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.

Just Breathe

The worst thing was the Halloween candy.

 Two weeks after two back-to-back storms the East coast is still reeling and dealing with the aftermath. I am thankful that we did not experience any damage or injury, and compared to what others are still suffering, a little over a week without power was just a minor inconvenience.

Through it all I cooked. It never occurred to me not to cook dinner. One dark and cold night as I stood at the cook top sauteeing veal chops in Marsala wine, perhaps sensing an oncoming melt-down, John stood holding the flashlight. Seeing the absurdity of the situation I said, "What in the world am I doing?" "What you always do," he said. Cooking. As usual."

Chris kept in touch from the West coast with texts. It still amazes me that his generation actually thinks that texting is the same as talking. "How's it going? Btw what have you been eating?" "I have been cooking. In the dark. As usual." "OK cool."

So when all is said and done, as Denise reminded me, cooking and our kitchens do comfort us. So it was fitting to make this hearty sausage and bean dish for dinner the other night.

I cut one pound of hot sausages into pieces and sauteed them in a heavy Dutch oven. When they were brown, I added a crushed garlic clove, some fresh rosemary, a little salt and pepper and a large can of cannellini beans, drained.  Then came a splash or two of red wine letting it cook down for about 30 seconds. Next I added about one cup of canned tomatoes, crushing them as I put them in. I then cooked the sausage mixture with the lid askew for about 30 minutes. Perfect.

Oh, the Halloween candy? The worst thing was that I ate it all!