Moving On

It's been quite some time since I visited my own pages here. As usually takes place with John and me,everything seems to happen at once.


The short version is that John was offered a full-time job at the insurance company for which he has been working part-time for years. It was an offer too good to refuse that came at just the right time. So he took the job and sold his medical practice.

In the meantime, we saw a smaller condominium nearby that we really liked, put down a deposit, listed our house and sold it. Phew!

Needless to say, all the work attendant to selling a business, preparing the house to sell, and the actual showings and negotiations all proved very time consuming and stressful. All of this began mid April and now I am spending my days weeding through what seems like endless possessions all of which seemed vitally necessary at one time or another. And I'm packing, of course.  One good thing is that the buyers of our house have bought a good deal of our furniture so I am trying to let go of everything we don't need. In a way it's liberating. In a way it's not.

I barely have been able to breathe over these past few months, let alone cook. We eat mostly vegetables, salads and a piece of grilled protein. If I crave anything it's comfort food like a soft-boiled egg reminiscent of my childhood.

Or a zucchini frittata made with fresh ricotta.

Or a bowl of chickpeas with Indian spices.

And lots and lots of coffee.

And a little bit of alcohol.

Here We Go Again

It's snowing already, and we're now under a blizzard watch. Seriously? It feels like "deja vu all over again."

So I'm finishing up the work on my desk and heading into the kitchen to make a mid-morning cappuccino. After that  I'll be making vegetable soup for lunch today and tomorrow, and maybe I'll throw in some of these grilled cheese croutons.

It's hard to get snowed in when you live in a densely populated county just ten miles outside of New York City, but it will probably be  one of those cocooning weekends in front of the fireplace with some good movies and good books--we're halfway through Netflix's new series, House of Cards.

But just for the fun of it, I'm ordering myself  a new midnight blue swimsuit this afternoon. A girl can dream of sunnier days, can't she?

What are you doing this weekend?

Chickpea  and Spinach Stew with Ginger

This is my spin on a recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt


1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
6 ounces fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, (my favorite brand is Goya); or approximately 4 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup water
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Kosher salt
Sherry vinegar for serving

Drain tomatoes in strainer placed over medium bowl.  Transfer liquid, half the tomatoes and the ginger to blender. Blend on high speed until completely pureed. Set aside. Roughly chop remaining tomatoes and set aside.

Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in soup pot. Add onion, garlic, and parika, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Add tomato-ginger puree and stir to combine. Add spinach a handful at a time, allowing each handful to wilt before adding the next. Add salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer spinach mixture, stirring occasionally, until spinach is completely tender, about 10 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, chick peas, 1 cup of water and soy sauce. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Correct seasoning and serve drizzled with a few drops of sherry vinegar.

Serves 2