The Blessing of I Forgot

First, thank you, Amanda for providing the title of today's blog.  

Marky and I had a salmon dinner, a glass of wine, we're playing Wii Sports Resort, and are singing songs about Cameltoe Rock and Wedgie Island.  We're debating whether to bike, play tennis, or drive out to hike Starved Rock tomorrow.  We're normal people.  Better than normal.  Today is Tammy Faye's second birthday, and it's a total non-issue.  Yes, there are 12 prescription bottles on the coffee table, but we've both gotten used to it.  Yes it's a financial drag, and yes, tomorrow is another day.  But we're here today, and it's a beautiful thing.  

There have been a couple of signs.  I've been looking for them a little, but one should.  We looked for a symbolic bottle of wine tonight at Dommie's.  Marky found something that said "Anniversary" on the label.  Good enough.  As we put it in the basket, I noticed it was a 2007 wine.  That's Tammy's year!  Even better.  This afternoon, as I walked past an ultra-colorful/non-denominational/humorous church on Broadway, the marquis read, "I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist," Tammy Faye Bakker.  Just a little nod from the namesake.  

Really, that's it.  We both sat down to dinner, and had to stop to remind ourselves of the importance of today.  Honestly, I forgot about Tammy Faye's big day until late this afternoon.  It's a weird anniversary to celebrate, the life of a kidney.  But we have a lot to be thankful for, and fortunately, the time to do it.  

Recital Announcement 1999?

This is a story about Bree Del Campo and her tale of Cecilia Bartoli, the beautiful, talented mezzo soprano. Bree was talking to a group of nice, but impatient senior citizens after a recital of folk and old pop favorites. Relating to them that her second favorite day of the year, after her birthday, is the day before Valentine's, February 13th, she went on with some of her best stories until the hour of 7:00PM, which is near the retirement village's bedtime. Her last story, she though, would thrill the group because it was the wild but true anecdote of Shanelle Jernigan playing piano for Cecilia, or Chi Chi, as friends call her. The crowd began to get restless as Bree told that last tale, Of course, Kerry Alt, packed the guitar and amplifiers away as Bree finished the hilarious story. The final act to get to the village was the unlucky soloist John Pleasant with his clarinet, who realized too late that the once benevolent retirement village had now tuned bitterly sleepy.

From the look of the dissatisfied elderly patrons, she could tell she should go back to her old art studio and paint some pictures because she could not possibly make a halfway decent living out of telling Chi Chi stories. Later that evening, the university college professor Christine Sanders told her in a phone conversation that it would be a good idea, so she stayed home and forgot about telling stories, and stuck to her music and art.

After the frightfully icy reception from the senior citizens, Bree was quite delighted and relieved that she decided to follow her instinct as far as art was concerned. She learned not to tell even a hilarious yarn in the most acoustically inept room in Las Cruces without an amp and a decent microphone. Bree has finally regained her dignity and paints with a wide variety of green in her room.

What a Tool!

A friend gave me two pounds of fresh cherries.  They are sweet and beautiful, and I wanted to give them a proper burial in my tummy.  So here are the two recipes in which they had a starring role, and the third recipe is what you should drink while baking:

Cherry Almond Focaccia (Tyler Florence's original version here)

Ingredients:

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  • 2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Fine ground almonds for dusting
  
  

  Toppings:
  • 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted 
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup coarse sugar
  
  

  Directions
  You really don't know the beauty of a cherry pitter until you are staring at two pounds of cherries, thinking about how this tedious paring knife task could ruin a perfect summer day.  Mine was $9.99 from OXO.  It's a fun tool to have in your arsenal, and it works on those pesky Kalamata olives, too.  Follow the directions on the label, and beware stray pits.  
  Proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Slowly add half of the flour to the bowl. Mix with a fork.  Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add half of the remaining flour until you have a nice doughy texture. Mix with your hands until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding a little more flour as necessary.
  Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and almond dust. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.
  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add cherries, almonds, and sugar. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes.
  Cherry Almond Ice Cream  
  
  Ingredients:
  • 
    
    • 2 cups half and half
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup fine ground almonds
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and chilled
    • Slivered almonds for garnish
    Directions
    It's best to use very cold ingredients.  An ice cream maker is fun to use on a hot day, but can be very disappointing if your ice cream never tightens up.  Also, feel free to substitute heavy cream for the half and half if you prefer a creamier texture. By that same token, you can use skim milk and sugar subsititute for a light ice milk dessert.  Yum.  
    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together half and half, milk, sugar, fine ground almonds, and vanilla extract until sugar is dissolved.  Add mixture to the bowl of an ice cream machine and blend until frozen.  Add most of the cherries to the mixer, reserving a handful for a topping.  Blend until cherries are incorporated.  
    
    Pour ice cream into a 2 quart Tupperware.  Smooth the top, and dot the surface with cherries and almonds.  Place in the freezer for 2 hours, then enjoy!
    
    
    Four Plus One
       
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Ingredients:
    • 3 cups lemon juice

    
    

    
    
  • 
    
    • 1 cup orange juice
    • 1 cup lime juice
    • 1 cup grapefruit juice
    • 4-5 sprigs of mint
    • 3 cups water
    • 3 cups sugar, plus a tablespoon for muddling
    • 750 ml citrus vodka
    
    

    
    
    Directions:
    You will need a LOT of citrus fruit to make this drink.  If you want to just add voddy to orange juice concentrate, be my guest, but trust me, your party guests will never forget this drink if you do it from scratch.  Also this is a chance to learn the beauty of simple syrup.  Make it ahead of time and chill it.  
    Simple syrup:  In a medium pot, add 3 cups sugar and water.  Boil until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, remove from heat and chill.  
    Pull the leaves off the mint stems, reserving a couple pretty leaves for garnish.  Place the mint and the remaining sugar in a cup or small bowl.  Commence muddling.  Use a proper wooden muddler, or the handle of a wooden spoon.  Dump green mixture into a metal strainer, hold over a large jug, and pour the simple syrup through.  Go slowly.  When you are done, press the last of the minty goodness through the strainer.  Discard green junk.
    Add citrus juice, vodka, and serve over crushed ice.  Try not to fall over.