I can be nice

I’m hooked on a show about a woman that weighs over 400 pounds. Heard about it from a friend and originally watched thinking hey, I won’t feel so bad about my six pounds I want to lose. But she’s so sweet and lovable, I got sucked in. Her weight is life-threatening so it’s danger and food drama from the start. Sorta like my life.

Ruby lives with friends in Savannah where fried foods reign. They all eat bad and have a hard time saying No. But after the warning from her doctor she seems snapped out of her food haze and ready to get healthy. So she goes from one extreme to the other, now only allowed to eat her pre-made meals and snacks. And that’s gotta suck after all the junk she was hooked on. 

By the end of the show you’re cheering for her as she joins a gym and tries water aerobics. There’s no swimsuit in her size so she makes one from a jumper dress thingy and you can’t help but feel bad for her. When she exercises it’s exhausting, since she’s just so big, but she has an attitude that makes you think she’ll get thin this time. I want to believe her. I want to be her BFF.

Watch it sunday nights on the the style network.

With all the fires in the hills of LA, living in a densely populated area like mine has its advantages. All weekend the ash was falling like snow and it was best to stay indoors. I got sucked into the continuous news coverage, both tragic and mesmerizing. Except for an essential like going to the 30% off sale at Gap and Banana, I avoided the bad air. No run, walk or hike. Only shop.

Tonight it’s my turn to host book club. No easy task on a school night at 7pm right after work. My favorite part -right before the guests arrive- lighting candles and choosing music will be rushed as I scurry home at 5:30 or 6 and jump into an apron. The cute vintage kind, it makes everything more charming, even the disasters.

Yesterday I dragged out my collection of recipes I’ve saved from magazines, to make some day. A day when I have lots of time and money to buy weird ingredients for use only once. I have the “let’s eat gourmet every night” fantasy going. It seems so do-able. But then so did the veggie lasagne I assembled last night to pop into the oven an hour before dinner. It took 3 hours of chopping and boiling to put together. Yummy butternut squash, not at all delightful to peel and chop up. Who knows if it was even worth it yet. It would have been so easy to buy something already made.

I confess, to buying premade food and saying I cooked it. I’m not saying when or what, just that I’ve done it. And yes, I’ve stashed dirty dishes in the oven when I ran out of time. It’s the idea of cooking I love, not the actual doing it. I think it’s super cool and appealing, a gal who can toss a few things together and feed people. But my specialty is really the martini party, lots of drinks and snacks. It’s hard to keep refilling the blood orange-tinis and do real food at the same time.

Wonder what happened to my ex-boyfriend, the amazing cook who lived right down the street? Kidding.

I bake for friends. And anyone posing as my friend. Some people are surprised when you show up with homemade goodies in hand. Oh sure, it’s way cooler to say the treats are from a trendy bakery. But I enjoy making things the old fashioned way. I knit and I own a sewing machine. So maybe I’m Amish. Or just a dork. I’ve made this yummy Flourless Chocolate Cake a few times and it’s always a big hit. Plus it’s super easy and nice and light.

You’ll need:
8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate cut up
4 ounces of butter
5 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sugar

1) Butter and flour, then line with parchment paper, the bottom of a round 10-inch cake pan.
2) Melt the butter and chocolate on very low in the microwave.
3) Whisk together the egg yolks and all but 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Add the melted ingredients to this and combine well.
4) In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium until soft peaks form, slowly add in your remaining sugar and whip until stiff but not dry.
5) Now slowly fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites, fluffy huh, and pour into the pan.
6) Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Immediately turn out onto your serving plate. As it cools the center will sink and crack like in the photo.
Dust with powdered sugar or splurge and serve with whipped cream.

Just heard a very sad story about a divorcing couple with 2 young kids. The Mom is overwhelmed with financial burdens. And worrying about the heartbroken kids now that Dad is busy with his new “friend.” Both sad and pouty, she decides to get them a new kitten. Seems the sweet little fur ball was exactly what they needed. They couldn’t be happier. Kittens sure are cuddly. Daddy, not so much.

Goodbye Daddy. Hello Kitty.

It only seems right that I start out my shiny new blog with a big Thank You.

To my encouraging friends and family who helped me get this together. And listened to me talk about starting a blog, the domain name, the design, the photo to use so I look nice.

thanks you guys!

Chris, Mara, Terry, Kendrick, Julie, TC, Phil, Andrea, Amber, Daniel and a few others that I just don’t feel like mentioning.