Pirates of the Caribbean Birthday Party

My mother-in-law does several things really well.

Sewing theatre costumes...

(Olivia as Helen Keller in the Miracle Worker)


Fryin' up chicken wings...

And thinking up the most creative ways to celebrate a kid's birthday.

In February it was Olivia's Big Birthday Bake Off Party.

Last week it was Hannah's turn.

That's right, buckaroos... It's a very Jack Sparrow Birthday.

(WARNING: I'm making liberal use of Post Like a Pirate from here on.)

We started th' day wit' a scavenger hunt. Treasure maps 'n clues in hand, we set out on th' adventure. (okay, Post Like a Pirate kinda sucks... droppin' it)

The clues led us from one location to another, in search of Grammy's Booty (haha!). We had to fight off her dastardly crew...

Until, finally we made it to the final destination. Where she forced us to walk the plank...

After plank-walking and bucket-sinking and bottom-of-the-pool-treasure-clue-finding and code-decifering we finally opened the chest to find the treasures inside...

We ate a little cake...

Drank a little wine and had a grand time with good friends.

Thanks, Grammy, for all you do!


PHOTO CREDITS: Chicken Wings by Izik,

9-11 and Lingerie

Okay... so looking at that headline maybe gives me second thoughts. But it is part of my 9-11 story, so I'm plowing forward.

I was on a flight the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Jason and the girls were back in Orlando (where we lived at the time) getting ready for the day. I was making my way to Atlanta to begin the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism.

I was excited and, honestly, scared to death about the fellowship! I was going to spend three days with Mrs. Carter and a handful of other journalists. We were to have dinner that night with President Carter. I had briefly met Boris Yeltsin a decade before, but had never met a U.S. President, let alone have dinner with him. That scared me.

It also scared me that the other fellows seemed way more experienced and accomplished than I. But, in for a penny, in for a pound. So I put on my best 90's power suit, boarded the plane and set off for the adventure.

Little did I know.

As we started our descent to Hartsfield International Airport a man at the front of the plane stood up and started talking, excitedly, into his cell phone.

Rule Breaker, I thought.

The flight attendant told him he couldn't be on his phone. But the man, who was wearing a golf shirt with a television station logo, gave her the hand and continued his conversation. Something was definitely wrong.

We landed, disembarked and immediately were thrust into the drama. We were the last flight to land at Hartsfield that morning. And as my fellow passengers and I huddled around the television screens scattered throughout the airport, it was immediately clear what was going on. The towers. The planes. The confusion.

This would be a big day. For the country. For me. I scrambled to get a cab and once safely ensconced in it, started chatting up the driver. He was deathly afraid that if the airports remained closed for long he would lose a lot of money. (Bingo! Story to pitch Marketplace. And yes, that is how journalists' brains work, even in the midst of a national crisis. Especially in a midst of a national crisis.)

I got to the hotel, filed the story with Marketplace, then called my family back home to tell them I was okay. (yes, in that order. I know.)

Jason was teaching high school at the time and didn't get my message till later. He was dealing with his own chaos. In a moment of utter stupidity, Miranda's 1st grade teacher had turned the in-class television on to watch the video of events unfolding in New York City and Washington. Images of crashing planes invaded a room filled with 6 year olds. Miranda knew I was on a plane that morning and immediately she assumed I must have been on that plane.

She was inconsolable for much of the day. And, sensing the stress all around her, so was Hannah. She had just turned one a few days earlier and was at our babysitter's house. When Jason picked her up she was fussy. When he stayed at the babysitter's for a while to figure out what he was going to do, she was fussy. When he talked to me on the phone and heard that all flights were cancelled, there wasn't a rental car to be had, and that I'd be stuck in Atlanta for several days, she was fussy.

Struggling to find a way to console her, he struck upon the idea of giving her my nightgown to hold.

I don't know if he thought she would smell me and be comforted, or what. But it worked.

And that began what would be a four year love affair between Hannah and my Victoria Secret nightgown. She dragged it everywhere: preschool, the grocery store, the library. She wouldn't go to bed without it. She'd rub the silky fabric between her fingers and keep it close to her face at all times. We joked that we'd have to run an intervention or she would be toting the increasingly tattered thing off to kindergarten (she didn't, for the record).

So yes, that's my 9-11 story. A dinner at which President Carter kept us wrapt with stories of his work in the middle east. And the simple piece of lingerie that comforted my youngest child for one day and many years to come.

What's your 9-11 story?

Oh Look -- It's a food blog post!!

What?? Did you think we haven't been eating?

No, seriously... we have, but it's not very interesting to write about, um, how to make fried eggs or whether Cheerios trump Raisin Bran as dinner fare (For the record, I'm in the RB camp. It's got a fruit, afterall).

About three weeks ago I started hosting Morning Edition for my station. Which means my life now looks like this:

3:30 alarm goes off
3:35 back-up alarm goes off

stumble around in the dark, hitting toes on furniture and tripping over shoes

3:50 leave for work

stop at 24-hour McDonald's for Large Mocha (yes... not healthy, giving $$ to a chain, etc. Blah, blah, blah - It's FOUR FREAKING A.M. in the morning!)

4:10 arrive at work

research, write, write some more, then write a little more

5:00 - 9:00 Host Morning Edition

9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Research, conduct interviews, write, edit reporters, mentor interns, build webpages, figure out freakin' awful video editing software, attend management meetings....

2:30 - 3:30 school carpool

contemplate taking a nap, but realize I have to...

3:30 - 6:00 shuttle to afterschool activities

6 - 7 p.m. figure out something to feed the family (mmmm, Raisin Bran....)

7 - 8 p.m. help with homework (Good thing I love algebra!)

8 PM COLLAPSE!!

Rinse, wash, repeat...

The upshot is I've got a great staff AND some great colleagues around the country who've worked this shift for a long time and are giving me plenty of good advice, most of which I haven't been able to take yet. Like eat healthy.

Yeah, so basically we've been eating pretty uninspired/unhealthy fare lately. We have had a couple good meals (Scallops with Creamy Bacon Corn Sauce stands out) and hopefully, sometime this weekend, I can actually write about them. Maybe that'll get me back on track.

Because seriously, I've missed you guys!


PHOTO CREDIT: alexkerhead

World of Food: Lebanese Meatballs

Some nights dinner comes together with little fanfare. It's easy. Chop a little this, mix a little that, cook it up and eat.

Tonight was not one of those nights. It was one of these ....



(okay, minus the romping sex and string bikinis)

But seriously, there was a healthy dose of randomness and chaos.

It's World of Food night and this week Olivia chose Lebanon and this recipe.

Sketchy, right?!?

Problem is, I didn't review it in advance. I just asked her for the ingredient list & bought the stuff (well, except the 1/2 cup white toine. What the hell is toine?!? Google it. I challenge you to figure it out!)

The toine mystery was just the beginning. Don't you just love recipes that list ingredients that are then not mentioned in the directions? Or instruct you to use ingredients that aren't on the ingredient list? ARGH!

So, we just made it up as we went (in between helping with pre-algebra and english homework, mind you).

Ingredients "Our Way"

• 1.5 pounds of meat (ground beef from Harris Farms. We love them. Here's why. I love his accent!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup bread crumbs (use plan, not italian)
• 1/2 cup white wine (a.k.a. "toine"?)
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 4 oz tomato paste
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Mix the meat with the seasonings and egg whites

2. Form into meatballs (instead of the rolls in the official recipe), then dredge the rolls through the bread crumbs.

3. Heat oil in skillet and cook meatballs until browned, turning.

4. Combine 1 cup water, wine, vinegar, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and tomato paste to make sauce. Add to skillet and cook until meat is done and sauce is thickened.

5. Serve with something. Olivia chose elbow macaroni and a side of carmelized red onions and sauteed kale.

Admit it. You're thinking: HOT MESS!

But actually, the Lebanese Meatballs were pretty darned good! The cinnamon and nutmeg "tastes like Christmas", according to Jason. And everyone ate it up. Nothing left on the plates. Hannah even choked down the kale (with the promise of dessert).

Hoisin-Glazed Salmon with Rice, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Garlic Naan and ...

After Dark Chocolate Frozen Yogurt bars. Mmmmmm, so good it's tempting to do a backwards dinner (you know, dessert then dinner. what?!? you've never done that?!?)

BUT, the main course tonight rivals the best dessert, so we kicked it the traditional way.

Hoisin-Glazed Salmon, tested and approved by FoodAndWine.com


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (we used wild-caught Alaskan Sockeye)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin, soy sauce, wine, honey and garlic.

2. In a large, ovenproof, nonstick skillet (we're using the really awesome cast iron skillet we got for Christmas**), heat the oil. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place them in the skillet, skinned-side up, and sear over high heat until browned on the bottom, about 30 seconds. Flip the fillets and spoon half of the hoisin glaze over them.

3. Transfer the skillet to the top rack of the oven and roast the salmon for 3 minutes (or, if yours are really thick like ours, 4-5 minutes). Spoon the remaining hoisin glaze over the fillets and roast for another 3 minutes. Baste the fillets with the glaze in the pan and roast until just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.

Serve with Brussels sprouts made like this (trust me, they'll make you a convert!)... but leave off the Wild & Whole Grain Rice because even though it gets rave reviews we just don't think it has much taste! Garlic Naan completes the meal. And, for course, After Dark Chocolate Frozen Yogurt.

Yum!

** Found this great tutorial for seasoning your cast iron skillets. And if you're like me and occasionally leave the skillet dirty for too long and need a little extra oomph getting the grit off: just sprinkle some salt in the bottom and scrub with a rag. It'll take off all that baked on, dried on gunk!

A Couple of Random Thoughts...

make a post, right?!?

So here goes:

Thought #1 What the hell is it with Calamari?!? Necessary Pleasures just passed 20,000 page views (we've been around a little over 6 months, so I think that's pretty good, right?!?) but a whole lot of the traffic is generated by image searches for calamari. Which lands people on this page. I know the Redneck Calamari is pretty damn funny, but really?!? 3,500 pageviews? Someone with a whole lot more blogging/SEO/culinary experience please enlighten me. What the hell is it with Calamari?

Thought #2 My kitchen is a total mess right now.

See. Total. Flippin. Mess. And it's driving me crazy!

Thought #3 People regularly ask me: How do you cook like that every night? You must be really, really organized. Or SuperWoman. Ummm... have you noticed when our last post went up? That's because Jason was out of town (went here, that lucky dog!) so we subsisted on takeout pizza, Breakfast for Dinner (and not even the gourmet version. It was straight Cheerios in a bowl), and hot dogs. Twice. Yeah, not very blog-worthy.

So that's it. Three random thoughts = One Blog Post.

Asian Grilled Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Raise your hand if you've got a picky eater in your house. Might be a kid. Might be a husband!

We certainly have our share of finicky. Here's our "nope, I won't touch it"-list:

Hannah -- spaghetti sauce, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, green beans, Brussels sprouts

Olivia -- eggs (okay, her list basically ends there. Girl has got some culinary creds)

Miranda -- ravioli or any stuffed pasta, cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts

Jason -- tomatoes, cucumbers, "the green melon" (aka honeydew), liver and tongue.

Tanya -- lima beans, liver, veal (more a philosophical thing than taste).

I also hate PopTarts, though don't think that qualifies me as a picky eater.

Everybody hates something. And some of us hate more things than others. Miranda spent the first eight years of her life refusing any main dish that didn't include chicken fingers or noodles, no sauce. To this day she still orders chicken fingers whenever we're at a restaurant "just to be safe". (The one exception is sushi. She loves a good eel roll. Go figure?!?!)

I refuse to be a short-order cook, fixing one meal for one person and another for another. So many years ago I adopted the policy that I would cook what I want, make sure there's something else on the menu that everyone else would like, and require each kid to at least try each thing. They didn't have to clean their plates (remember that parental torture tactic?!?), but they did have to try at least one bite of everything. And if they ate enough of each item they "qualified for dessert".

I also try very hard to explain that "you don't hate the (insert food)", but rather "you don't like the (insert food) prepared such-and-such a way." (yeah, that only occasionally works)

Sometimes it's a hard sell. Like when I posted last night's menu on Facebook:

Asian Grilled Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts ... and popsicles for dessert

Our friend Tim, whose wife Cindy is a fabulous cook!, immediately responded:

"Even popsicles can't make up for Brussels sprouts"

My response? You haven't had my Brussels Sprouts. Even Jason thought he hated sprouts, till he tried 'em this way. Now he's a total convert.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients -- sprouts, olive oil, sea salt. (yup, that's it!)

Directions -- Simple. Cut off woody ends and cut sprouts in half, lengthwise. Lay on baking sheet that's coated with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, then toss around the sprouts are covered in oil and salt. Bake on 400 for 15 minutes, tossing around at the half-way. Yum!

Now, on to the Salmon. Until a couple of years ago my Mom swore up and down that she didn't like salmon. I think she was going through PTSD from the salmon cakes my grandmother served her during childhood. We had to convince mom that all salmon didn't come from a can and wasn't shaped like a hamburger patty and filled with crunchy, little round bones.

When we finally convinced her to try it, she loved grilled salmon! Here's one easy recipe we use:

Asian Grilled Salmon

4 Salmon fillets (or 1 side of fresh salmon, boned but skin on)

for the marinade:

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

Mix all the marinade ingredients, then marinade fish at least 10 minutes, longer if possible.

Fire up the grill (or if like last night it's raining and you don't feel like grilling under an umbrella -- the stove).

Cook 4-5 minutes on one side, flip, then 4-5 minutes on the other side or until desired doneness. I like mine a little "rarer" than Jason.

Serve with seasoned rice (lemon juice and bay leaf) and fresh blueberries.

And a popsicle. See. Everyone's happy!

What are your tips for getting picky eaters to try new things?