Time is fragile....

My daughter is turning 20 today. It is hard to believe that 20 years ago she was a tiny 5 lb 3 oz wonder, untimely ripped from her mother's womb. She has survived nicely, growing into a smart and capable young woman, half way through college and always close to my heart.

She was born in 1990, and she changed my life forever. I took a year leave of absence from work to care for her, and I never went back. I loved being home and being a mom, they were some of the happiest years of my life. I never regret staying home because soon after I had my daughter my own mother was dying of cancer, and I was able to travel with my daughter and spend time with her. My daughter was only 4 when her grandmother passed on, but at least she was able to spend as much time as possible with her grandmother while she was still relatively healthy.

Time is fragile, just like a vase of lovely flowers. Twenty years goes by like the blink of an eye. One moment you are cradling your tiny baby, the next moment you are watching that baby become an adult. It is scary and marvelous at the same time. I hope to always be able to slow down and enjoy life's blooms while they are at their peak. Enjoy each moment for what it is, because you will never be in that same place again.

Simple is Good ...

Sometimes, the simplest meal is the best. I got home from work, tired and hungry, only to realize that there was not enough left over chicken for everyone. I decided to leave the chicken for the men to gnaw on and find something else for myself.

Checking the fridge, I saw that I had some fresh broccoli crowns and a nub of parmesano reggiano cheese. So far, so good. Did I still have some basmati rice? Score, I was ready to cook!

I cooked up a nice pot of the basmati rice, one of my favorite rices ever. It is fragrant and has some bite to it , delicious even on its own.

Quickly steaming up some broccoli, I added this to my rice, and liberally sprinkled the mixture with freshly grated parmesano reggiano cheese and freshly ground pepper. This was simple but perfect food. Accompanied with a small glass of cabernet sauvignon, okay maybe two, this was the perfect meal. It was savory and hearty, creamy yet still with a bit of crunch. Food doesn't have to be complicated or difficult to prepare, it just needs to taste good.

Can't get that song outta my head !

I was thinking about "ear worms" today. You know, songs that get in your head and you just can't stop hearing them. Sometimes you like them and well, sometimes you don't.

My current ear worm is Jack Johnson's "You and Your Heart". I know that this is no monumental song but I hear it in my head all day. I sing the refrain while I am driving. Something about the words and the sound resonate with me, and I have to say that I like this song, this is not an unwelcome earworm.

A few months ago I had an ear worm problem with the McDonald's "Filet-0-Fish" song, I am ashamed to admit. It was catchy and stupid and it made you laugh, perfect ear worm material.

I know I was not the only one, the people I work with were similarly affected. Luckily, we have all moved on.

I seem to have this problem with albums also (or CDs in modern lingo ). I listened to Jethro Tull's "Songs from the Wood" an embarrassing number of times. Wilco's "Kicking Television" was another one. I thought that my kids would kill me if they heard Jeff Tweedy's live version of "Misunderstood" one more time... When I was a young thing, it was Linda Ronstadt's "Heart like a Wheel". I would fall asleep listening to that album on my turntable, dating me I know, but LPs are in vogue again, people ....

I have learned to embrace the ear worm phase. I love that feeling when you can't get enough of a song, it sounds fresh and interesting every time you hear it. You keep playing it over and over and loving it, knowing that suddenly one day it will lose its magic. It will become just another song that you like, but not the one that is filling your head with joy...

Mother's Day ? eh...

Mother's Day just doesn't work for me. When my mom passed away 16 years ago, she took Mother's Day with her.

My mom took Mother's Day seriously. We knew we had to take her out for dinner and get her something nice. She demanded to be appreciated, and we obeyed. She loved us fiercely, I sincerely think that she would have killed for us if need be. You don't mess with that kind of woman on Mother's Day, you gave her her due.

It is not the same for me. Number one, I married into a family that will NEVER go out to eat on a holiday, so a meal out on Mother's Day is out of the question. I don't demand cards or gifts, so subsequently I don't get them. The last thing I want is for people to give me things out of guilt or obligation.

So my Mother's Day is just like any other Sunday. I sing with the choir, go grocery shopping and make dinner. Maybe my mother was right, if you don't demand appreciation, you don't get it. Lesson learned, Mom. Love ya.....

Pad Thai at home !

I come from parents that loved mild flavors. Hot sauce did not exist in my family's home. If you put sausage in a dish, it was ALWAYS mild. The menu consisted of basic American or Polish foods. The craziest it got was when the special kielbasa came out for Easter, and no, it was not very spicy. Tacos would be an exotic, foreign food that we would never get at home...

I like the way the food world is today. All different tastes and cultures mingling and sharing. I am not as adventurous as I should be in the kitchen, but I am trying. Today, it was Pad Thai.

I saw a good sounding recipe for Pad Thai in the NY Times a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try. I have to note here that I have a husband who is pretty picky about his food, but I thought that this recipe would be in the acceptable range !

I decided to forgo the tofu and stick with the shrimp, since the husband is not a fan. Most of the ingredients were easy to find, and I already had fish sauce from a previous Thai excursion. Napa cabbage was a new one for me, and I hate it when I have to read the markings in the market to figure out if I have the right thing. I don't always feel comfortable walking up to a stranger and asking "Hey, is this Napa cabbage?" The one ingredient that gave me some trouble was the tamarind paste. I don't even know what a tamarind is, so that in itself was a little unsettling. I checked three grocery stores and finally settled with Tandoori paste, which had tamarind as a primary ingredient. I tend to obsess over getting the exact ingredients when I first try a new recipe, but I was feeling okay about this one. A step toward my growth as a good cook, I hope ....

The actual cooking was a breeze ! The recipe was simple and easy to follow, not too labor intensive and the flavor was excellent. I have not had a lot of Thai food, so I am no judge of its merits, but I know that I loved the flavor of this dish, the mix of sour and sweet, slightly hot but nothing outrageous. I would absolutely make this again.

This dish is important to me because it was me stepping out of my comfort zone. My mother never made shrimp at home, that was too expensive and exotic. Cilantro would never but used in my mom's cooking, but I love it. I now know that I like Tandoori paste and I want to cook with it again. I even know what Napa cabbage is !

This is a win/win in my book. Here is a link to the recipe I used, use it in good health !

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/dining/21minirex.html?ref=dining