The farmers market

 
  
Every Sunday morning I roll out of bed around 8:30-9:30 a.m. While this isn't exceptionally early by most standards, considering the fact that I stay up late and usually don't get to bed until around 3:30 a.m. or so.

But Sundays are when I have to go to Ojai for the farmers market that runs there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. What started as just a fun thing to do has turned into an obsession. I could go to the farmers market here in Ventura, but it's more expensive.

I have to get to Ojai -- it takes about 25 minutes up Hwy 33 from my house -- as close to opening hour as possible so I an grab all the good flowers.

I've become a bit obsessive about my flowers. I love to have scads of flowers all around the house all the time. As time goes on, I'm looking for more and more of a bang for new and colorful blooms. There's one lady there who sells bouquets during the summer. I totally love her stuff. It's very feminine, while being unusual and fun.

Then there's the Dutch guy, who, as one woman put it, is a "rock star" at the market. He sells flowers a loves to go on and on about them. I usually don't reciprocate too much because it's early and I usually haven't formed cogent enough thoughts to be able to express even the most basic sentence. So I grab flowers and wander around looking for fun stuff to cook.

It's late spring in California. This is a good time for lettuce and cold weather crops. I got some flowering broccoli and bok choy, along with my weekly lettuce. We can get cherries from a select few area orchards. The onions and garlic are looking delicious and the herbs are great.

I bought some squash blossoms this Sunday. I love to stuff them with cheese and fry them. I tried a little experiment this time. I stuffed half with a feta cheese/Mediterranean mixture and the other half with a double creme cheese from Trader Joe's. I then just fried some right up in olive oil and I dipped the others in milk and then a light coating of flour and fried those.

I learned this: the ones that weren't dipped in milk and flour kind of fell apart and became a nondescript mess. The ones dipped in flour held together quite well. I didn't salt any of them because cheese is salty. That proved to be wise, especially with the feta.

With food like this, I like to keep seasonings to a minimum and let the food taste come through. Squash blossoms have a fairly delicate flavor, so I just wanted to taste them, cheese and olive oil. The ones with the Trader Joe's cheese were the best, but the feta ones weren't so bad.

Stuffed squash blossoms
10 to 12 squash blossoms
cheese (use your favorite cheese to make these -- I prefer chevre when I'm not experimenting)
milk
flour
extra virgin olive oil
pepper

Carefully stuff blossoms with cheese. The squash blossoms are delicate so you will want to use them as soon after buying them as possible. Dip blossoms in milk and dredge (roll) them in flour.

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Fry squash blossom on medium high heat for about 2 minutes a side or until browned. If you have little squashes attacked to the blossoms, don't dredge them, just fry them until they begin to brown. Season with freshly ground pepper.

It's time to 'cue up the grill

  
While it's still officially spring, unofficially it's summer and it sure has felt like summer during the past few days.

Here, in Ventura, it rarely gets really hot because we're next to the ocean and there's almost always a sea breeze. Occasionally, we get Santa Ana winds, which can be very dry and hot and can last for a few uncomfortable days of high, gusty backwards winds blowing all kinds of dust and ... stuff, from the mountains. But these usually happen at the end of the summer, rather than the beginning.

As the result of having few hot days, most Venturans don't have air conditioning. And because it always, always cools down at night, we can tough it up and get through the days when the temperatures actually rise into ... gasp! ... the 80s. Oh yeah, the pets are panting, I'm sweating and the plants are wilting. Our vet said that pets from Ventura tend to exhibit signs of heat stress way before animals living elsewhere. He kind of gets a kick out of it, noting that we've all become acclimated to comfortable temperatures, or wimps I believe was the actual term.

My buddy Kaia came over today and it was one of the few days it was warm enough to go swimming in our pool. When we bought this house, it came with an above-ground pool. It's a pretty nice pool, nothing fancy, but it's a full-size backyard pool. It costs us a small fortune to keep it running and to keep the water clean enough not to alarm the dudes who fly over our house with helicopters looking for dirty pools. Rob acted as though I was paranoid for saying this until there was one of those channel 7 or KCAL 9 or some other TV station that did a big story on dirty pools -- with pictures from helicopters -- and how they're breeding places for West Nile disease.

We've discussed getting rid of it because it's usually in the low 70s around here and too cool to swim. It's getting old too and the liner looks as though it will burst any moment. But it's a big hassle to take it down because we live so close to the ocean and you have to let all the chlorine get out of the pool before you can dump the water. Then we have to hire someone to take the whole thing away. We can probably resell the filter and pump. We've decided that we'd like to replace the pool with a hot tub, which would be a lot of fun on our chilly nights.

But today Kaia and I spent some time swimming around the pool, which was really pleasant. Then I barbecued. One of the other cool things we got with our house was a really nice brick barbecue near the back covered patio area. The barbecue has a tray that lowers and raises on which you place the coals. Unfortunately said tray has completely rusted through over the years. We've taken to using heavy duty aluminum foil to hold the coals.

A few weeks ago, I got a charcoal chimney. These are fabulous devices that allow you to light the coals without using lighter fluid. They consist of two chambers, top and bottom. The charcoal is placed in the top chamber and the bottom chamber is filled with crunched up newspaper. The metal dividing the chambers is filled with holes and there are holes on the side to fuel the flames. It's a ingenious little device.

The first time I used it, I kept the coals in until they were grey. Unfortunately the resulting heat concentrated at the bottom of the chimney actually melted the aluminum foil. I've replaced the foil with a cookie sheet, which holds the coals and can stand getting hotter than the foil can. And the cool part about using a chimney is there is no lighter fluid flavor. It's best to dump the coals out when the fire seems well established in the coals, but the top ones are still black.

Because I can adjust the height of the fire, I can create a two-level fire with no problem. This comes in handy for steaks, which should be seared on both with a high flame and then cooked with a lower flame.

We experimented with rubs today; using three different Penzey's concoctions on the meat. I also made hamburgers, which were flavored with Penzey's English Rib rub.

Cooking hamburgers on the grill is one of the most difficult things for a cook to do well, especially now when all hamburgers have to be overdone to kill any bacteria that may be lurking in our meat. It's a sad commentary that we live in a world where the can poison our meat with bacteria in filthy packing plants, and rather than solving the problem, we are all condemned to eating gray hockey pucks.

But as ridiculous as it is, we still have to do it to be safe. There is an exception. If you go to a old fashioned butcher, who grinds his/her own meat, you can be a lot more sure that the ground meat you get is safe. It may cost more and require a special trip, but it is so worth it to be able to have a medium rare hamburger again.

There are a few cardinal rules to cooking hamburger. If you follow these, you will stand a much better chance of getting heaven on a bun, or my very favorite summer food -- a grilled hamburger.

Hamburger rules
* Never, ever press down on a hamburger when you are cooking it. You are pushing out the juices and making the meat tough.
* If you want the sides of your burger to be flat, indent the burger in the middle a little bit when you form the patties. The natural tendency of the meat is to ball up as it cooks, and this combats that.
* Speaking of forming patties, form them quickly, and handle them long enough for the meat to stick together, but don't overhandle the meat or it will become tough. And always wash your hand with antibacterial soap after handling raw meat. Make sure to wash or wipe every surface you touched or the raw meat touched. And never, ever use the plate you used for the raw meat for cooked meat.
* Try to flip the burgers as few times as possible. You can see the meat cooking on the first side to get a feel for when to flip them the first time. You can judge how done they are in part by looking at the juices that come out of the burgers. If they're bloody, the meat still isn't done. A well-done burger will shrink significantly and become quite firm.
* If you notice blood on the plate, you may want to microwave the burgers for about a minute. Some people recommend doing this as a matter of course with burgers and I will do it with supermarket meat.

Memorial Day

 
 
 
  
Rob and I and the dogs enjoyed a fun, relaxing Memorial Day weekend. The weather here in Ventura was incredible, which isn't always the case because it can be foggy this time of year.

We spent a lot of time by the beach and I took a bunch of photos just for the fun of it.

Eating healthy

First, I wanted to put some pictures of a rainbow that appeared outside our back door. We have beautiful rainbows here. I think it's because we're surrounded by hills, which hold low-hanging rain clouds when the sun comes out. We're supposed to get some rain Sunday, which is almost unheard of here in Southern California.

I'm not sure if it's because of the persistent fog that's been hugging the beaches for the past few weeks -- we went straight from rainy weather to fog and, now, back to rain. But the sun has been as scare as it's ever been sine I moved here. That and the fact the Rob and I are fighting colds, me with more success than he, has made us feel health conscious, or at least fatalistic enough to realize that we need to worry about what we eat. That's not to say that we eat fried foods when the sun is out, but gloomy days make me want comfort food -- healthy comfort food.

So I whipped up some chicken cacciatore. I love this dish. It's easy to make. Inexpensive. Healthy and tasty. I serve it with Dreamfields pasta, which cuts the effective carbs and makes pasta a great, low-fat addition to any dish. I toss the pasta with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Chicken cacciatore

1 package of six chicken thighs
3 tablespoons canola oil
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
1 large bell pepper coarsely chopped
1 onion coarsely chopped
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
1 large can Progresso crushed tomatoes with added puree (don't use the flavored purees)
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried oregano

Heat oil in non reactive skillet or Dutch oven. Sprinkle chicken thighs with garlic and onion powders and pepper. Brown on both sides in oil. Which thighs are golden brown, add peppers, onions and mushrooms and cook until starting to soften. Drain extra oil. Add tomatoes bay leaves and oregano. Simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. Serve with pasta.

Grand Trio of Spring or Eating Ferns

 
  
I saw the ad on Epicurious and I couldn't resist. The offer was for something called the "Grand Trio of Spring" offered by Earthy Delights, http://www.earthy.com. This consisted of morel mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns and ramps.

Other women go weak in the knees for a great pair of shoes -- me, I come unglued with cool, new foods.

I'd heard of fiddlehead ferns, and had gone so far as to buy some at Whole Foods (which is incoveniently located more than 30 miles away because the demographic/marketing geniuses have decided our community isn't "upscale" enough to support a gourmet grocery -- grrrrr). But I never cooked the ferns I kind of looked at them for a few weeks and then threw them out. I was intimidated. I'd had a similar experience with morels a couple of years back. I stumbled on them at the local farmers market and bought them. But by the time I went to use them, just two days later, they had gone bad. I sometimes forget how perishable truly fresh food can be.

But these ingredients, along with the ramps -- billed as wild leeks -- piqued my interest. And in the middle of the night, when my husband wasn't around I ordered some. It turns out I'd actually pre-ordered them and it took about a month until the order was ready to ship. You had to promise to be home to receive it, or Earthy Delights wouldn't guarantee the shipment. Right now that's no problem for me.

I received my package Thursday and called some close friends and my daughter and her boyfriend over for a dinner featuring my Grand Trio of Spring. I'd already decided -- during the preceding month I'd given it a lot of thought -- that I wanted to incorporate them into a Gruyere/Parmesan souffle. I also had a bunch of artichokes from my backyard. I've made the happy discovery that artichokes thrive with neglect -- my kind of plant.

I envisioned a meal with artichokes served with various sauces -- hollandaise, and a variety of dips from Trader Joe's: Spicy pepper dip, spicy hummus, garlic hummus. I added some frozen taco appetizers from Trader Joes as a last-minute nod to Cinco de Mayo.

I invited everyone over for 8, but Kim and Dennis didn't show up until about 15 after, which is about normal for them. Rob was going to be home late and Lindsay was at the hospital watching the 16-year-old sister of a friend have a baby. I was able to serve the hors d'ouevres and chat. When Rob came home, I was able to start beating the eggs for the souffle. I had everything else ready to go. But the souffle took it's time, and it wasn't served until about 10:38 p.m.

This is such a thing with me. The food just doesn't seem to want to cook in the time allotted. Oh well, at least everyone has a good sense of humor.

The Grand Trio souffle was worth the wait and everyone loved it. Well, everyone except Rob who kept running around going, "You're going to serve people ferns???" He pretended to eat the souffle with a minimum of retching sounds, but it was a bit out of his small culinary circle of foods. Thank God for peanut butter and jelly or the man would starve to death.

To make the Gruyere/Parmesan souffle go to the April 6, post on this blog: Expanding My Horizons. Make the souffle as directed, but fold in about two cups of the sauteed ferns, mushrooms and ramps, cooled, as the last step before cooking.

Springtime in Ohio

Rob and I went to Bellbrook, Ohio, to visit our grandson, Cody. He's six weeks, and completely adorable -- the cutest little baby ever.

Okie dokie, enough proud grandparent jabbering.

We had perfect, spring weather in Ohio. It really doesn't get much nicer. But I still wanted to come home to Ventura. I lived in Ohio for 14 years and formed a rather negative view of the state as a whole and the Dayton area in particular. First, there's the crappy weather. Sure, there are a few good days. But for the most part, it's overcast, too hot or too cold.

The architecture in the area is hideous, comprising square brick homes, Tudor monstrosities or aluminum siding gothic. The people, while seemingly gracious, tend to be clannish and unaccepting, or at least this was my experience.

But Ohio in the spring is lovely. And we arrived just in time for the lilacs, which are my favorite flower. We were able to travel through the countryside, which was all bucolic and Amish. We visited my brother and sister in law with the baby at his house out in the middle of nowhere, and the scenery was as nice as it gets.We also ended up hiking on another occasion in Yellow Springs (where Dave Chappelle lives, but we didn't see him).

One of the things I enjoy doing when I visit my daughter is to make big dinners that they can freeze. The last time I was there I made pot roast and lasagna. My pot roast recipe has been perfected over the years and yields an unbelievably delicious result. Some foodies would cringe at the use of onion soup mix, but it really adds to the depth of the flavors.

Pot Roast

1 3 to 4 pound chuck roast, well marbled (you can use any inexpensive cut of meat, but the chuck works best)
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
2 tablespoons flour
Carrots, peeled (I use the pre peeled little ones)
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
4 turnips, peeled, and cut in half
Red potatoes, cut in half or in quarters depending on their size
4 to 5 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 295 degrees.
Using a Reynold's oven bag, turkey size, place roast inside along with flour and soup mix and shake. Add all the vegetables. Close bag with supplied tab and poke bag several times with a knife. Place in a roasting pan and cook in oven for about three hours, or until meat falls apart.

Going to the dogs

I love my pets. I love them more than food, although I don't think they could say the same of their love for me.

Our dog, Jersey, a cocker spaniel was the queen of our hearts. We had her for more than 15 years, since she was less than 6 weeks old. She was just a teenie thing when we bought her -- it's a long story, but we had to buy her, rather than adopt. She was a real baby and when we'd leave her along, she'd cry in our front window like a baby. Fortunately, she got a kitty and although they fought like the proverbial cat and dog, they loved each other.

But last summer, Jersey got very sick. Her breathing was labored and she was coughing. She took a turn for the worse one night and I had to rush her to the local Pet Emergency Care. They put her in an oxygen cage. The next day, Rob and I took her to her vet, where we were told that she was very ill and probably wouldn't make it though the night.

We looked at her, and she was calm. She was with us and we made her happy. So we decided it was time. The doctor injected her and we held her as she died. It was one of the saddest things I've ever done.

I'd always known the day would come, after all, as Rob says, loving a pet is like loving a child with a terminal illness. They just aren't going to live that long. We also knew we'd never replace our Jersey. I wanted a couple of months, and we had the company of Brindle, a black poodle/shitzu mix who is one of the sweetest dogs. Brindle ended up staying with us because of a long list of circumstances, but she went back to be with her mommy and I wanted another dog.

I was determined to adopt a dog this time, believing that there are way too many unwanted animals in the world for me to be buying a dog. I contacted a local rescue group, 4 Small Paws out of Newbury Park, Calif., and asked if I could be considered as a prospective adoptee. Within days, I received a call. There was a chihuahua who needed a home. He had been found wandering the streets with a broken leg. The problem was that he people who tried to adopt him had cats and this doggie loves to chase cats.

I had no problem in that area. Our two cats have faced down the cocker spaniels that belong to my friend. The dogs would stay with us when their mom and dad went away. Our big cat, Mythos, is over 17 pounds. The other cat, Lily -- short for Lil' Kitti -- has enough attitude for 50 cats. One day one of the cocker spaniels tried to growl at her and she just went up and started smelling the dog's teeth. This served to so confuse the dog that she gave up the growling and walked away.

I figured a little 7 pound dog wouldn't intimidate my kids. I was right. When the 4 Small Paws lady Lori arrived she was holding the little white and reddish brown boy. He came in and was terrified -- except for some peeing on the hearth -- and sat there shivering. I showed Lori our house. The yard the dog would have. The bed next to ours if he didn't want to sleep with us, which we prefer. We showed her Jersey's ashes on the mantle with her collar and a picture, next to the ashes and picture of her Kitti.

Lori decided to give us a try and left the dog with us. Lori called him Chewy, but he didn't seem like a Chewy. The family wanted to name him something Mexican, but I vetoed all their suggestions, up to and including Senior PeePee. Everyone had just seen the "Motorcycle Diaries," and we decided on Fuser, which was Che Guevera's nickname and means wildman.

Fuser ended up joining our family, and found that the cats were less than cooperative about the chasing game. So he would cry until they would play. Mythos the cat really isn't "into" being chased by a dog less than half his size, so unless he's feeling particularly magnanimous, he won't run. Lily actually likes the game and has been know to jump of Fuser to get him to chase her.

Little Fuser started out as a very timid little guy. But I have him lots of love and he's a lot more secure now. He does have a thing for Rob and will run from him. We took Fuser to an obedience class. He really didn't get a whole lot out of it, although he did learn a trick where he plays dead when you go "bang," and point a finger at him -- imaginary gun style.

Then Brindle ended up coming back to stay because her mommy moved to Oregon. Brindle and Fuser get along wonderfully. They love going to the beach and just running after each other. Their biggest bone of contention is their sleep position. Apparently the rule is the one higher and tighter to mommy wins. I have to be careful in my sleep because I never know who I'll be rolling on to.

We'd settled into life as a two dog family. Then around my birthday in February, my daughter informed me that her roommate had found a dog wandering in El Rio, a local, poor community. We took Rascal in and had him groomed and given shots and finally neutered. He and Fuser have discovered a kind of "Brokeback Mountain" kind of intense physical love, which they feel the need to share with the world. And Brindle has established herself as Top Dog.

Rob was entirely against the adoption, but one thing about Rob is that he loves animals as much as I do, so if I keep the animal in question around, he'll cave. It's worked four times now. Lily and Mythos both showed up on our doorsteps, crying and cold. We've never actually sought to get a cat, but we've ended up with three during the course of our marriage.

The dogs are a bit of a problem because Rascal isn't housebroken and Fuser and Brindle, who've always looked at housebreaking as an option, decided, why bother. I'm making a little progress with Fuser and Brindle, but Rascal has no clue. He'll cry to come in so he can poopie inside. I have so many cans of cleaning products, I could open a de-stink store.

But they are cute. I often refer to them as Moe, Curly and Larry, and they do seem as though they feel they're a pack. A wild pack of wolves, they say. They're not the cool dogs I'd always pictured myself walking along the beach with, all of us with our hair blowing in the wind. Then again, I was supposed to look like Joan Allen, but I have more of a Kathy Bates thing going.

I enjoy spending time with my babies, and they all are. I think it is such a wonderful thing that there are animals who want to hang out with us and give us love. Sure they have a pretty good deal: free food and board and a minimum of expectations. Your dog isn't going to do poorly in school. Your dog isn't going to talk back -- although your cats might. You don't have to worry about being too disappointed in your dog, well, unless he poops on a neighbors rug or something.

As Charles Schulz said, "Happiness is a warm puppy." Kitties aren't so bad either.

And now, the quiet six months

After Easter, it's nice to settle into the six months off. There are no real holidays between Easter and Halloween, at least in the world of competitive holiday celebrations. Sure maybe a barbecue or two with red, white and blue bunting, but not the serious, get out the decorations and plan in advance kind of holidays. I'm looking forward to the less-hectic summer months.
We had a really nice, low-key Easter and everyone behaved well. I created a trifle with chocolate, pudding, strawberries and whipped cream. I just love trifles. I put everything I think is good into a bowl and call it dessert. What an invention!
We've also been eating tons of egg salad. This happens when you dye a bunch of eggs. Fortunately, I have a pretty tasty recipe, so it's not too much of a hardship.

Chocolate dream trifle
1 large package instant vanilla pudding*
1 package Nestle dark chocolate mousse*
1 pint whipping cream
Vanilla
sugar
3 quarts strawberries
1/2 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
2 packages ladyfingers

*This recipe will call for about a pint of cold milk to make the pudding and the mousse.

Prepare vanilla pudding according to package directions. Chill. Prepare mousse according to package directions. Chill. Whip cream, adding vanilla and sugar to taste. Trim tops off strawberries and slice into quarters lengthwise. Coarsely chop chocolate and place in microwave safe bowl (I used a Pyrex measuring cup) along with butter. Heat in microwave a minute at a time, stirring after each minute, until melted.
Drizzle chocolate down the sides of the trifle bowl until you have a pretty good covering of chocolate around the sides of the bowl. Line the bottom and sides of the trifle bowl with ladyfingers. Fold pudding with 1/2 pudding. Scoop half of the pudding mixture into bottom of trifle. Spread 1 quart of the strawberries on top. Drizzle chocolate over strawberries. Spoon mousse on top and spread. Put another quart of the strawberries on top. Drizzle with chocolate. Spread remaining pudding mixture on top. Divide the remaining quart of strawberries in half. Put half on top. Drizzle with chocolate. Spread whipped cream on the very top. Make a decorations with the remaining strawberries and drizzle more chocolate on the top. Chill and serve.

Egg salad
6 hardboiled eggs
about 3 stalks celery chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons dill relish
1 teaspoon capers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Chop eggs. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and chill.

Here comes Peter Cottontail

Easter is sort of a overlooked holiday. Most people have a fuzzy notion of when the day is, and they have a family dinner or something. Me! I love Easter. Starting some time during Lent, I start decorating. I buy the Easter stuff at the stores after Easter, so I get some really good deals. Then I sprinkle it around the house.

Easter week is spent rounding up all the pieces that make up my holiday. I get my Honey Baked ham, I buy some lamb -- Trader Joe's had some butterflied leg of lamb on sale. I'll grill it outside. I need the best asparagus around. I've scoped out the shops and veggie stands and I'll stick with farmers market asparagus, which is truly pencil thin and insanely expensive. I bought small red potatoes. I bought one of those mixes with yellow, blue and red potatoes for Christmas, but the blue potatoes cook a lot faster than the other two varieties. By the time the red and yellow potatoes were cooked, the blue potatoes had pretty much blown up and dissolved. I threw them out and serves the red and yellow potatoes and vowed not to make the same mistake again.

The Saturday before Easter is the day I dye Easter eggs. I learned the trick to hardboiling eggs years ago and I want to pass it on:

Hard-boiled eggs
Place eggs in the bottom of a non-aluminum pot. Try to have enough eggs to cover the bottom of the pot, but don't crowd them. Pour cool water over the eggs, covering them by about an inch. Heat over high heat until boiling. Unlike other recommendation, I let the eggs boil for about a minute. Then I turn off the heat and let them sit for 15 minutes. I pour off the water, being careful to hold onto the eggs so they don't start cracking into each other. Place the eggs under cold tap water and run it over the eggs until they cool. Place them in reserved egg carton and store in the refrigerator. I like to dye them the next day.

Back when I was a kid, people kept boiled eggs out and ate them. I remember one particularly unhappy Easter when I got food poisoning from a bad egg. I was at the point of illness when you no longer care if you're going to die because dying would be preferable to violently dry-heaving all night, with family members telling you to be quiet because they're trying to sleep. So I make sure my dyed eggs are properly refrigerated. I'll take them out for Easter dinner, but they go right back in the fridge after the feast.

Fish market

Every Saturday morning, starting at 8 a.m. at the Ventura Harbor there's a Fisherman's Market. I wrote an article about it a few years ago for the local newspaper (were I was employed). I had always been perplexed by the California coast when I first arrived here almost nine years ago. I grew up in New Jersey. We spent time in Nantucket. I lived in Boston for awhile. I've even made my way to Florida a few times. The Atlantic seashore is chock-full of shops and restaurants featuring sea souvenirs and seafood. The Ventura County seacoast, on the other hand, almost seems unaware that there's an ocean nearby. There are some really nice homes on the beach -- a rather precarious endeavor in my opinion -- and there are some resorts. In Ventura there's a really cool pier with a good seafood restaurant on it. There are a couple more upscale places nearby. But it's nothing like the jam-packed, hopelessly tacky Eastern seashore of my youth.

There are junky places on the California coasts, but I don't visit them. I'm content with the Ventura County to Santa Barbara stretch of coast for the most part.

One of my favorite places to go in Ventura is the Ventura Harbor. There are a number of restaurants, a few shops, boat docks and entertainment on the weekends. The harbor backs to the ocean, with one of the most beautiful beaches I've seen, if you like rugged, natural beauty -- no groomed beaches here.

Andria's Seafood restaurant and market is located at the harbor. This is where the Fisherman's Market is held on Saturdays. Fresh catch from local boats is sold, and if you're not there at 8 sharp, you miss out on the best stuff. There is a lot of jostling for the best fish.

This past Saturday I scored some local shrimp and some unknown fish. I thought they were sand dabs at first and they could have been. I'll have to admit, I'm one of those unfortunate people who thinks she has to know everything -- or at least appear to know everything. I like to act like I'm at old hand at everything -- your basic Jane Cool. So I rarely ask about stuff and just try to overhear what other people say. It has occurred to me that unlike at least half the 20-somethings in Southern California, I don't have a film crew following me around and no one really cares about how cool I am, other than me -- and perhaps my husband, who refuses to be married to someone who's uncool. So now I ask more questions -- but in a really cool way.

The local shrimp are sold alive. I brought them home and boiled them in salted water with a few bay leaves thrown in. I cooked them until the shrimp were beginning to curl, but hadn't yet curled into a tight circle, which means they're overdone. After the cooked shrimp cooled, I cleaned them by taking off their heads. Shrimp heads are kind of cool. They are a great addition to fish stock, but they're also invaluable for having fun with the kids.

The first time I bought the shrimp, my squeamish daughter, who was around 19 at the time, started complaining about the insect-looking shrimp that were moving around in the bag. As I was beheading them (After cooking them), I got a great idea and put a shrimp head on each finger. I ran around the house after her making shrimp noises, or noises shrimps should make, and wiggling my fingers. Our landlord stopped by at that precise moment and the front door was open ... priceless.

Pacific shrimp are a lot redder than the shrimp traditionally sold in supermarkets. They tend to be on the small side. The peeled shrimp's texture is less firm on the outside, but the same as supermarket shrimp on the inside. These shrimp are sweeter than other shrimp, perhaps because they're fresher. Just boil them up, cool them down, whip up some sauces and serve. They are a treat. And fun for the whole family.

Traditional cocktail sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish (not sauce) or to taste
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or to taste.

Mix together, chill and serve

Mustard/tarragon sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup hot mustard (I used Phillpe's mustard, which is super hot and is available at http://www.philippes.com)
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Mix, chill and serve

Tarter sauce with a twist
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dill relish
1 teaspoon capers
Tobasco sauce to taste
Mix, chill and serve

Easter egg tree

I'm a big stickler for holidays and decorations and celebrations. My feeling is that life is routine most of the time and grim some of the time, so we should squeeze all the celebration out of it that we can. Back in Ohio, our best friends were physicians from the Dominican Republic. The woman half of the couple, a psychiatrist used to tell me that I was "such a homemaker." She didn't mean it in any pejorative sense. She meant that I love to make my house a home and spend a lot of time and effort creating an ambiance I enjoy and that the family likes.

One of my favorite "homemaker" things I do each Easter is put together an Easter egg tree. I had seen one during a walk in Ohio and waited years until I finally found plastic eggs with holes at the ends (I could have made holes myself, but my dedication to the idea wasn't quite at that level.) I then got some fishing line (thicker is better), knotted it well and strung each egg on a bare tree branch -- preferably a blooming tree such as a fruit tree -- (I use my peach tree). The Easter egg tree is so cheerful and spring-like that I have to do it each year. (I save the plastic eggs from year to year.)

When I went back to Ohio for my grandson Cody's birth, I put up an Easter egg tree in my daughter and son-in-law's yard. It was immediately approved by the neighbors. Everyone who's seen it really likes it and a few have run off to make Easter egg trees of their own -- with more eggs.

I'm sorry but the world of competitive holiday decorating, copying makes you lose massive points that can't be made up by creating a gaudy imitation of the original cheerful, yet tasteful tree. After all, there will be NO inflatable bunnies in my yard, although I couldn't resist a bunny windsock for me and a Hoppy Easter plaque for my daughter. I just love Hoppy Easter -- it's so stupid it's funny. My daughters roll their eyes over my dorky sense of humor.

The delightful irony for me, though, is when I unveiled the Easter egg tree in California, I told everyone I got the idea in Ohio during a walk. (Yes, I lost originality points the first year I did it, but according to the World Federation of Home Decoration, the idea becomes your own if you've incorporated it into your tradition annually for at least three years. Look it up.) And when I was in Ohio, everyone acted as though this were such an original idea. I said they do it in California.

My Easter celebration will be relatively low-key this year, with a Honeybaked Ham, grilled lamb, red potatoes with green onions and parsley and asparagus with lemon butter. I assemble Easter baskets for everyone to take home. I'm trying to cut back on the candy because I've gone totally wild and last year had at least 25 pounds of candy left -- I kid you not. Kaia discovered it one day after Easter. We knew because all we could hear coming out of the dining room was Kaia going, "Oh my God! Oh my God!" Sugarhead that she is, she thought she'd died and gone to heaven.

As usual, I'm excited. I have my decorations out. I'll have to dye eggs this week. It's a good thing there are kids in my life, otherwise I'd just be a weird old lady -- OK weird-er.

Living here

I love living by the ocean. It was a lifelong dream that'd I'd forgotten. But when I went to spend a vacation in Oregon in a house on the Pacific, I knew what I had to do. Or as my daughter always put it, "You went on vacation, saw the ocean, thought it was pretty and ruined everyone's lives." That, of course was back when she was in high school. Now, almost nine years later, she's the biggest California Girl of them all.

But living by the ocean has been educational. Having grown up in New Jersey and vacationed in Nantucket, I always thought of beaches as being groomed, with huge stretches of white sand. And in California, the bigger cities and tourist destinations keep their beaches pretty pristine. Here in Ventura, we are trying to let the beaches behave as they want to naturally. The idea is that with beach erosion being a problem, how do we stop it from happening? Through trial and error -- a lot of error -- people have noticed that the beaches replenish best when we leave them alone. This means undamming the rivers, allowing the cobble to collect at rivermouths and letting the debris that washes up after storms remain as is and let the sand collect around it and bury it.

This isn't a pretty process and it makes the beaches harder to navigate. And it isn't certain that this is the answer because it's a pretty complex process. But so far, man-made solutions have proved unsuccessful, so it's time to let Nature take over.

Lesson aside, it was a great evening at the beach. I just love going down there with Rob and the dogs (one of them, Rascal is at the vets getting altered, poor guy). One of my new "things" is to look a lot cooler. After 50, this is a piece of cake :-). I want to be all quite the babe at the beach with my long tresses blowing in the wind, body like Jane Fonda's, dressed in cool casual -- jeans, sheepskin boots (NOT Uggs, after all, I'm not trendy), and cool dogs.

In reality, I keep my hair tightly pulled back so it doesn't blow in my eyes or otherwise get on my nerves. My body is, well, Jane Fonda? Not so much. I've got more of a Kathy Bates thing going. I do wear the sheepskin boots (they are SOOOO comfy), but not at the beach because I don't want them to get stained with saltwater. I wear my ubiquitous Teva sandals.

And my dogs? Well, my dogs are short and yappy. The chihuahua Fuser is all cliche, going after bigger dogs. My husband says he reminds him of Danny Bonaduce. And the dog does have a little, bow-legged, I-wish-I-weren't-such-a-short-putz bravado. The other dog, Brindle, is a poodle/shi-tzu (sp -- and I REFUSE to look it up because I hate that word.) She's a sweetheart who just wants loving. The latest guy, Rascal, who was a stray, is a poodle/terrier mix and is a real sweetheart, doing whatever he needs to to fit in and letting Fuser and Brindle boss him around even though he's the biggest.

But at least I'm at the beach, and that's cool enough in and of itself.

Fighting to expand my horizons

My husband has quit smoking. This is a huge, hairy deal because he's smoked for almost 40 years. And he loved it. He never coughed and is as nimble now as most 12-year-olds. His idea of heaven on Earth, aside from the golf course, was sitting smoking a cigarette and drinking a good cup of coffee.

Needless to say he's been a tad on the cranky side since he gave up his nasty habit. And while I'm especially glad he's quit, seeing that I am an asthmatic who's allergic to tobacco, I may have to do him some serious bodily harm if he doesn't settle down.

And although my husband has many good qualities, an adventurous palate isn't one of them. Usually I try to plan meals based around his many, many, many aversions and prohibitions, but seeing as how he's not particularly in my good graces these days, I didn't feel any qualms serving him something wild, something crazy, something so far out there that his head would completely spin off his shoulders. Yes, you got that right, I made a cheese souffle.

For all my culinary aspirations, I've never made a souffle, mostly because I never bought or received a souffle dish. I was also a bit intimidated. Back in the stone ages, when I was growing up, souffles were considered quite the gourmet accomplishment.

But then I started looking at recipes and danged if it didn't looks amazingly easy. It was. I'd had a wild hair to make souffle for a few weeks; I've been toying with springtime dishes and souffles offer that. But I feel as though a whole new world has been opened to me. Watch out souffle-land here I come.

Usually I tinker with recipes right off the bat, but this recipe, which I found on my very favorite online cooking resources:
Gruyere and Parmesan Cheese Souffle

Grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (packed) coarsely grated Gruyere cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 large egg whites

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup souffle dish or six 1 1/4-cup souffle dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix yolks, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add yolk mixture all at once to sauce and whisk quickly to blend. Fold in 1 1/4 cups Gruyere cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (cheeses do not need to melt). Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm souffle base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer souffle mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Gruyere cheese.

Place souffle in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake souffle until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 40 minutes for large souffle (or 25 minutes for small souffle). Using oven mitts, transfer souffle to platter and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Bon Appétit
Cooking Class
April 2000

Rainy day dinner

It's been raining here in Southern California -- a lot. We've had more than 4 inches so far this April. And it's only April 5.

Southern California has a strange relationship with rain -- where else can you see "Stormwatch 2006" when it sprinkles outside for about an hour?
But when it really decides to rain around here it can get pretty dramatic. I live just a few miles from La Conchita, which experienced a tragic mudslide over a year ago. And just north of me, just about a block, some houses were inundated with mud.
Southern California isn't geologically suited to lots of rain, which is why we're prone to mudslides and flooding.

I love living here because you can go outside almost 365 days a year. And it's easy to get spoiled because the weather is almost always good, if not perfect. Temperatures never drop much past the 40s at night and are never higher than the mid 70s. It's rarely too windy, although I'm not a big fan of the dry reverse winds from the desert -- the Santa Anas. But they're relatively infrequent.

But I've had it with this weather (and yes, I'll have cheese with this whine). I'm trapped indoors with three little doggies who refuse to go potty outside in the rain. This means I spend my days wandering around with paper towels, sponges and sprays. Dog 1 sprays his pee, Dog 2 sprays his pee on top and I come along and spray some stuff on top of that and wipe it up. OK, this is a major reason to want the rain to end.

There is one good aspect to rainy days, however: they lend themselves to all kinds of warm, sturdy cooking. This dinner was the perfect antidote to my rainy day blahs.

Pork chops with Marsala Mushroom Sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large (1-inch) bone-in pork chops
Dried thyme
1 (one ounce) package Santini Mixed Wild Mushrooms (available at Trader Joe's)
1 cup hot water
1 cup Marsala wine
4 shallot cloves, chopped finely
3 tablespoons butter

Heat oil in skillet. Sprinkle pork chops with thyme on both sides and saute in the skillet for about 6 to 7 minutes a side for medium-well chops. Soak dried mushrooms in one cup hot water for about 15 minutes. When pork chops are done, remove from skillet and let the meat rest. Add wine to skillet to deglaze the pan. Reduce by half, add shallots and add drained, reconstituted mushrooms. Add butter and stir until warm. Serve over pork shops with Trader Joe's Spelt with Red and Green Bell Peppers (this stuff is really good for you and everyone likes it, even my husband), and Trader Joe's Brittany Blend frozen vegetables lightly tossed with olive oil or butter. Both spelt and veggies should be prepared according to package instructions.

Cookies and Kaia

Kaia and I are buddies. We've been hanging out since before she was born, back when Rob and I were championing having her name be "Ooga."
(back story: Rob and I were at his mother's and one of his nieces dumped her baby on my lap so she could go out and smoke. I muttered to Rob, "What is this kid's name?" He replied, "I don't know ... Ooga?". Rob and I don't do names. So now we are determined to have one kid named Ooga. At least we could remember that.)

Kaia is a little redhead, with a sweet, but determined, temperament. She and I bake cookies together for the holidays. We baked some at Christmas and now, we had Easter cookies.

My all-time favorite cookie cookbook is the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. The recipes in this book are amazing and unique. The little touches make the best cookies. I've even won awards for them -- two ribbons -- second and third place, at the Ventura County Fair. (I won a blue ribbon for my peach pie -- yeaaaa me!)
Kaia and I make the sugar cutout cookies, which are so delicious that I have banned myself from making them when Kaia isn't around. I'll eat them all.
We had fun, although we did have a point of contention over how much colored sugar to sprinkle. Kids seem to have an uncontrollable urge to dump half a jar on each cookie. I tried to explain that this isn't necessary, and that I'd have to clean up the mess. Cooking is a great way to introduce all kinds of concepts to children: fractions, counting, precision, creativity, science.

Here's our favorite rolled sugar cookie recipe:

(Recipe courtesy King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)

King Arthur's Special Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 ounces) heavy cream or sour cream
3 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) cornstarch
3 cups (12 3/4 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and almond extract until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add half the cream, all of the cornstarch, and half the flour, beat well. (Giggle when flour goes all over the place despite the guard on the KitchenAid). Add the remaining cream and flour, mixing just until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. (Show that by going slowly with mixing speed, the flour dispersion rate drops.)
Divide the dough in half, flatten into rounds, and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more to facilitate rolling. (I found that it needs to be worked slightly before it will roll out without breaking apart after refrigeration.)
preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease or line with parchement, two baking sheets.
Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface and place a piece of plastic wrap over it while you roll it out to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin (Anne's note: I actually use flour to create a nonstick rolling pin and surface. I find plastic wrap to be awkward to use and it leaves lines in my cookies) Roll the dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut it into the shapes of your choice and transfer to the prepared cookie sheets. (Anne's note: Decorate with colored sugar and jimmies at this point. Wait until the cookies have baked and are cooled before frosting. If you're doing both frost, then decorate after cookies have cooled)
Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until they're set but not browned. Remove them from the oven and let cool for 5 minuted on the baking sheet beofre transferring to a rack to cool completely. Use a metal spatula to pick up one cookie; if it seems fragile or breaks, let the cookies continue to cool until you can handle them easily. (Anne's note: Make sure to rotate cookies half way through cooking if you're cooking two sheets at once. Move the bottom sheet to the top position and the top sheet to the lower position when the cookies have been in the oven for about 6 minutes. Cool cookie sheets by placing them in the refrigerator between batches.)

On the road

What with traveling back and forth to Ohio in honor of the birth of Cody, I've decided to try to cut back on food bills here in California.
I had offered to come stay with Courtney during the final days of her pregnancy -- she was due to be induced March 24. Courtney seemed really happy about the prospect, so I made the arrangements. But the week I was slated to go to Ohio she found out the induction had been moved up to March 17, the day after I arrived.
The birth went well and we were all home, exhausted, by Sunday. I figure the mom's job in this type of situation is to keep the house clean, buy food and other stuff that's needed -- it's amazing what you find you need right after a baby -- and stay out of the way; let the new family get used to each other.
I stayed 10 days and headed back home, much to my relief. I lived in the Dayton, Ohio, area for 14 years. Once day, I woke up and realized that if I didn't act soon, I could DIE -- in Dayton, Ohio! Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!
So I got out an Atlas and browsed the want ads and when I saw a city with ocean as part of the map, I applied for a job.
I've loved Ventura since the day I stepped foot in it and find it hard to leave. The scenery is beautiful, the weather is perfect and the pace is right the way I like it -- not too fast and not too slow. L.A. is right next door if I want upscale, cultural events and National Forests surround me.
Coming home to Ventura is a joy, even if it's been a bit rainy.
Rob, my husband, and I have been working on eating better food -- we're both lazy and will resort to fast food, not out of desire, but out of pure ambivalence ("What do you want to eat? I don't know, what do you want?" "I don't know something fast.")
But this week I headed out to Trader Joe's and assembled the makings for almost a week's worth of meals.
One meal was chicken breasts, bone in, skin on browned in a skillet and then simmered with Trader Joe's Masala Simmering Sauce. I served the chicken with the Trader Joe's Basmati and Wild Rice pilaf.
Meal Two was a pork loin served with a creamy tarragon wine sauce. I served this with Trader Joe's frozen vegetable melange.
And meal three was the standard spaghetti and meat sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Tarragon Wine Sauce
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (No, it is NOT called EVOO -- ever!)
1 tablespoons dried tarragon
garlic powder
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dried tarragon

Sprinkle tenderloin with dried tarragon and garlic powder. Saute in oil until all sides are browned. I recommend using a stainless steel saute pan for this. Avoid a cast-iron skillet, as it will affect the taste and appearance of the sauce. Remove from heat. Add wine to pan and stir up drippings. Reduce by half and add cream and second tablespoon of dried tarragon. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and add tenderloin. Cover and cook, turning the tenderloin frequently and making sure the sauce doesn't boil down too much (if it does add more cream), to where it's becoming sticky at the bottom of the pan. Cook until tenderloin reaches desired doneness. For well-done, it takes about 10 minutes.

Spaghetti and meat sauce

1 pound Dreamfields pasta (this is GREAT stuff that reduces carbs by making the startch molecules too big to be absorbed in the digestive system -- if I'm understanding the process properly)

1 pound Italian sausage
1 can crushed tomatoes with puree or a spaghetti sauce that has no sugar.
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Prepare the pasta according to package directions until al dente (meaning "to the tooth" or firm, but not crunchy). Brown sausage, breaking it into small pieces, drain fat and add tomatoes, bay leaves and oregano. If you're using tomato puree, you can up the ante by coarsely dicing green peppers and onions and adding them when the sausage is browning. Let sauce simmer, allowing flavors to marry. Drain pasta and place back in pot. Add sauce and mix, adding Parmesan cheese. Some people say to add a little pasta water, but I like my sauce to be a bit sticky.

Cody arrives

Here are the pictures of the birth of my grandson, Cody William Koverman.
It is these moments that give life it's joy.
Cody was born 3:13 p.m. ET, Friday, March 17, 2006. He weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 inches long (that included his cone head.)

Beans

It's been an unusu-
ally cold and rainy March here in Southern California. Actually, I don't mind it. I like the weather to change, and despite popular folklore, Southern California weather does change, just not in synch with the rest of the world -- which pretty much describes Southern California.
To ward off the chill, and because Rob and I are trying to eat healthy food, I decided to make a bean soup. Navy beans are one of Rob's favorite, so I made a soup that incorporated them and the root vegetables that are available this time of year. Incidentally, I just discovered yellow carrots at the Ojai farmer's market and I added them to a pot roast a week ago. They were really good, tender and sweet, but not quite as "carrot-y." I used them in the soup, along with regular carrots and parsnips. I used ham hocks to add saltiness, because the root veggies tend to be sweet.
After I made the soup, I decided to add the lemon and Tobasco because the soup was need to be "lightened" in my opinion. I think the added zing really added to the flavor.

Navy bean/root vegetable soup

1 pound dry Navy beans, rinsed and prepared by boiling for two minutes in water that covers them by about two inches. Then turning off the heat and letting the beans sit for at least a hour, then rinsed one final time.
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped fine
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 cups water
4 smoked ham hocks
4 carrots (see above), diced
4 turnips, diced
6 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
juice of one lemon
Tobasco sauce to taste
Saute onion and garlic a Dutch oven until fragrant in and starting to become translucent. Add drained, prepared beans and water. Add ham hocks, carrots, turnips and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 5 to 6 hours, or until beans are soft and starting to break. Cool in refrigerator overnight and skim off fat that forms. Reheat and add lemon juice and Tobasco. Taste and salt and pepper to correct flavor.

I had coveted the Le Creuset Dutch oven and when my daughter bought be a clay cooker at Sur La Table (my favorite cook's store -- pricey, but worth it), which I already owned, I returned it for the Le Creuset. My husband was amazed at how much it cost, but I've found that it is what I've been missing for years. It is so great for soups and stews. Just like Caller ID, I can't understand why I waited so long.

BTW

I just had to comment on this year's Oscar gowns. I know it's off topic, but it's my blog and I can do what I want (do what I want to, you--oo would to if it happened to you)
Total disappointment. No one was transcendent. Uma was the best and Reese was classic, but the rest just managed to make it to doesn't suck.
Here's my take:
Jennifer Aniston: Really not up to Jenny's usual standard. Just an ahhhnnnn dress. And the jewelry was a bit dowage-y. Sure, she's young and fresh and can carry it off, but it isn't flattering, it's distracting.
Jennifer Garner: The dress was kind of sack-y. It really had an unhappy flow and the color was blah and did nothing for her (a theme for the evening),
Hillary Swank: Speaking of doing nothing for her, Hilary's dress didn't do anything for her. She has a fabulous body, but the top was too low and made her head look huge and weird.
JLo: First, what was with the whole swishing of the side chiffon panels of the dress when she walked out? It looked really contrived and silly. Second, the hair, makeup and green dress color combined to make her look kind of lizard-y.
Salma Hayak: What was up with the strap crossing her boob? She has fabulous boobs and her right one was deformed by the dress. What kind of design was that?
Sandra Bullock: Almost. But the sheer, black material that looked like pantyhose on the top really didn't add to the dress.
Naomi Watts: Everyone has gone on about the tattered aspect of the dress, but what was with the thing growing out of her side? Here's a new rule: if a dress has something growing out of it (Charize Theron READ THIS), don't buy it. And her dress was all rolled up at the hips making them look huge. On so many levels, this was a horrible dress.
Charlize Theron: Ewwwwwwwwwwww. Aside from the 747 perched on her shoulder, the whole criss/crossing really didn't work.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Whatever you're going for, you didn't get there. A big Neah-ru.
Nicole Kidman: The dress was classic, but the hair was dull and drab, which gave the whole outfit a kind of half-hearted feel.
Rachel Weitz: She was among the best, pregnant or not. This was a classic look that that became her.
Keira Knightly: This was a lovely dress, although I could have done without the fan-thing on the boob (there was a kind of conspiracy against boobs in this year's dresses.)
Amy Adams: The dress would have been cool without the weird thing in front (See above note about things growing out of dresses.)
Michelle Williams: She carried off the color, but she had to fight it. A dress should be complimentary, not something you have to overcome. And the fan-y thingies on the side really didn't work. (What's up with fan-things?)
Felicity Huffman: Either show it or don't. No half-faking it with sheer material, especially when it is seamed. She has the body for the full-on plunge -- get the sticky tape out and go for it.
Jessica Alba: Looked classically perfect in a way the perfectly offset her Latina beauty.
Ziyi Zhang: That dress was perfect for her. I saw a larger version and it really needed to be worn by such a tiny woman.

Rob was all, "Why are you going online?" and getting excited during the Academy Awards. I explained it's kind of like my Super Bowl. Award ceremonies aren't about the stupid awards. Most people outside of Hollywood don't care if their favorite star has one an Oscar or not. No, awards shows are about the gowns. Actually it would really streamline things if we could just eliminate the men (except for Johnny Depp, who is the only interesting man around fashion-wise), and just have the women parade in the gowns.
OK, there is also the thrill that someone will really screw up and it will be a huge hairy deal, and you will have seen them do it live. (C'mon, you know how many people brag about seeing Janet Jackson's tittie.)
So shows like this afford us middle-aged, middle-class women the ability to look at women half our age and a tenth our size strut around in gowns and jewels they won't even let us in the room to examine. And we can be catty and say that the gown that cost as much as four months' mortgage is "just OK, nothing special."
Cool, ain't it?

Fresh flowers

I adore fresh flowers. So I go to the local farmers markets every weekend and buy massive amounts. In Ojai, one guy calls me "the flower lady." (And it's not even my favorite flower guy.) He asked last week if I arranged them I said that I like to put all kinds of arrangements around the house.
I have two huge ones in the living room: One on a pedestal next to the fireplace and one in the urn next to the fireplace. The fireplace is so dramatic, I like to frame it with flowers. I add a smaller arrangement on the top of the TV set. I refuse to let the television be the center of the room, and I like to soften the effect of the huge screen.
I have flowers in my bedroom on the dresser and keep an orchid in the downstairs bathroom. There's also a bouquet in the office/dining room.
I just really love the idea of bunches of flowers everywhere and arranging them allows me a creative outlet each week.
Right now it's the spring season and there are tons of different flowers available. I particularly love the stock, which smells wonderful and is beautiful. The daisies were extra, but they're so cheerful, why not?

The dustup

Here are the 3-D ultrasounds of my grandson Cody William Koverman. He's a real, live baby -- and these were taken in the beginning of January. Courtney, pictured in the photos below, is hugely pregnant and is anxious about her first baby.
He's due to debut outside the womb in just a few weeks and looks to be a big baby. Courtney was anxious that she get the traveling "system" she needs for the baby (it has a car seat, etc.)
She was going to get it from her Aunt Mary (who's only five years older than she is), but for some reason they're all in some kind of snit with each other -- which is pretty much how our family operates. Snit by snit.
So I was asked, in a panic, to get the travel system, and I said OK. Actually it's so cool to be able to help Courtney out, seeing as her dad and I got nothing from the family when I had her.
So I went to the Babies R Us Web Site to get it for her and what should I find? Under parents were: "Courtney Koverman and DAVID KOVERMAN(sic)" and grandparents were: "Briggs and Jen Gamblin."
How totally hysterical. My ex's wife had changed the registry information and just included my ex and her as grandparents.
I called Courtney and Lindsay (Daughter No. 2) and bitched them out and Lindsay had her boyfriend, Ryan, (also pictured below) fix the entry.

It's all over

I'm packing up my Christmas stuff, which increased dramatically this year. It's making me sad because we had such a great time. In fact, today I took a break because the end of a good Christmas is depressing and headed off to the beach with the dogs. When I moved to Ventura I said that life is going to happen no matter where I am, at least here there's better scenery. And today's sunset was fantastic, plus it was warm out, so the dogs and I enjoyed a cool afternoon by the ocean.
I found a big, old tooth while I was there. It almost seems to be stone, but has a middle. I also picked up some shells. I love strolling by the ocean and one of these days I'm going to put the stuff I collect together into something. Until then it just collects. I'm not sure what the point of it is, but someday, I'll figure it out.
It's also the time of year to start dieting, so I've been trying to cut down (actually, truth be told, it's only been a day or two.) But it's time to hunker down and eat fresh veggies, whole grains and lean meats. Last year I gave up drinking. This year I want to lose weight and get healthier.
Oh, I'm also posting pictures from the time I spent on nearby Lake Casitas with my daughters and their husband/boyfriend. We went fishing but caught nothing, which is fine with me.

The finish line

It's been an absolute zoo, but totally worth it. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends and Christmas was fabulous also.
My daughter, Courtney, is here visiting with her husband, Dave. She's pregnant with my first grandchild -- a boy, Cody William Koverman. So that's going to be exciting.
The big holiday revelations this year are twofold:
First, even sober, I can manage to be a klutz. I cut my finger badly, accidentally and spilled pumpkin pie insides all over the hot oven.
Second, I made a wonderful wassail that was popular, made the house smell fantastic and all Christmas-y and was non-alcoholic.

Wassail
1 gallon apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
small handful whole cloves
5 slices fresh ginger
5 to 6 whole cinnamon sticks
about 20 allspice berries
sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg

Mix everything together in a crock pot and put on high heat. You can strain the whole mixture and then serve it with slices of orange and lemon, or if you're lazy, as I am, you can provide a strainer, showing guests how to strain their individual servings -- a much more interactive approach.