Second Blooming

The Feast 2015

Merry Christmas everyone!

Yes, I know, Christmas was last week, but I'm still recovering from all that cooking.

But...

Before I start whining, I should say right up front that I think it was a lovely Christmas. Our usual stalwart group of friends came...

The ladies.

The men. Plus Laura photobombing.

The children. Who are suddenly impossibly grownup and lovely.

Everyone was in a good mood.

Jimmy. In a good mood.

This year we even had a little entertainment, y'all - 12-year old Teagan treated us to a few Christmas carols on the piano...

Nobody had had a fight right before they came. No one's children were sick. Nobody drank too much and had to go lie down. The children occupied themselves for the entire evening (not sure if this was a Christmas miracle or if they've just finally reached that age). The food turned out really well and everybody ate themselves silly.

But...

Here's the thing. It was a lot of cooking. Too much. Yes, I did say that. Okay, I'm actually going to go a step farther...

Next year I'm going to cut back. There, I said it. Really. I swear. Streamline. Simplify. Yeah, that sounds good. Perhaps I should explain for any newcomers...

Every Christmas Eve we celebrate with The Feast of the Seven Fishes. It's an Italian-America thing. An all-seafood dinner, based in the Catholic tradition of fasting from meat on the eve of holy days. Jimmy's family has always celebrated this way, and when we married, I excitedly jumped into the fray with both feet. For the last seven or eight years (I should know this, but I don't, I'll blame middle-age) we have forgone a trip to New York in the dead of winter (thank God) and I have cooked it myself here in LA. Happily. There is really little that I enjoy more than planning/preparing/serving an elaborate dinner party.

But...

The whole Feast of the Seven Fishes tradition is a little loose. Every family does it differently, and has different "rules". Everybody seems to have a different take on the "seven fishes" thing. Is it seven different kinds of fish? Seven courses? Seven seafood dishes? Mommy was always kind of fast and loose with the fishes, nobody would ever have actually counted them. All of the menus for the feast that I've found online have five courses, with a lot of fish,  not necessarily seven.

But...

At some point, those people up there in those pictures sort of daaaaared me to go all out - seven complete seafood dishes, served over five courses. And I have never dodged a dare. Nobody has to triple dog dare me. I'm always all "OH, you think I can't do it? You think I can't? Well I'll show YOU!". 

So that's what it's evolved into. A lot of cooking. This year's menu...

Antipasti:

Steamed Mussels with Italian Sausage and Fennel. So good. Roughly based on this recipe here. But I vamped and kind of made it my own. Served with a bowl of crusty bread to sop up the juice. Mmm.

Salmon Tartare. Cold and fresh to contrast the mussels. And kind of amazingly yummy the next day in an omelet!

Insalata:

Octopus and Squid Salad with Celery, Potatoes, and Leeks. My reinvention of something I had at Osteria Mozza. This group always loves their octopus.

Tuna Crudo on a salad of Fennel, Radishes, and Apple. They also love their raw tuna. Always a favorite.

Primi:

Linguine Frutti de Mare. A marinara sauce with crab, baccala (salt cod), scallops, shrimp, and clams. Jimmy's favorite food on the planet.

Secondi: 

Petrale Sole Poached in Olive Oil served over a Broccollini and Arugula Pesto.  Exactly what it sounds like.

Roasted Shrimp with Feta. A favorite which I've made several times now. Good old Barefoot Contessa. 

Dolci:

Red Wine Chocolate Cake. I had this at my friend Elizabeth's a while back, and have actually been thinking about it ever since. SO moist and rich. A Smitten Kitchen recipe from here.

So there you have it. The Feast of the Seven Fishes 2015. All turned out well. Everything went smoothly. Lots of stuffed and happy guests.

But...

It took me THREE full days to recover. Seriously. And I don't mean recover like clean up and get the house in order. I mean physically recover from the state of exhaustion I found myself in. My feet and legs ached from standing, my hands were actually swollen from all that chopping and washing. It's not just a lot of cooking, it's a ridiculous amount of shopping. I drive all over the stinking City of Los Angeles. Monte Carlo Italian Deli in the valley for the baccala and the imported tomatoes. Little Tokyo downtown for the sashimi grade tuna, the octopus and the squid. The Ralphs and the Vons and the Trader Joe's AND Whole Foods because no store has all the specific things I want. It's just so damned much work. Which I love.

But...

I mean, look at me in this picture with Melissa...

I mean, despite a ridiculous amount of shiny eyeshadow that I had smeared on my brows, and a courageous smile, I look like I'm about to fall over! (I also look fat, but that's another topic altogether)

So...

Next year I'm simplifying. Sorry guys. I'm thinking just a standard five course meal. That would cut out three dishes. I'll make sure there are at least seven fishes in there just to satisfy everybody. I think that if I simplify, I'll be able to put more love and soul into each dish. Is that hokey? I don't care. I think that I'll be able to concentrate more on making each course special. I've taken on the dare and come through. Over and over. But now I'm moving on.

And...

Ooooo, now that we have a pianist in our midst, maybe Teagan and I can work up a couple of numbers. Yeah, baby. If I'm nice and rested, I'll be able to sing a couple of carols with my then 13-year old accompanist. It will be fabulous! Hmm...time to start planning the Feast of the Seven Fishes 2016!

RTT: Nativity, Foot Odor, and Prurient

Oh yes it is! It's time for another Random Tuesday Thoughts!

 

 

 

I have finally mostly decorated the house for Christmas! Tree. Check. Door wreath. Check. Mantle. Check. 420 sad looking Christmas decorations handmade my my child. Check. It's looking very festive around here. Yesterday, while I was dragging the tree into the house and getting it up and decorating it all by myself while Jude and Jimmy both hung out in bed sick (grrrrr), Jude came in and asked me if I liked decorating Christmas. I said "Of course, it's one of my favorite things." He nodded thoughtfully, "Cause you don't seem to be enjoying it much." Ah, that would be because of the excessive cursing and sweating and complaining. Well, yes there's that. But I really do enjoy it. This year I decided to count how many Christmas tree ornaments I have, and it turns out to be 217. Which seems like a lot for a small tree. Is that nutty? How many do y'all have?

 

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I want to make one of these!

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I would like you all to help me with a terrible problem. Several months ago, I bought a pair of these...

 

 

Skechers Go Walks. THE MOST COMFORTABLE SHOES ON THE PLANET EARTH. Seriously. Like walking on a cloud. I adore them. And they're washable, which is crazy wonderful. Just toss 'em in the machine. Amazing. 

 

But now, suddenly, they have developed a terrible problem. They stink. Really stink. Like...some kind of rotten cheese has rotten in the rotting shoe. I mean, it's BAD. The other day I took them off in the car and when Jude got in he shouted "Whoa! Did you fart?!" Yes, fart feet. 

 

I wash them, I Febreze them. Nothing helps. I have websearched this, and while it seems to have happened to other Skechers Go Walk wearers, nobody has a remedy. Anybody have any ideas? Please? I don't want to throw them away!

 

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Since we moved into our house 11 years ago, I have suffered with the most terrible dishwasher on earth. This thing was a piece of crap when we moved in, and has only gone downhill. I know, I should have replaced it long ago, but something in me, something about being the child of parents who survived the Depression maybe, keeps me from getting rid of something until it has actually completely bit the dust. Example: I kept my old laptop until it literally fell apart - keys popping off, the screen came off TWICE. 

 

So finally, finally, the old dishwasher came to an end. It reached a point when I had to completely scrub the dishes before I put them in, and even then, they came out all spotty. So I took advantage of a Black Friday sale and bought this beauty...

 

So shiny and handsome.

 

I can't tell you how much I love him. He has changed my life. Who knew how far dishwasher technology had advanced in the last 20 years?! I mean, I don't even have to rinse. Just stick in those nasty dishes with grease and dried on food and he does his job. Sometimes I just sneak into the kitchen and stare at him lovingly. Ahhh!.

 

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Oh dear...

 

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The other night I had one of those long, convoluted, anxiety dreams. I honestly don't remember anything about it. But I woke up from it, at about 3 am, and was absolutely sure that I MUST REMEMBER the following phrase...and I was so sure that I even got my phone and wrote it down so I wouldn't forget...okay, here's the phrase..."prurient sealant". Yes, "prurient sealant". What the what? It was terribly important. Hmmm, let's see...

 

prurient - 

1. having, inclined to have, or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts, desires, etc.
2. causing lasciviousness or lust.
3. having a restless desire or longing.

sealant - 

1. a substance used for sealing, as sealing wax or adhesives.
2. any of various liquids, paints, chemicals, or soft substances that may be applied to a surface or circulated through a system of pipes or the like, drying to form a hard, watertight coating. 

Wow. The mind goes lots of places. Anybody want to venture a "prurient sealant" definition? 

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The following video is courtesy of Jude. He, who is now a full-fledged tween, thought all of you might think this is funny. He is a bit of a music snob and classic rock lover, and often lectures his friends on the merits of Led Zeppelin, and he thinks anything that makes fun of Taylor Swift is hilarious. Enjoy.

  

 

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Okey dokey, that's my random for today. Go visit Stacy and the other Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Thanks Given

I'm a little bit slow with my Thanksgiving recap here. I blame the fact that Aunt Grace is visiting more than an overdose of tryptophan. Though I have eaten a considerable amount of THE BEST TURKEY EVER. And because, well frankly, it wasn't particularly eventful. All went well. Food was good. Company was good. A fine time was had by all. Yawn. Nothing interesting like an oven fire, or a snow storm, or a trip to the emergency room. Just a nice day. I'm bound to have something to say though...hmmm, let me see...

In looking back over the last several years of Thanksgiving recaps here on Second Blooming, I have realized that every year I say that it is THE BEST TURKEY EVER. Clearly, I love me some turkey. And either I'm getting better and better every year at turkey roasting, or I have short-term memory loss and don't accurately remember the year before. But seriously, this was a particularly damned good one if I do say so myself. I am now a dry brine convert. SO easy, and flavorful. And...I have to give a shout out to Darren, who did a particularly damn fine job of carving again this year. He studied a few YouTube videos on the subject, and went with Alton Brown's thick sliced method, which was an excellent choice. Mucho moist.

The weather has been super duper good. Yes, I am writing about the weather. That's how unremarkable Thanksgiving was. But really, it's been delightful. Cool and crisp and autumnal. I love that word, autumnal. Usually, we get a week of nasty Santa Ana winds around Thanksgiving, that drive the temperature up to the 90s right when you have to keep the oven on all day. But this year was a lovely high in the 60s and a low in the 40s. Autumnal. Yeah, I know, nobody cares.

Hey, I have a question for y'all. Do you put eggs in your stuffing? I always make Mama's cornbread stuffing, and there's no actual recipe, I just dump stuff in until it looks right. But the other day I decided to actually look up a recipe for the hell of it, and about half of the cornbread stuffing recipes on the internet say to mix in a couple of eggs. I feel sure that Mama never did that. Doesn't it make it kind of gummy? Is this one of those things that every family does differently? Hmmm. Fascinating.

Have I ever shown you my cornucopia? Well, it was Mama's cornucopia first, and I kind of love it. Not many people have a cornucopia nowadays. Here is the ubiquitous holiday table shot...

Didn't your family always used to take a "table shot" every holiday meal?

 You can't really see the cornucopia there can you? Here's a close up taken today...

The plenty in the Horn of Plenty is a little worse the wear by now, but you get the idea. It's pretty, right? I think Mama would be happy that I still put one out every year. So that was interesting.

Decided to serve from a buffet this year instead of having to pass everything at the table. Everyone was pleased. So that went well. 

Okay, this is just pathetic. 

Oh yes! I know you are all dying to know what I came up with for an appetizer! (Where's that sarcasm font when you need it?) I took everyone's advice, then kind of mixed it up and added in some shrimp for Jimmy. Many folks suggested some combo of cheese/crackers/bread/meat/olives/relish stuffs. There's this great store near us called Larchmont Wine and Cheese that makes amazing meat/cheese trays, so I decided to do my best to copy it and make one of my own. Cheeses, grapes, dried figs, good olives, ham rolled up like they do, sliced salami/sliced baguette, sprigs of rosemary for a garnish. Looked really good, I must say. Then I too Katherine M's advice and made Jimmy this Southern Living recipe for Marinated Shrimp. It was  super easy, do-ahead and delicious! Thanks everybody!

 Alright that's all I got. Y'all can go back to watching Adele videos.