. When the brisket comes out, I’m doing an old fashioned lemon chess pie. With a big salad and bread, that should be a feast.

I’m using Gale Gand’s Lemon Chess Pie recipe; however, I’ve used others in the past. Gale is a great pastry chef, though, so this should be delicious. Here’s the recipe:

Lemon Chess Pie

2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon fine cornmeal
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 9″ unbaked pie shell
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cornmeal. Blend well, then add the eggs and combine well. Add the milk, melted butter, lemon rind and juice and mix well. Pour this into the crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 mintues. (If desired, you can cover edges of crust with foil for the first 30 minutes of cooking to prevent over browning.) Cool to room temperature and serve. May be refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with dollops of whipped cream.

I’m back, sort of.  My Dad died on March 2nd, and I just haven’t been able to bring  myself to post since.  I’m still a little unsure, but I thought I’d at least put up a recipe (thanks, Phoebe!).  This one is Joanne Weir’s recipe and if you’re not familiar with her, watch her show on PBS and check out her books.  She’s great!  Also, her website is www.joanneweir.com.

Lasagna with Mushrooms, Leeks & Gorganzola

(Joanne Weir)

½ lb. dried lasagna noodles

15 oz. ricotta cheese

¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

5 large leeks, cut into 1” dice

1 ½ lbs. mixed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced

½ stick unsalted butter

4 ½ tablespoons flour

3 ½ cup whole milk

6 oz. Gorgonzola or other bleu cheese of your choice

Freshly grated nutmeg

4 oz. whole milk mozzarella, coarsely grated

Par cook the lasagna noodles in salted boiling water until al dente.  Dip in cold water to cool and drain on a rack.

In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta and Parm and season with salt & pepper.  Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium low heat.  Add the leeks and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very soft and light golden.  Remove leeks to a large bowl and set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil in skillet and add mushrooms.  Cook until they are soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Add garlic and stir for one minute.  Add mushrooms to leeks in bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the milk and whisk constantly until the milk comes to a boil and thickens.  Add the gorgonzola and stir until smooth.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Oil a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Cover bottom with a single layer of pasta.  Cover pasta with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.  Spread 1/3 of the mushroom leek mixture over ricotta.  Spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce over leeks.  Repeat with 2 more layers.  Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top of casserole.  Bake on top rack of oven until the surface is golden and bubbling around the edges, 40 to 60 minutes.  Remove and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

This week I did the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I (with my siblings and my Mom) put my sweet, little, Alzheimer’s afflicted Dad into a nursing home. It hurt like hell, and it still does, so I thought I would just write about what a wonderful, unique individual he was when he was himself.

At Christmas every year, Dad would walk with us kids to McCree Park where he would climb the trees and pick mistletoe. My baby sister Jenny would egg him on to climb higher, further out on the limbs. We would laugh until our sides ached as he dangled precariously from the tree tops. We always took home way more mistletoe than Mom wanted in the house, but Dad always put it over her head first thing and claimed his kiss, and she didn’t complain too much.

Dad was a big fan of University of Arkansas football. The year they played Texas for the National Championship, we were all watching in the den. Arkansas made a fine play, and Dad got so excited he jumped up and knocked the globe out of the chandelier with his head. It flew up in the air, and he caught it as he and the globe both came down. We thought he was pretty special.

My Dad was the biggest fan of jazz that I’ve ever known. His tastes were wide and varied. He loved the straight ahead stuff from Bud Powell and Art Pepper to Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. And he really loved our local jazz hero, Red Garland. He loved the musicians and the singers and collected them all. He had (actually we still have) every album Billie Holiday ever made and many in duplicate because he would buy the fantastic boxed sets which were released after they were originally done on LP. The same goes for Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Anita O’Day, Mildred Bailey and Benny Goodman. He loved the big bands and collected all of them. And the big band singers - what can I say. The Helens (Forrest, O’Connell, Humes, Ward), June Christy, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford and his beloved Martha Tilton. His LP collection numbers somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 and his collection of 78’s runs about half that. And among all that great jazz, you’ll find a smattering of opera, classical, and authentic country such as Mother Maybelle Carter and Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

Dad’s love of music was not just in listening. His knowledge was downright encyclopedic. He knew the year a song was recorded, what label it was on, and could name all the musicians. When my brother, Steve, and I would sit for hours and listen with Dad, it was always sort of a game for us to identify the singer and the sidemen accompanying. When I didn’t know the singer, I’d just guess “Helen” because there were so many of them I had a decent chance of being right. This was a terrifically fun game to Steve and me. I was pretty good at the singers, but Steve was much better at the more difficult trivia than I was. The music education I got from my Dad I would compare to one from any institution of higher learning.

Dad was a reader and a writer and challenged us to do both as much as possible. He was a lover of movies and art, and we would make lists of favorite things. My lists of favorite movies, favorite songs, and favorite singers would change with each year. Dad loved Alice Faye, and he said a day never went by that he didn’t think of her. Oscar night was a special night at my house. He was so proud of the Academy when they awarded Midnight Cowboy. He didn’t think they would have the courage. After all, it was the only movie rated R ever awarded (maybe even nominated) for Best Picture. And we all cried for joy when Meryl Streep won for Sophie’s Choice.

I will miss him so much it’s unbelievable. The shell of a body that is left of him will linger, but the essence of the man is gone. And it’s unbearably sad.

When seasons change, I always start thinking about dishes I will cook that I haven’t done in awhile. It’s finally what passes for winter in Texas now (4 days of increasingly moderate weather in the 60’s to 70’s followed by one or two -at most- of freezing temps with or without ice) and I’m thinking of winter foods. One that is a staple in my house is a Chicken Noodle Soup that has potatoes with the usual veggies and is creamy. I adapted it from a Cooking Light Soups and Stews book. Here goes.

Chicken Noodle Soup
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6-8 cups fat free chicken broth
4 cups diced red potato
1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup evaporated skim milk
4 oz. uncooked egg noodles

In a Dutch oven, saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper in oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until softened. Sprinkle with flour and poultry seasoning and stir for one minute. Add potato and enough broth to cover completely. Bring to a boil, lower heat and partially cover. Cook 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add chicken, evaporated milk, and noodles and cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are cooked.

When I was with my family over Christmas, my Mom and I got to reminisce about the dinner parties we used to do for each other before she and my Dad moved to Kansas City. We would find wonderful recipes and really try to make the dinners elegant. We had such fun. She told me that she thought my Orange Chicken was one of the really good dishes she remembers. I hadn’t thought of it in years, so I came home and looked it up in the old New Orleans La Bonne Cuisine book from the 1970’s. The cover of my book is long since torn off so I don’t know the exact publication date, but my friend Will Crocker did all the photography in the book and that’s good enough that I’d want it even if it didn’t have some great recipes. The interesting thing about the book is that it’s a collection of recipes from local New Orleanians, as well as some from some of the famous restaurants. You have to be careful because some of the folks (on purpose?) were really vague and non-specific in their instructions, and I noticed a few seem to have missing ingredients. I’ve had to really soft shoe around some of them to make them work. But the Orange Chicken is great. I’ve done it with a whole chicken cut up and with only chicken breasts, and it works equally well with either.

Orange Chicken
Juice of 1 lemon
1 fryer chicken, cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 teaspoon oregano

Pour the lemon juice over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Let stand for 30 minutes. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and brown them skin side down. Turn the pieces over, add the orange juce, and sprinkle with oregano. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked and sauce has thickened. Serve over rice.

I’m going to go looking for more winter soups. They are always wonderful and homey. If I find any good ones, I’ll post. Enjoy!

It’s new year’s eve, and I’m finishing out the year exactly where I want to be - with LJ at the lake. It’s sunny, in the 50’s, and just beautiful. I’ve been pondering the year soon to be past, and like the others, there have good times and not so good.

We started the year on a very sad note, with our life-long friends Dot and Neill English dying within one day of each other in January. It was unexpected, untimely, and heartbreaking. They were only in their 70’s, and it was ironic that they died one day apart. They were inseparable in life; it’s only fitting that their end was the same.

In March, we celebrated my brother’s birthday with him and his wife here at the lake. It was a lovely weekend and made me very aware of how it seems Steve and I grow closer each year. It’s nice to have that kind of relationship with a brother.

April brought a huge thrill for LJ and me. One of our favorite jazz singers, Stacey Kent, and her husband, jazz saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, came to Edmond, Oklahoma. They headline Ronnie Scott’s in London and Birdland in New York City, and here they were coming to the University of Central Oklahoma of all places! We grabbed reservations and hightailed it. And they did not disappoint. They put on a beautiful show, and we met them and got CD’s signed after the show. If you’re not familiar with them, I highly recommend them.

In May, we took one of the trips a lifetime to Italy with LJ’s sister, Janet. We went to Rome, Tuscany and Bellagio. It was a beautiful journey and it was really good to spend it with Janet. I loved Rome, but San Gimignano and the surrounding area is still my favorite. I will say, though, that my only disappointment with Bellagio was that I didn’t run into Mr. Clooney. I’m sure he’s disappointed, too.

June brought our 39th wedding anniversary. We spent it at the lovely W Hotel with dinner at Lola. I still can’t believe it’s been that long. In some ways it only seems like a few years. I’m ready for many more.

October was a huge month. First, you know if you read this blog that October brought Hurricane Ike which wiped out Bolivar Peninsula and Crystal Beach. It still makes me tear up to think about it. However, we went with the Barnetts to Lake Murray, Oklahoma and had a wonderful time with them like we always do. We’re already talking about trying to get back to Galveston next year even though Crystal Beach is gone. And finally, we had the Hawkins cousins’ reunion at Country Woods Inn in Glen Rose. What a blast. And what a month!

November brought the best news of the year - the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Even though the economy is tanking and the Middle East is teetering on annihilation, there is hope for the future.

I am finishing the year bittersweet. We spent Christmas with my family in Kansas City. While it was really wonderful to be with my Mom and my sisters and their families to celebrate, it is just too difficult to witness how Alzheimer’s destroys a human being from the core out. My Dad is no longer a person I know. It is painful to have your father ask what your name is and whether or not you finished college. I can only hope that this doesn’t drag on for long. As he said when we were there, “I am lost.” I don’t think he’ll be found again on this earth.

But life goes on, and tomorrow will be a new year. It will bring good and bad as it did this year, but it always brings new hopes. And that’s what keeps us all going. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE.

My favorite new year’s dinner, Chili and Cornbread.

Beef Chili

3 T. vegetable oil
3 lb. ground chuck
3 yellow onions
8 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup chili powder
2 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
2 t. coriander
1 1/2 cups lager beer
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can pinto beans (rinsed and drained)

Brown ground chuck in 2 tablespoons oil. Drain thoroughly. While meat is draining, saute onions, garlic and jalapeno in remaining oil. Add meat back to pan and add remaining ingredients (through beans) and stir completely. Simmer over low heat for at least one hour or more if desired.

I do not understand how two people can look at the exact same set of circumstances and see things so dramatically differently.  I am one of many folks on an e-mail list of my high school classmates, and I periodically received newsy e-mails.  Many are the kind that let us know that someone’s mother or father has passed away; sadder still are the ones that let us know one of our classmates passed away.  There are invitations to “mini-reunions” and occasionally to clubs where some band we all liked in high school is playing. 

I’m not particularly close to any of my classmates because I didn’t exactly feel like I fit in in high school.  I was most assuredly a late bloomer.  But I’ve allowed my e-mail address to remain on the list because I just like keeping up.  When sappy “remember how much better things were being a child in the 50’s” come in, I just delete them and don’t give them much mind.  I’m of the opinion that if that sort of thing appeals to you, you’ll think your childhood times were better than the present no matter when you grew up.  My memory is too good for that sort of mind game.

Anyway, something happened this week that kind of threw the high school newsy e-mails topsy turvy.  One of my classmates sent out a ranting about how Obama wouldn’t provide a legitimate birth certificate to prove his citizenship, and when we get to the bottom of this constitutional travesty he won’t be “much of a president from Leavenworth.” (Huh?  Leavenworth??)  I went to snopes.com where my belief that this pronouncement wasn’t worth a bucket of warm spit was confirmed.  I went back to the e-mail and responded to the address list that the statements were false and that could be confirmed at snopes.  I also opined that our high school newsy thing was probably not an appropriate forum for the political agenda.

Boy, were the hounds ever loosed.  The original sender made all sorts of pronouncements about how snopes.com didn’t have all the information, and went on to justify all things evangelical and Palin and warning us that our country was falling apart.  Soon after, another of my classmates talked about pots and black kettles and reminded us about the current administration’s penchant for getting us into wars that have killed thousands, undermining the Constitution with warrantless wire taps, torture, and rendition, and removing statutory constraints on lending institutions to the point that we’re ecomonically drowning.  It was beautifully written, if you ask me.

But I’m pretty sure it’s not over, and I’ll get another e-mail explaining how the last one completely misses the point.  Which is my point with this post.  What makes us see the same thing through such different glasses?  Is it perspective?  Priorities?  Fear?  I would welcome your ideas, no matter what color glasses you peer from.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I’m sitting in the dining room in my lake house looking out at the lake as it rains like mad. It’s loud and windy and crazy wonderful! The rain is knocking all the gold and yellow leaves off the trees, and my big yard is just covered with them. I hope this goes on for hours.

Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch, and everyone was happily sated and napping by 3:00. LJ pronounced the turkey perfect and said this year’s cornbread dressing was the best ever. The pumpkin creme brulee will get asked back, too. It was a small, intimate celebration, but a very good one. And we got really great news right before dinner, too. LJ’s niece in Seattle called and they’re expecting their first baby. We’re really happy for them.

When we got to the lake today, I decided to turn on the TV to the only soap opera I’ve ever watched, The Days of Our Lives. I started watching it in college. Some girlfriends and I would have it on in our dorm room while we played bridge. Even as background noise, it was addictive. I’ve followed it ever since by reading the daily updates that run in the paper or on-line and watching it about twice a year. I’ve found I like to read about it better than watch it because it goes by faster and the acting’s better. Nothing’s changed, someone is lying about being pregnant and someone else has temporary amnesia. Miscommunication is rampant. Oh, what rainy day fun!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m now looking forward to 2 days of complete boredom. There’s no recipe today. We all need to go on a diet.

I am obsessive/compulsive when it comes to cooking for parties or at holidays.  I have been planning Thanksgiving for 3 weeks now.  I have gone through at least 3 different menus, and read recipes galore.  I compare techniques and ingredients and try to figure what’s going to work best for my situation.  Well, it’s the day before and I’m in serious mode now.  Here’s the final menu:

Cranberry Orange Salad

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Cornbread Dressing with Turkey Gravy

Haricots Vert with Roasted Shallots and Cremini Mushrooms

Ciabatta Rolls

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

I did my big grocery shopping last Thursday so I wouldn’t have to fight a crowd.  I bought the things that would stay frozen or stay fresh until the Day.  This afternoon, I’ll go buy the perishables.  Then I’ll come home and make the creme brulees and the cornbread for the dressing, and then cook dinner for my mother-in-law who will be joining us.  For dinner tonight I’m having an Italian casserole with a green salad which is as far from traditional Thanksgiving as I could get.

Tomorrow morning, I’m making individual Quiche Lorraines with Stewed Fruit and Spiced Pumpkin Bread.  After breakfast I’ll put the shallots and mushrooms in to roast because they’ll only take about 20 minutes.  I’ll but the turkey in to roast after that, and while it’s cooking, I’ll mix up the cornbread dressing and par cook the haricots vert.  When the turkey comes out to rest, I’ll bake the dressing.  When it comes out, I’ll put the rolls in and toss the haricots vert, mushrooms and shallots in a skillet with melted butter just to reheat.  It should all come out at one time - with any luck at about 1:30.  After we eat that, I’ll let LJ dazzle us with his magic chef’s torch on the pumpkin creme brulee’s and then we’ll all waddle away from the table.  With any luck at all, the weather will be mild enough to let us take a walk in the afternoon.

I’m really looking forward to this.  I love Thanksgiving because it combines two of my favorite things, family and food.  I won’t have my family with me this year, but we’ll talk on the phone and moan about eating too much.  And we’ll have LJ’s mom, which is good.  I wish you and yours the best this year!

Pumpkin Crème Brulee

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 ½ tsp. freshly grated cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground allspice

½ tsp. freshly grated ginger

¾ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

5 egg yolks

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

6 Tbs. pumpkin puree

1/3 cup plus 4 tsp. granulated sugar

1 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 300°F. Have a pot of boiling water ready.

Pour the cream into a small saucepan and whisk in the cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. Set over medium-low heat and warm the cream mixture until bubbles form around the edges of the pan and steam begins to rise from the surface, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, salt, pumpkin puree, the 1/3 cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar until smooth and blended. Slowly pour in the cream mixture, stirring until blended. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Divide the mixture among four 8-fl.-oz. ramekins and place in a large baking pan. Add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tsp. granulated sugar evenly over the surface of each custard. Using a kitchen torch according to the manufacturer’s instructions, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface until the sugar melts and lightly browns. Serve immediately. Serves 4.