2015: a futuristic year we never believed would ever come. We leap forward without a flying car but with plenty of techie gadgets to wow our past selves. So much so that one might ask, with our growing adoration for all things shiny and digital, what’s the global appeal of the 1920’s British period drama Downton Abbey? Perhaps paradoxically, as we steamroll further into FaceTime and shared Google Docs, we pine for handwritten letters carried into our drawing room on a footman’s silver tray and question if the future portends undesirable change. Downton’s loyal butler, Carson, likens the shifts in his era to the ground shaking under his feet and longs for an earlier stability. We too romanticize our past, including those Edwardians of Downton Abbey, and in the case of myself and several hundred ticket holders, this shared obsession is manifested at a wonderful gala, a night to live out our fantasy of days long past in costume.
Tag Archives: food
Skillet Italian Tofu
Full disclosure: I don’t like to cook. Not saying I can’t, but I don’t do so with the joy necessary to be a good cook, a real cook. But I do like to eat. A lot. And, lucky for me, I have a spouse who is happy in the kitchen. Who pours over cooking periodicals, chats up recipes, scans blogs for ideas, and with great innovation prepares meals that make everyone at our table happy.
Inevitably, after our workday, our conversation goes something like this: Are you hungry? Or the other, how hungry are you? Either would elicit a yes or a very, and therefore my response would be followed up by, what are you in the mood for? Yes, seriously, the sky is the limit from my own personal spouse-chef. Vegetarian? Simple. Vegan? Varied and delicious. Italian, Asian or any combination of healthy and delicious cuisine? Of course. She opens a few well-worn cookbooks, looks over her notes, checks the fridge and cupboard, and begins with what we have on hand. And this is another point because what a cook has on hand must be plenty in order to produce such meals. Cans of coconut milk and coconut oil. Fresh fennel and basil. Sushi vinegar. Curry. And of course the right knife. Pan. Cutting board. Nothing flashy but precious objects kept in their place.
I offer to help, and there are times when I am allowed a grater and cheese, or asked to scrub up a few potatoes, maybe to gather cherry tomatoes still on the vine. Sous-chef maybe not, but dishwasher extraordinaire, yes!
The following post is from her blog: The Savvy Skillet. Here is one of our favorite dishes, a wonderful tofu. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Funshine in the Sunshine
Recently I thought about the whole half-full half-empty glass question. In all honesty, I have to admit, I can be a half-empty person. Shocked? Well, that top half, the one that starts at the brim and ends in the middle, that half always looks so enticing. Nothing like a full glass. A first sip brings a smile to anyone’s face. And I’m always eager to get topped off to experience a full glass over and over again. But sometimes in the midst of a whole lot of fun I start worrying about the end. I stop being in the moment and before I know it I am no longer enjoying what is in front of me.
But right then and there in that realization I made a decision to look at my half-empty glass and see it not as empty, not yet, in fact, see there is much left to savor. A half-full glass of anything is still refreshing, so why not love every sip until the last drop? Why let my eyes drift to the bottom? Why worry about an experience being over while still enjoying it?
As we are mid-way through summer, I thought I’d end this pattern by not focusing on the end date, and look at the calendar with possibility. Plenty of mornings to swim. Plenty of dinners to cook outdoors. Plenty of nights to watch for shooting stars. Plenty of cocktails to toast with friends. Plenty of sunshine to fuel our funshine.
Nine Cent Girl 