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My Dad has advanced Alzheimer’s and is going downhill fast.  Late in the day or evening, he is starting not to know who my Mom is.  But that’s not the half of it; he thinks she’s a man.  At night he tries to throw her out of the bed because he “doesn’t sleep with men.”  It would be funny if it weren’t so fucking sad.  Believe me, my sister doesn’t think it’s funny when she has to go over to their house in the night and calm him down so he won’t throw Mom out!

I idolized my Dad.  He was an English major in college, and the world of words was a treasure to him.  He prided himself in perfect grammar, and he never misused the verbs “to lie” and “to lay.”  (It’s lots harder than you think when you get out of present tense!)  He was a collector of jazz records, and has upwards of 5,000 LP’s and 78’s.  He has every song Billie Holiday ever recorded and just about every one Ella recorded.  He had an encyclopedic memory of all the musicians who played on each recording, and where and when they were recorded.  Today, he picks up the records and looks at them like he’s never seen them before.  He swore to me that someone sent some of them to him in the mail, unsolicited.  It just makes me cry.  However, he still corrected my brother-in-law’s grammar just a few weeks ago.  I think that will be reflexive with him to the end.

He’s always had a phenomenal memory.  He was very politically astute and when he got into discussions with people over political issues, he was able to site facts and quote the pertinent authorities off the top of his head.  In fact, that was when we began to realize he had Alzheimer’s.  He would be in the middle of a political discussion, and all of a sudden no one’s name would come to him.  He would become so frustrated, it would send him into a depression.  I had no idea it would devolve to where we are today.  What a nasty, senseless disease!

For the recipe today, I think we need something comforting (and trouble free) - like soup!

Italian Sausage Soup

2 lbs. Italian sausage (half hot and half sweet, or all sweet, your preference)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

1 teaspoon each basil and oregano

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup orzo

In a large soup pot, saute sausage until no longer pink.  Add remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix.  Add water just to cover and simmer at least one hour.  It’s even better made ahead a day and reheated.

LJ asked recently if it was a hint from mother nature that you are too old to be in a band when you have to take a break because one member is getting treated for prostate cancer and another had a stroke.  But no matter, they are still together and playing for one member’s 60th birthday party this weekend.  It’ll be great!

It’s been fun having LJ in a band.  Back in the good ole days, the band was playing at what was then Strictly Tabu.  (Boy, do I have stories about that place!) I was there admiring my hot looking guy with his bass strapped across his nether regions, gloriously decked out in wrap-around sunglasses and army boots.  At the end of the evening, I was in the ladies’ room when two young beauties walked in.  Imagine my surprise when one of them informed the other that she was taking home the bass player that night.  I just smiled sweetly and left the room.  It made me so proud.

I’m still proud.

In honor of birthdays, here’s a chocolate dessert that beats any birthday cake you EVER had.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

With Walnuts & Chocolate Chips

4 cups 1-inch cubes egg bread with crust

1 ¼ cups semi sweet or bitter sweet chocolate chips (divided)

½ cup walnuts, toasted and broken into pieces

1 cup heavy cream (divided)

1 cup half and half (divided)

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

½ cup sugar

Lightly sweetened whipped cream for garnish.

Toss bread cubes, ½ cup chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts in a large bowl.

Whisk ½ cup cream, ½ cup half & half, and cocoa in a heavy medium saucepan to blend.  Add remaining ¾ cup chocolate chips; stir over low heat until melted and smooth.  Gradually whisk in remaining cream and half & half.  Whisk eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a medium bowl.  Whisk chocolate cream mixture into eggs.  Stir into bread mixture.  Let stand for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°.  Butter 6 (1 to 1 ¼ cup) ramekins.  Divide pudding mixture among ramekins.  Bake puddings until set in centers, about 40 minutes.

Top warm puddings with whipped cream and serve.

6 servings.

Since Sophie asked for the pulled pork recipe, here it is.  I’ll give you the recipe the way I got it first, then I’ll tell you how I actually did it.  I have a problem following recipes exactly.

SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK

2 ½ lb. pork shoulder, trimmed

McCormick’s pork rub

1 large onion, sliced

1 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite commercial kind will do)

½ cup yellow mustard (I used Dijon)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth

Juice of one lime

The night before you cook the pork, rub it all over with the pork rub.  Cover and refrigerate over night.

The next morning:  Layer onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place pork shoulder over onions.  Mix together all remaining ingredients and pour over pork.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove it to a Pyrex 13×9 dish, cover and refrigerate over night.  The next day, put it into a 200° oven 2 or 3 hours before serving and baste every hour until time to serve.  Pull apart with a fork and spoon sauce over pork.

Since I didn’t have McCormick’s rub, I made my own with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.  I rubbed the pork down and put it in the fridge about 6:00 in the evening.  At 10:30, I took it out and put it in the slow cooker with the marinade as directed and cooked it over night.  The next morning, I put it in the dish and covered and refrigerated until about 3:00 in the afternoon.  I then put it in the 200 degree oven and slowly let it warm while we went out on a boat.  When we got back around 6:00, it was ready to pull and serve.  I spooned some of the sauce over the pulled pork and poured the rest in a bowl for those who wanted extra on their sandwiches.  Boy, was it good.  It was really good leftover the next few days, too.

Today I am just very, very sad.  Hurricane Ike landed on the coast of Texas Saturday morning and laid waste to a huge stretch of coastline from Louisiana to South Texas.  It’s devastating for all those who live there, but it’s a bit of a personal loss for me, too.  Every year for the last 6 or so years, LJ and I have been going to Crystal Beach with our best friends, Kim and Keith.  Crystal Beach is on Bolivar Peninsula, and according to the report in the Dallas Morning News today, none of the businesses only a few of the houses survived the storm.  NONE of the businesses!  Think about it.  That’s a community wiped out!

In years past, the four of us would rent a beachfront cottage from Swede’s.  We had our favorites - Herman’s HIdeaway, Rhea’s Retreat, the blue one I can’t think of the name of right now.  

LJ on deck at Crystal Beach

We had a routine, being creatures of habit the four of us.  We would arrive on Thursday and have a huge, juicy burger at Bob’s.  We’d go the grocery store and load up on food, and then go to Milt’s for freshly caught shrimp.  Thursday night was always a shrimp boil and beer on the balcony overlooking the gulf.  What a way to kick off a long weekend!

Friday we would take the ferry back over to Galveston and just knock around.  The ferry rides back and forth between Bolivar and Galveston were a huge part of the fun.  You never tire of watching the dolphins leaping gracefully out of the water.  In Galveston, Kim and I would go to the antique stores and we’d stop in the beach shops and buy T-shirts and flip flops and other trivia we didn’t really need.  Right now I’m wearing my Flo-Jo flip flops I got in Galveston a couple of years ago.  Friday night was always steaks cooked outside on the grill.  Nights on the beach just listening to the water are hypnotic.  LJ and Keith would stay out way after Kim and I would hit the sack.

Saturday nights we always went to Stingeree for dinner.  They had the BEST killer margaritas ever!  And great seafood.  There is something to be said for overindulgence.  Overindulgence in moderation is a good thing.  (I’m sending that to Martha Stewart.  Do you think she’ll thank me?)  Our last night on the beach was always bittersweet.  We’d had so much fun, but we knew we’d come back the next year.

Until now.  I’m really afraid Crystal Beach is gone.  Even if it does come back, it will be years, and it will never be the same.

No recipe today.  Just boil up some shrimp and eat it with red sauce.

Well, not exactly my hero, but he is the reason I love to cook today.  I watched every dexterous move of his fingers, and practiced making mine move the same way.  They never have, mind you, but I keep trying.  He made cooking an art form for me.  He’s the king of the kitchen.  But a hero?  Webster’s Collegiate says a hero is, among other things, “an object of extreme admiration and devotion. Idol.”  And idol is “a representation or symbol of an object of worship.” 

I think we’ve been throwing those two words around a bit lightly these days.  For me, Jacques’ kitchen quests are certainly admirable, but worthy of devotion?  Give me a break.  And all those underage wannabes who have loud, mostly on key voices and funny hair – worthy of worship?   Maybe we ought to reorder some priorities here and change the name of that show to Next American Hot Body.  It would be more honest.  Why does Tom Brady become a hero instead of just a really good football player?  What else has he done in life that is heroic besides toss that ball?  (It looks like this year he isn’t even going to do that.  What a drop in status!)

I’m re-thinking my heroes today.  My Mom is a hero because she takes care of my Dad with Alzheimer’s every day.  Not that she doesn’t ever complain, but I don’t think complaining about the hell that is Alzheimer’s keeps you from being a hero.  My sister, Sarah, is my hero because she backs up my Mom and keeps her sane.  I think most of the heroes out there are just everyday people who do extraordinary things that help others keep their lives livable.

Recipe of the day is Cilantro Chicken Breasts because I cooked them the other night and LJ called me his hero.  Maybe he should re-think that.

Cilantro Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons light cream

1 teaspoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

¾ cup unsalted chicken stock

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

1/3 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

Heat oil over medium-high heat in skillet.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sauté until cooked through.  Transfer to plate and keep warm.

In a small bowl, stir the yogurt and cream into the cornstarch mixture.  Set aside.

Add garlic and shallot to skillet and sauté for 1 minute.  Add stock and lemon juice to skillet, and stir to deglaze pan.  Boil slowly for 3 to 4 minutes until liquid has reduced slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in the tomato and yogurt mixture.  Add cilantro. 

Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Hello, folks.  Neophyte blogger here.  It’ll be nice to get to know you over time.  I’m a woman, married (no kids), who works because she has to, not because she wants to; cooks, because she wants to, not because she has to; and travels because she has to whenever she’s able.  I hope to share a little of my love of life and its adventures with you.

LJ and I have a little lake house about an hour and fifteen minutes from the city, and we spend weekends there as often as we can and not piss off our friends in the city too much.  We were there this weekend and the weather was sunny, blue perfection.  (Personal note:  we’re Texans.  We think 90 degrees is mild summer weather.)  We had friends down to join us, and we cruised the lake on a pontoon boat in the late afternoon.  Perfect pontoon boat snack: watermelon!  I had cooked a pork shoulder in the slow cooker overnight, and it was sitting in a 200 degree oven waiting for us to return and “pull” it to bbq perfection.  Pulled pork sandwiches with potato salad and ranch style beans put smiles on all faces.  My peach crisps with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert nearly made bulimics out of us.  OH, GOD, we were full!

I mentioned LJ, my most special spouse.  The remaining members of my immediate family are my cats, Scout and Zooey.  Unfortunately, they don’t join us on our trips to the lake.  We’ve tried, but Scout just can’t do the car thing.  About 20 minutes into this hour and 15 minute journey, he is simultaneously pooping, throwing up, and hyperventilating.  (You’re laughing now.  Yes, you are.  I wasn’t; the stench was too awful!)  Of course, all this sickness gets to Zooey eventually, and she joins the puking party.  Not fun for any of us.  So anyway, I’m always glad to return to the home front and hug the kitties.  They always act like they’re glad to see us, but really I think they’re just excited to get Fancy Feast again instead of dry food.

Zooey & Scout

I thought I’d end each blog entry with a recipe.  Sometimes they’ll be mine which I either created on my own or adapted from another source, or sometimes they’ll be from someone else and I’ll give credit.  So I hope you enjoy these ramblings, and I welcome your comments.

 
Recipe of the day:  Cynthia’s Peach Crisps

Filling:

3 large peaches, peeled and chopped

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cinnamon

zest of 1 lemon

juice of ½ lemon

pinch of salt

Topping:

½ cup coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)

½ cup flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

Mix filling ingredients well and divide among 4 1-cup ramekins.

Mix dry topping ingredients well.  Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or work in with fingertips until crumble is the size of peas.  Sprinkle over tops of peach filling.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.