kale pie

Yes, I love kale. But even I , a self professed kale lover, cringe at the name of the recipe that follows. I can't decide if I should take it upon myself to rename this recipe or if I should try to spearhead a kale revolution. Even people who love the taste have a negative association for this underappreciated brassica that is so often used as an ornamental in the garden or a sad garnish for a dish with half the robust flavor and healthful properties.

KALE PIE or melange of green goodness with tangy, golden puff crust

bunch kale, thinly sliced
med. onion, sliced
1/4 c. herbs,( parsley, thyme, chives, mixture of)
2-3 tbs. butter
11/4c.flour
1/2tsp. baking powder
2 tbs mayo
6 eggs
1 c. plain yogurt
salt and pepper

preheat to 375

saute kale and onions in butter ( I added some mushrooms cause I looove 'em)

hard boil 3 eggs, chop and add to kale after sauteeing

add chopped herbs to mix.

mix the rest of the ing.to make batter.

pour half batter in bottom of buttered 9x12 pan.

pour veg.in and cover with rest of batter. bake 45min or until puffy and golden.

delicioso.

holiday crash

I am having a sad couple of days. I pour a ton of energy and thought into the anticipation of the holidays. Our little vacation is packed with visits, traditions and general merry making and when it is all done I feel a bit like I do when I have had too much delicious, happy-making coffee and the downward spiral has begun. This is all compacted by my close friend dying, beginning my first job in two years and preparing myself to leave my two year old for 3 days (to visit the aforementioned dying friend). Oh and the damn cockroaches, which I hate to mention on my lovely homage to domesticity. We live in an apt.complex and although I have bouts of true O.C.D they are not to be gotten rid of easily, esp.with my natural and non- toxic methods. AAArrrgghhh. So, I don't even know what the point of this post is. I thought I might create a little somthing to honor Rose but I am not ready for that. I am compiling some nice photos in preparation.

I did have a wonderful holiday though. I love both of my families, the Irish, Italian/Lebanese foodie, intellectual, less bubbly side that I have married into and the Scotch/German, Afro-Carribean, Cherokee/Portuguese, French side that I was born into, equally smart but a bit more relaxed and more, well bubbly. Wow, that was a mouthful and that proves that my children are true united nations babies. It is also a severe simplification of the true personalities of our families. The bubbly factor comes up because I consider myself sometimes effervescent with gusto and emotion and I used to feel that I had to tone myself down with some of my in-laws. I guess I was trying to comment on the two atmospheres that we travel between during the holidays. Maybe sometime later I will delve into that further.

I don't have any great holiday photos yet. Here is a pensive photo of myself.

squeaky clean chowder eating monsters

Christmas is so close! I still have a bunch of things to do. Henry and I got sick and messed it all up. I had wanted to make special gifts for his teachers. Luckily the room parents( boy am I glad that I applied too late for that volunteer position) collected money for gift cert. and a brick in Ms. Felix's honor. Henry really loves his teachers and I get teary eyed when I think of how grateful I am that my first born, who is especially sensitive and unique, was given the perfect teachers for his first year of school. Artistic, sensitive, flexible, affectionate...and there are three of them!!! So, they are each getting some homemade currant jam from this past summer, which isn't too shabby, I suppose.

Today, I have a few secret projects to work on and I am going to help my neighbor do something crafty which is entirely new for her. She wants to make stockings for her new little family ( 6mo.old Cathil and her husband Niall). So we are off to JoAnn's for some felt and trim.


I meant to talk about chowder first. I made some great chowder the other day. Every once in a while I am proud of a meal. It isn't usually because it is gourmet or anything fancy. I am proud when I have made something yummy, relatively healthy and with ingredients on hand. This fish chowder qualifies. Chowder is easy. I saute onions, celery and potatoes. Add stock. Add frozen corn and maybe fish or crab, when I am not feeling really poor (once a year, after a glass or two of wine). Speaking of wine, throw some in there (white of course). At the end, add some cream or half and half or whole milk, if you want to be puritanical. If you have fresh basil, that is a good thing. Also a fresh salad of winter greens ( mache, arugula, tat soi, kale) grown (illegally) outside your front door is always excellent. All you need now are some chowder-eating monsters, always plentiful around here.

Absolutely Official Certified Notarized and Recognized Carlisle and Ferrari famiglia Recipe For CCC ( chewy and tender, crisp if overdone,NOT CAKE-LIKE)
(adapted from auntie Michaela's recipe from mary)

1.5 c melted butter
1.25 c gran sugar
1.25 c packed brown
1 tbs vanilla
2 eggs
4 c flour
2 tsp.b. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 pckge c. chips

heat oven to 350
mix wet. sift together dry, add dry to wet. add chips and bake 12 -15 min.orless.i like to underbake them slightly so they are soft and chewy.

sometimes I reduce sugar a bit, add an extra pinch of salt and 2-3 heaping tbs.of orange marmalade....very good.

cookies, chowder and moving on

A good friend of mine from college has decided to let go and stop attacking the cancer that she has been fighting for about ten years. I am still processing. I knew this was coming eventually. So, I am going to talk about choc.chip cookies and fish chowder. I know Rose would approve.

Ahhh cookies.

our tannenbaum

school cancelled

The sound is a benign scraping. There is a vague hint of metal on metal. A rumbly motor noise emerges from a young boys drooly mouth. The rumbly noise quickly turns into a high pitched shreak. " Your'e too fast, wait for me....heeeeeelp meeeee."My two young boys are on their knees on the linoleum floor playing with matchbox cars. It could last minutes or hours, probably the latter. As a young woman who used to love dolls, loves to wear skirts, loves Jane Austen, chocolate, Miss Marple and knitting and sewing, the Andrews sisters, Masterpiece theater and fragrant lotions, this unabashed fascination with motors, speed and violence is, well, strange. And yet, I must say I love tractors now and gears are beautiful to me. I pride myself on knowing the difference between a skid steer and a caterpiller. Ha Ha tricked you, they are the same thing. Having two boys has changed me for the better. And while my two boys are so very boyish, my older son shares a bit of my fascination with fabrics and craft and he does love a good fragrance. We'll have to see if my younger one show the similar developments in a few years.

thankful for brothers who are friends, creative children and tea parties with goofy pals