Gardens We Will Tend To

 

There is a woman in town who owns a successful landscaping business she named after herself. She is claiming that she was fired by Falmouth Road Race after donating plants, time and resources for the work her company did on a beach front garden that is actually on town property and not all the property of Falmouth Road Race. She further claims that she created the garden by request of the "Falmouth Road Race Committee" and that she is owed thousands of dollars in back pay.

The Falmouth Heights Beautification Committee, formed years ago by residents of the area received permission to create the original garden. Photos show citizens of retirement age (and much older) raking and planting the area. They commemorated the place with a brick walkway, some of which are engraved, benches with dedication plaques and a large stone at the entrance that reads, "Falmouth Road Race Garden" as the location is adjacent to the finish line of the over 50 year old race.

Unfortunately, the Falmouth Heights Beautification Committee no longer exists as many of the members are no longer with us. Also unfortunately, everyone who passes by the location is led to believe by the entry marker that the care of this garden belongs to the Falmouth Road Race.

A few years ago, the daughter of the head of the Falmouth Heights Beautification Committee approached the race to become caretakers of the garden as it had become overgrown with weeds and was sadly in need of some t.l.c. Not in the gardening business, Falmouth Road Race approached the aforementioned landscape company owner and commissioned work with a clear contract including agreed upon responsibilities and payment structure.

One can guess by the landscape company owner's ranting in a not so "fabulous" facebook group that things are not currently going as originally planned. Her business has been replaced by another local company whose owner approached the Falmouth Road Race with an offer to donate materials and labor.

The raging on facebook has continued for weeks with many nosy and righteously opinionated Falmouth residents chiming in with their ill-informed narrative of the situation and Falmouth Road Race's perceived role in the one sided battle.

While those involved with the Race know the real story and are incredibly upset about the bad press and abundance of lies and misinformation being spread about the organization, they have decided not to respond. This is clearly the hill that the irate landscape company owner is seeking to die on and not a garden that the "Falmouth Road Race Committee" is willing to tend to.

Gardens I will personally tend to include ingredients for summer cocktails to numb myself from foolish facebook gossips. See below for two refreshing, mind clearing cocktails to make this summer.

Garden Cucumber Martini

(serves 1)

3 oz vodka

3 inches, peeled seeded and diced cucumber

5-6 basil leaves, torn

1/4 oz simple syrup

1/4-1/2 oz pineapple juice

cucumber wheel

Chill a large martini glass.

Add all ingredients to shaker and add ice. Shake it to shit as we are not muddling the cucumber- no one has time for that.

Strain 2x before pouring into chilled glass. Garnish with cucumber wheel. If you are hungry for dinner make the following garnish.

Garnish/snack:

Thinly slice 2 cucumber wheels. Place1 tsp of goat cheese onto one wheel and top with the second wheel to  make a sandwich. Slide a skewer or toothpick through and garnish cocktail.

Tomato Martini

(serves 1)

Sorry but you are going to need to get your head right to make this one correctly- muddling tomatoes is a must here but we are worth it. We are also worth using the best tomatoes in season so don't make this cocktail in the middle of winter.

A handful of cherry tomatoes or any kind of tomoto, cut into 1/4 inch size pieces (You will muddle these)

1/4 oz vermouth

3 oz gin (can sub out vodka)

1/8 oz lemon juice

pinch of salt

basil leaves

cherry tomatoes

Chill a large martini glass.

Add tomatoes for muddling to shaker- smoosh with a muddler or wooden spoon to release as much juice as possible. Add ice, vermouth, gin/vodka, lemon juice, salt and 3-4 torn basil leaves.

Shake the shit out of it until ice crystals make your hands stick to the shaker.

Strain 2x into the chilled glass. Garnish with skewered cherry tomato and basil leaves.

Lemon Chess Pie

Perhaps this pie is really just a vehicle for the crusty bits of pie dough brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sugar- the best part really of any pie that is made with a butter and flour crust. I love eating a turnover of the leftover scraps filled with jam- baked alongside the show-stopper pie. Little treats to be nibbled out of hand just like the ones Val made to keep us from asking for a slice before she was ready to serve her masterpiece. That's exactly what I had in mind when I cut out the leaf shapes, brushed them with egg and doused them with a ridiculous amount of crunchy turbinado sugar- baked until crisp- so easy to pop into your mouth until there are barely enough left to garnish the pie.

The filling of the pie is not quite a custard and is definitely not a fruit filling but the best of both worlds- a little bit creamy with a hint of lemon and a slight toothsome crunch over the top from the cornmeal.

The best part is that it is also gluten-free- while the dough can be a bit challenging to work with- keep it cold and refrigerate it while working on other parts of the pie and you should have success.

 Lemon Chess Pie

(serves 8)

Ingredients

Gluten Free Pie Crust:

1 1/3 cups King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour, plus extra for rolling out

1/3 cup almond meal (flour)

2 teaspoons sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed

1/4-1/3 cup cold water

egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water.

turbinado sugar (approx 1/4 cup)

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest and juice from 1/2 lemon

Pie Decorations/Toppings (see recipes below):

Candied Lemon Peel

Whipped Cream

To make Pie Crust:

Add flour, almond meal, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like small peas. With the motor running, slowly add water until mixture just comes together. Remove dough from processor and pat into 2 flat discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. Alternatively, refrigerate overnight or freeze until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out one disc on a well floured board into approximately 11 inches round. Gently place into a 9 inch pie dish and crimp edges. Place back into refrigerator until filling is ready.

To make Filling:

Cream butter, sugar and cornmeal in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and zest and lemon juice. Beat well. Pour into prepared pie shell. Place pie on a parchment lined baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes until center barely jiggles and is just about set. Remove from oven and allow to set for an hour or so before decorating and serving.

While pie is baking, make decorations out of the remaining disc of pie dough:

Remove disc from refrigerator and roll out on a well floured board to approx 1/8 inch thick ness. Using cookie cutters or a knife, cut out shapes and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush pie dough pieces with egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until golden along the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Candied Lemon Slices (from Martha Stewart)

1 large lemon

1 cup sugar

Make an ice water bath and set aside. Slice lemon into at least 12 very thin slices. Remove all seeds and discard ends.

Bring a medium sauce pan of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add lemon slices, stir until softened, about 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge slices into ice water bath. Drain after one minute or so.

In a medium sized skillet, bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil, swirling to dissolve sugar. When liquid is clear and bubbling, reduce heat to medium low. Add lemon slices arranged in one layer. Simmer (do not boil) until rinds are translucent, about 1 hour.

Transfer lemon slices to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let stand until ready to serve- garnish pie. Lemon slices can be placed in an airtight container for up to one day.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream (cold)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whip with stand mixer, hand mixer or whisk by hand until soft/slightly stiff peaks form. Scrape into a container with a cover and refrigerate until ready to serve- garnish pie.

To garnish pie:

Dollop eight small scoops of whipped cream along outer edge of pie. Place lemon wheels over whipped cream dollops. Decorate the pie with the pie crust cut-outs. Serve immediately.

Ladies' Paint Night at the Snap Dragon Lounge

Ladies' Painting Night at the Snap Dragon Lounge 

5:30pm (ish) Friday, November 7, 2025

Menu:

Bluebird Cocktail, wine, ridiculously fabulous cheese, fat cocktail shrimp with spicy red sauce, wavy chips, various chocolate treats, cranberry crumble bars-GF (see recipe below) and butternut squash soup with roasted peppers- a little bit on the spicy side!

Bring your own art supplies or share mine- water color paint, etc.

Prepare to vent, laugh, indulge and imbibe.

 Jam Bars 

(makes 16 squares)

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

grated zest of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups AP flour OR 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup jam of choice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray/butter a square 8x8 inch baking pan and line both ways with parchment leaving at least 1 inch overhang on each side.

Melt butter and allow to cool. Meanwhile, add sugar, salt and lemon zest to stand mixer and mix on low until sugar is moist and smells of lemon.- about a minute or so. Add the melted, cooled butter and mix just to combine. Add vanilla extract. Add flour and oats. Mix to just combine. 

Line a baking pan with parchment. Remove 1 cup of mixture and crumble over line pan. Spread out the mixture to create the crumble topping. Do not press down- you want to creates chunks of crumbly topping here.

Take the rest of the mixture and press evenly into the square baking pan using your hands.

Place both the square baking pan and the baking sheet with crumble topping into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. 

Remove both from oven. Gently spread jam over the base in the square pan. Top the jam with the par-baked crumble. Place back into oven and bake for 25-35 minutes until the crumble and crust are lightly browned and the jam is bubbling up on the edges. (If using GF flour, it will likely take the full 35 minutes, less time for AP flour.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack until firm. Remove bars from pan with parchment and cut into desired size pieces to serve.

Variations:

Substitute vegan butter for regular butter. 

Sub out jam for cranberry sauce. Spread out cranberry sauce onto par-cooked dough, sprinkle with nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of clove.

Spread room temperature goat cheese over par-baked crust and top with jam before topping with crumble for a more savory taste- great with cocktails!

Dining Al Fresco- Deconstructed "Pizza"

 "This is my Italian summer!" Ava announced as she devoured another slice of prosciutto. I laughed and we set the table- al fresco- on the deck: cushions on the wooden chairs, floral printed cloth napkins, salt and pepper. Ready to relax after a day of working indoors on a beautiful summer day.

Our favorite meal to eat on evenings like these- a cast iron pan filled with roasted cherry tomatoes: charred and bursting, doused with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Seasoned with a sprig of fresh rosemary nestled into the softened fruit. 

Once the tomatoes are removed from the oven, we tuck cold balls of burrata into the tomato "jam" and slit the tops of the fresh, creamy cheese open to reveal the oozing soft interior. We slice chunks of fresh crusty baguette and spread the soft tomatoes and silky cheese over them and use the crusts to sop up the juices on our plates. A perfectly deconstructed "pizza" to share as a leisurely dinner sitting amongst the flowers and potted herbs. What could be better?

Roasted Tomatoes with Burrata 
Serves 2 for dinner

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for finishing

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

a few grinds black pepper

1/8 teaspoon (pinch) of sugar

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 balls burrata

1 loaf fresh crusty bread/baguette, sliced

In an oven proof pan (cast iron is great for this), combine cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Heat mixture on stove on medium high until tomatoes begin to blister. (about 10 minutes).

Heat broiler in oven. Nestle rosemary under the tomato mixture and place the pan in the oven under the broiler for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes begin to char and the juices reduce a bit and get thicker. Carefully remove from oven. Remove and discard rosemary. Nestle burrata in the tomato mixture and slit the top of each cheese ball. 

To serve, place pan on table along with bread on the side. Dig in- be careful that pan is HOT! Best devoured with someone else and served with your favorite Italian style summer beverage such as Campari and soda and/or Hugo Spritz.

Campari and Soda

Serves 1

Ice

Campari

seltzer

3-4 lemon wedges

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour a couple of fingers of Campari over the ice. Top with seltzer

Gently mix. Squeeze 3-4 lemon wedges over the top. Enjoy!

Hugo Spritz

Serves 1

Ice

1 oz. Elderflower Liqueur- St. Germaine

2  oz. seltzer water

6 oz. Prosecco

lime wedges

Fresh mint

Fill a wine glass with ice. Crush mint leaves over glass of ice and add them to glass. Add St. Germaine, seltzer and gently stir. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with lime wedge and more mint.

Bread and Roses

 

For inspiration, please watch: 

Joan Baez singing "Bread and Roses"

I think about this constantly. How can all of the work done (mostly) by my mother's generation to create and grow the women's movement and women's rights, especially reproductive rights be stripped  away by a bunch of scared (mostly) white men and silly, stupid priveleged white women? Did so many of us Gen X women take these hard fought for rights for granted? I certainly did. I counted on Roe v. Wade to remain law, I trusted those who said it would not be overturned. Turns out, overturning Roe was just the tip of the iceberg that we are all slowly drifting toward. 

I thought the last time he was in office was bad. I could not have imagined what is happening now. Human rights violations, federal programs gutted, pardons for domestic terrorists, tax cuts for billionaires and behind all of this? A felon who likely groped his fair share of underaged women- girls really, with his bestie Epstein.

But I'm trying to keep this one positive. LOL. 

While everyone's rights are taken away - Well not everyone's (I'm looking at you Mar-a-Lago face, current administration and Republicans afraid to vote agains the orange one). I am hoping for more. I am fighting for more. We all deserve it. We all deserve a living wage, support from the government that we pay taxes to, and time off to recharge with our friends and family in a safe environment where no one gets arrested by masked men who won't show their faces or badges.

Here's to a life full of bread and roses.  🥖🌹🩷🕊

Bread and Roses

by James Oppenheim

As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing, " Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses. "

As we come marching, marching, we battle, too, for men —
For they are women's children and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes —
Hearts starve as well as bodies: Give us Bread, but give us Roses!

As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient song of Bread;
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew —
Yes, it is bread we fight for — but we fight for Roses, too.

As we come marching, marching, we bring the Greater Days —
The rising of the women means the rising of the race —
No more the drudge and idler — ten that toil where one reposes —
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses!

Easy Lift Sourdough Bread

(Makes 1 loaf)

This bread recipe is as low maintenance as it gets when it comes to a decent sourdough. The measurements in bold are the ones I use. Sorry for going back and forth with grams and cups/measuring spoons. It's just the way that it all came together. I make this about once a week. Mix the dough on Saturday night after feeding the starter in the morning. The next morning (12 hours later), heat the oven and shape the dough. Because you need to wait at least 2 hours to finish the process (shape and bake) the next day, I prefer to do it on Sunday when my schedule can accommodate puttering around while the bread does its thing.

520 grams (approx 4 cups) AP or bread flour (plus extra for shaping)

2 teaspoons Kosher salt (12 grams)

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

385 grams warm water (approx 1 7/8 cups- 101-102 degrees F. When in doubt, cooler is better than hotter.)

1/3 cup (heaping) fed and bubbly starter (Usually after 6 hours is good.) (approx 180 grams)

Note: Starter should be fed every day for a week before attempting this recipe. If you fell off the feeding schedule, get back on it and don't attempt this recipe until its been regularly fed for at least 7 days or you will be sad.

Mix the dough: The night before baking- just after dinner is best and approx 6 hours after feeding the starter in the morning, grab a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt and yeast. Mix together. Measure the water and add the starter to it. (if the starter floats, that is a good thing!) Pour the starter/water into the flour mixture and work it into a well mixed dough using a silicone spatula or a fancy Danish dough whisk. (Treat yourself to the whisk if you end up baking lots bread.) Cover the bowl with a plastic bag, plastic wrap, silicone lid, etc. Allow dough to rest for approx 12 hours in a warmish place in your home.

After approx 12 hours, place a large, covered Dutch oven into your oven and preheat the pot and the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure that any handles and lid covers can withstand this temperature.) Preheat the oven for 1 hour.

After turning on the oven, shape the loaf: Generously sprinkle flour over a rectangular piece of parchment paper. Scoop the dough out of the bowl with a dough scraper or silicone spatula. (It will be quite sticky.) Using the dough scraper or spatula, scrape the dough from the parchment into a ball. Keep working the dough until it wants to keep the shape of the ball. Add more flour around the edges, if needed to keep the dough from sticking. Place the parchment with the dough in a basket or colander and cover with a kitchen towel. Leave on the counter until the oven is ready.

After one hour and if the oven is fully preheated to 500 degrees F, remove the kitchen towel from the dough and slice the top of the loaf a few times  with a sharp knife. Carefully, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and take the cover off. Place with parchment with the dough/loaf on it into the Dutch oven, cover it again and place the whole thing into the oven.

Reduce the heat to 475 degrees F and set the timer for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the cover- leave it off- and place the Dutch oven back into oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes.

When the timer goes off, remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Gently remove the baked loaf onto a cooling rack. (I use 2 large wooden spatulas to do this. Remove the parchment and throw it away.

Resist the urge to slice the bread while it is hot! Allow to cool for a few hours for best results. Cool for at least 8 hours before covering with beeswax wrap or a dry kitchen towel.

Gathering Salad-Recharge to Resist (insert American flag emoji here)

 Feeling oppressed, disillusioned. depressed? They want you that way- too weak to fight back. RESIST. At all costs, RESIST by creating joy, energizing yourself, surround yourself with those who lift you up and use that power to fight for what you believe in.

This country, full of white (mostly male) supremacists lawmakers must be taken to task. We need to go deep into our reserves to take action. 

SOME IDEAS FOR TAKING ACTION:

CALL your representatives

PROTEST peacefully 

VOTE in ALL elections

PARTICIPATE as if your life depends on it because for most of us, it does.

NEVER give in or give up.

All of this can be exhausting. I know because I am tired. Recharge your batteries. Gather your dear ones. Laugh and celebrate that you are still here, still able to fight the good fight.

This 4th of July I will be honoring tradition by attending the Quissett Parade- complete with homemade costumes that illustrate the political climate of any given year (this one should be really good!)  and a homemade red, white and blue dragon. I will not let these bitches who voted for and continue to support tyranny get me down! If you stop by, you will recognize me wearing my "Let's get into Good Trouble" t-shirt and waving a mini American flag. After that, I will continue to resist by gathering with my people to join in and sing "America the Beautiful", "This Land is Your Land" and "The Star Spangled Banner" then devour picnic sandwiches, prosecco, beer and chocolate chip cookies. 

Wherever you are, I wish you hope and perseverance- Let's get through this together- "Get Into Good Trouble"-John Lewis

This is salad is best served to a group of people- a gathering salad if you will. It takes a bit of effort to boil and blanch some of the components but you only really need one or maybe 2 pots and a few ice water baths. 

Nicoise Salad

(Serves a group)

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers with a little brine

1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

lots of black pepper

pinch of Kosher salt

Whisk all together and set aside.

Salad: (loosely adapted from Martha The Cookbook by Martha Stewart)

6 eggs- the older the better

1/2 pound green beans/haricot vert, trimmed

3 teaspoons rice vinegar

10 baby potatoes 

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Kosher salt 

pepper

1 head of butter lettuce/Boston lettuce, leaves removed, washed and dried

10 (approx.) cherry tomatoes or 4-5 Campari tomatoes, quartered

2 (6-oz.) jars yellowfin or other imported tuna in oil.

1/2 cup pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives

To Serve:

crusty boule or baguette, sliced

Beaujolais and/or chilled rose wine

Fill a medium sized bowl with ice and water. Set aside. 

Add eggs to a medium sized sauce pan, cover with water. Cover and place on medium-high heat. Once the water begins to boil, remove the cover and set the timer for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, drain the hot water from the eggs and place the eggs in the ice water bath.

Fill another medium sized bowl with ice and water. Set aside.

Rinse out the pot. Fill 1/3 way with water and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to boil and add green beans. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove green beans with tongs and place in 2nd ice water bath for 5 minutes. Remove green beans after 5 minutes, dry and place in a new bowl. Douse with rice vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Fill a 3rd medium sized bowl with ice and water. Set aside.

Add more water to medium sized pot to 3/4 full add 2 teaspoons salt. Add potatoes and bring to boil. Once water begins to boil, set time for 12-15 minutes. Potatoes are ready when they are fork tender. Drain and place in ice water bath for 5-10 minutes.

Remove potatoes from water bath, slice each in half or quarter (depending on size). Place in a bowl and douse with cider vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

To assemble salad:

Toss lettuce with a small amount of vinaigrette. Place leaves in an even layer on a platter. Toss tomatoes, green beans and potatoes separately in a small amount of vinaigrette. Arrange each of these components over the lettuce. Peel and slice the egg into wedges. Arrange the eggs and olives over the lettuce as well. Scatter chunks of tuna over the salad. Serve with extra vinaigrette and sliced bread on the side with plenty of wine.

Horrible Bosses, Tiny Salads

I wrote this last year when I was at my lowest. Searching on Linked in, indeed and corporate websites, everywhere for an opportunity- a lifeline really so that I could leave the current 9-5 hell that I was living in week after week. Happily, things have now changed for the better.

There are days, most days when I really want to quit my job. Not that the work itself is bad. It's actually not difficult, my hours are pretty good (aside from working in the summertime) and the office is located just a few miles drive along the beach.

The problem is my boss.

She rages like a toddler when she perceives that someone is not doing something her way. Best of all when her thoughts are irrational, she likes to take her insecurities out on those around her. 

Melting down and yelling over a silly misunderstanding is her specialty. She once cornered me in the office kitchen, after closing the door so no one else could hear and verbally attacked me because she thought I was yelling at her and disrespecting her when in fact, there was a lot of office noise and I was simply trying to be heard over the din. 

She clearly has an issue with me. A few examples cited by her in my yearly (only given once in 5 years of employment) "review":

"You answer the phone so quickly I can't see the caller id."

"You complete projects too early."

"Your planning ahead is problematic."

"It's on you" "That's going to happen" in response to me expressing concern over dealing with completely avoidable last minute issues that derail then entire office staff after I brought up concern over it weeks prior in an attempt to mitigate the situation ahead of time.

And the cherry on top, when I asked for a raise: "You are the reason I want to quit."

But perhaps the absolute biggest offense: we don't take time for lunch. 

We eat at our desks, trudging through the workload. I bring a salad of chopped up bits and pieces nestled into a small container from my home refrigerator so that I can easily shovel it all in with a just fork...no knife needed. This way I can continue to type with one finger on my opposite hand.

Self care in this workplace is not made to be a priority and heaven forbid if you want to take a 5 minute walk or grab a breath of fresh air. But, if you are so inclined, you can do planks on the dirty carpet for 1 minute with the team. This is supposed to be an act of taking care of oneself. I refuse to participate.

I've worked for other horrible bosses before. Most of them were openly hostile and equally aggressive to my fellow coworkers as they were to me. This time its personal. I am the only target. So I lay low, and hide behind my computer screen, typing like a mad woman, to get all of my work done and leave for the day as soon as possibly allowed. 

I invented my first tiny chopped salad back in the days when I worked for a tyrant of a woman. It was an insanely busy restaurant that catered to tourists eager to catch the ferry to Martha's Vineyard and locals if they had the patience to wait in line. She screamed at me and many others everyday for an entire summer while I bused tables. There was no time to eat during the 12 hours of working. You might be able to shove some oyster crackers into your mouth and the diet coke was free but that was all. Until I became a prep cook. I was in charge of making all of the garden salads for the busy dinner rush. While slicing cucumbers and chopping lettuce, I cut up the ends of tomatoes and peppers, little leftover pieces of lettuce and threw chopped pepperoncini into a small wooden salad bowl housed in the corner of my bench. It looked like a tiny scrap bucket, which it technically was but was made up of bite size pieces of the good scraps. During the few minutes between prep and the front door being opened for service, I managed to grab a fork and a packet of blue cheese dressing. This was in the 1980's and we were all paid under the table. No breaks, no benefits. My days were fueled by adrenaline and fountain soda with lemon. I cried after every shift in the car on the way home that first summer I worked for her. I was 15 years old. I have not cried over a horrible boss and the way they treated me since. I guess I can thank her for helping me to grow a thick, hard and calloused skin.

That wild woman moved on to other targets and I stayed in that summer job for about 5 years, through my freshman year of college. I was tough, I could hang with the rest of the mangy kitchen crew. She told me I was one of her best employees. Then I worked for a madman caterer who acted in the same manner. On top of it, he was also a sexist chauvinist but equal in his bestowing of put downs and anger. No problem. I put my head down, did my work and was rewarded for it. Whenever he sees me in town, over 30 years later, he always said that he would like to have cloned me. Lord. Aside from his behavior, his worst offense? Non of us were given time or food to eat. 

We catered large business events and weddings. If you were lucky enough to be in the kitchen when the Caesar salad was plated for 150 guests as the dish room was about to receive the massive silver salad bowls used to mix the chopped romaine and the parmesan laden salad dressing, you may have been able to pilfer a tiny piece of green left behind before the bowl was rinsed and tossed into the dishwasher. The same went for the passed appetizers, the crudite or the cheese platter that were bused as the guests sat for dinner. But never let him catch you plucking a sad, wilted piece of celery that was left behind. Your reward: he would scream, "NO SEA GULLING!!!!" heard throughout the dining room, followed by a tantrum filled with a barrage of swear words that I am not willing to repeat here. I would rather starve.

In honor of horrible bosses everywhere, I have developed a few variations on my version of the "Tiny Salad". Remember to chop all ingredients into bite size or smaller pieces and layer them into a small, inconspicuous container with the dressing lining the bottom, underneath all of the other ingredients. Heavier and more substantial things such as chopped grilled chicken should be added first, lettuces and more delicate additions such as fresh herbs on the very top. Pack in a cooler bag with an ice pack and a napkin and keep it at your desk. When you are ready/allowed/don't fear retaliation for eating, gently shake the container to mix it all together. Don't forget to bring your own fork!

Tiny Salad Rules:

The salads are chopped so that they can be:

1. Eaten with just a fork

2. Eaten quickly

3. Eaten at your station/desk. etc. with little to no mess

4. Eaten without being detected that you are actually taking a moment to nourish yourself to get through        the misery of your workday.

Chopped "Garden" Salad

iceberg lettuce

tomatoes

cucumbers

green peppers

red onion (optional)

black olives

pepperoncini peppers

packet of blue cheese dressing

Chop all ingredients except blue cheese dressing into bite size pieces. Combine in small wooden salad bowl. Top with blue cheese dressing. Eat quickly in the corner so no one notices.

Caesar Salad with Leftover Bread Croutons

romaine lettuce (chopped)

croutons

Ceasar dressing

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Caesar Dressing:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt'1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Croutons:

day old bread

olive oil

salt, pepper, garlic powder

Cut up bread into bite size pieces. Toss in olive oil. Spread evenly across a sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toast in oven at 350 degrees for about 5-7 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before adding to salad. While croutons are toasting, mix all ingredients for Caesar Dressing.

Chop romaine lettuce into bite size pieces. Add croutons. Toss with Caesar dressing. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Shove in your mouth immediately while running out of kitchen/view of chef.

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad (inspired by California Pizza Kitchen)

grilled chicken

BBQ sauce (I prefer Stubbs Original)

Ranch Dressing (Ken's, of course)

diced jalapeno

wedge of lime

frozen corn kernels

green apple

tomato

lettuce

cilantro

(All ingredients should be cut into bite size pieces (except jalapeno-make that smaller) and placed into a small container with a cover.) 

Chop chicken and add to one side of the container. Drizzle chicken with BBQ sauce. Add approximately 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing to the bottom of the container adjacent to the chicken. Place diced jalapeno onto ranch dressing and squeeze the wedge of lime over the top.

Sprinkle corn kernels into container. Add a layer of chopped green apple and chopped tomatoes. Shred lettuce and fill to top. If you have fresh cilantro, add that at the very last. Cover container and bring to work to eat at your desk. When it's lunch time, grab a fork and gently toss the salad being careful not to drop half the lettuce onto the floor under your desk. Devour while typing with your other hand or secretly looking at instagram.

Don't Call It Retro: The Cosmopolitan Cocktail Has Always Been in Style

 I hear there is a revival happening right now- a retro cocktail revival. Something about the "fluorescent nostalgia of old school cocktails" as noted by Sam Stone in Bon Appetit magazine this month. In the article they described a new version of the electric green Appletini showing up in a cocktail bar in New Orleans. I have no problem with a comeback story. I love the idea of a phoenix rising out of the ashes. The issue have here is that this drink made popular in the 1990's is considered "old school" as if it were a classic gin martini garnished with a single green olive-the kind my grandmother would have ordered if she actually drank that sort of thing. Designating something that was popular in the 1990's as retro also signals to me that I am now officially old and I don't like to be reminded of that since I will forever think of myself as 25 and impossibly young.

Other "Comeback Cocktails" listed in the article (Neon Retro Redux) include the Cosmopolitan made popular in the late 1990's -early 2000's by Carrie and her fabulous friends in "Sex and the City".  But I contend that this very cool drink never went out of style and it continues to be top on my list of go-to's. And those four ladies will always represent the epitome of a cool, strong female power squad. I think we need to channel that energy now more than ever, don't you?

Recently, though the ever glam Cosmopolitan cocktail reached an even higher rung on my list when I had one -dare I say, "the best version I have ever tasted"?- at Fisherman's View Restaurant in Sandwich, MA. Not your typical SATC vibe, a nice-tame place overlooking the water that was way too crowded on a Saturday night after Labor Day but the cocktail was perfection: bright pink hue disguising the booziness of the vodka, eye pleasing contrast with the lime wheel garnish but the best part was the balance of tart and sweet from the ingenious swap out of a cranberry shrub for the typical cranberry juice cocktail.  I am salivating just thinking about it now.

Now this is a reboot that I can get behind. 

The Fisherman's View Restaurant calls theirs the "Cape Cod Cosmo". If you are ever in Sandwich, MA be sure to stop by and sample it for yourself. Until then, make this at home as this version tastes pretty close to theirs.

Best Cosmopolitan 

(makes one)

3 oz. vodka

2 oz. cranberry shrub*

1/2 oz. triple sec or cointreau

1/4 oz. lime juice

lime wheel for garnish

Add all ingredients except lime wheel to shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously until shaker has frost forming on the outside. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime wheel. Serve dirty rocks on the side.

*Cranberry Shrub

(makes enough for multiple cocktails)

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup water

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

Add all ingredients to a medium size saucepan. Bring to boil them simmer for 15 minutes on low.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass jar with lid. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Breakfast Sandwich❤️

It's literally the least I can do. He is barely home at all this summer. Off to work, playing golf, baseball or hanging out with his girlfriend. Everything I want for him the summer before he heads off to college. Except that I miss him already.

So, I get up at 5:00am to see him off. I make him a breakfast sandwich to go. Crisp bacon, one egg cooked over hard- yolk broken, no longer runny, topped with melted cheese. Two slices: one to glue the bacon to the egg and another to glue the bacon to the top of the sandwich. Toasted everything bagel, a skim of sweet butter, wall to wall. Cut in half and loosely wrapped in foil. I rest it on a folded piece of paper towel so that he won't be tempted to wipe his greasy hands on his khaki work shorts. Don't forget the iced (black) coffee, leftovers from yesterday in a to go coffee cup.

"Bye mom, love you."

"Have a great day. Love you."

Some have made comments, teased me for continuing to make my son's lunch for him to take to school everyday his senior year in high school just as I had been doing since he started preschool. Was I doing too much? Was I not allowing him to grow up? Coddling him? I mentioned these feelings to my friend Sheila. 

"That is your love language. Don't stop."

She is right. I felt so validated. 

I am going to make that sandwich everyday until he leaves for college. Then I am going to make it again when he comes home. I hope I get to make it for a long, long time. 

Breakfast Sandwich 

(serves 1)

1 everything bagel, sliced open

1 1/2 slices cooked bacon (see Precooked Bacon below)

1 egg (preferably from Val's chickens)

salt and pepper

approx 1 tablespoon of salted butter

2 slices of American cheese

Toast bagel. While bagel is toasting, heat small frying pan on medium. Add slices of precooked bacon (cut in half so that all three pieces are the same length) to the edge of the pan. Once the bacon begins to heat through, add about a teaspoon of butter to the pan on the opposite side. After the butter melts, crack the egg and slowly add it to the pan so that the white begins to cook as you add the entire egg. Use a spatula to contain the egg in a small area. Salt and pepper the egg. Once the egg begins to set, gently break the yolk and mix it around. When the egg is completely set, flip it over and top with one slice of cheese. Place bacon slices on top and top the bacon with the remaining slice of cheese. Lower heat to low and cover.

Meanwhile, butter the bagel wall to wall. After a few minutes, remove egg from pan and place on lower half of buttered bagel. Place bagel top onto sandwich and slice in half. Wrap sandwich in tinfoil.

Serve with a thermos of iced coffee (black, leftover from the pot that was brewed day before). Don't forget the napkin/piece of paper towel for greasy hands.

 

Precooked Bacon

(makes 1 package of bacon)

1 package bacon

Turn on oven to 425 degrees. No need to preheat.

Line a rimmed baking pan with tin foil.

Line up bacon strips in an even layer on foil lined sheet. Try not to overlap, squish them in but make sure all the pieces lay flat.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking often. Flip the slices with tongs about 10 minutes in. Remove bacon as slices cook to your liking onto a paper towel lined plate. (The outermost slices seem to cook the fastest.)

Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator before the man/boy comes home and eats it all for a snack.

Berries, Balsamic and Basil

 

Oh what to serve for dessert? I just casually extended a last minute invite to Hot Dog Night. The oven has been broken for a week and the cupboard is essentially bare except for the aforementioned hot dogs and a bag of potato chips which shall be served as the vegetable accompaniment to this lavish meal. 

Thankfully, it's just the beginning of summer and the local strawberries are plump and juicy. Around here you can pick your own at Andrews Farm or snag some at a roadside farm stand. And if you are especially brave to battle the crowd on Thursday afternoon at the Falmouth Farmers Market you may be able to find them there. Luckily I arrived early enough before the berries were sold out. Although I was incredibly anxious as I waited in the line that snaked around Pariah Dog Farm's tent and watched as those ahead of me grabbed 1 No! 2 Oh No! 3 pints at a time. I watched in fear as they slowly emptied the table display. Would there be any left by the time it is my turn? 

Berries safely in hand, my brain goes to how to serve them? Of course, I could offer these beauties naked on a plate as a super chefy move...barely doing anything to the fruit. Really? No. Short cake is out of the question- no oven and grocery store bought anything with these berries? Nope. Hmmm. Strawberries and cream? Maybe. Strawberries and ice cream? Perhaps. The best of both worlds combining macerated strawberries from the short cake recipe and something creamy sounds about right. But add a twist, something unexpected: balsamic vinegar? OK. Now something green, herby. Basil? Yes.

I learned this simple combination from someone at the farmers market years ago but I can't exactly remember who. An idea presented in a conversation with the farmer or another strawberry fan? It has never been written down by me which I find to be surprising since this super easy and irresistible recipe is my yearly go to when the strawberries are so ripe and delicate that they must be eaten within a 24 hour window. Sliced berries, a few tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Mix together just before sitting down for dinner. The berries will have released their juices to create a luscious syrup by the time your are ready to eat dessert. Serve this magical concoction over vanilla ice cream or my favorite: vanilla bean flecked Greek yogurt. Garnish with torn fresh basil leaves. 

Aside from all the stress of the broken oven and worry over purchasing local berries, Hot Dog Night is as simple and easy as one can imagine. And this dessert is no exception. Grill the dogs, toast the buns, open a bag of chips and settle at the table. As long as I have mustard, relish and ketchup (heavily back stocked in the pantry year round), the earth will continue its rotation around the sun at least for this evening. Enjoying fresh berries that can only be found at this time of year signals summer and all of its promise of lazy days at the beach, hydrangea blooming, dining on the deck and a certain lightness that can only be felt right here right now.

Local Strawberries with Balsamic and Basil

1 pint local, ripe strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (don't use the super fancy stuff)

1 pinch Kosher salt 

5-6 torn basil leaves

4 scoops vanilla ice cream or 16 oz. vanilla Greek yogurt

Slice the berries into a small mixing bowl. Add sugar, balsamic vinegar and salt. Allow to sit for 15 min-

1 hour to let the strawberries macerate and releases their juices.

To serve, tear basil over strawberry mixture. Spoon ice cream or yogurt into 4 dessert bowls. Top with strawberry mixture and enjoy immediately.

Favorite Fellow Muncher ❤️

"To stop...and see...and munch on"

Because that is why we are really here-to feed ourselves something delicious and sometimes that delicious thing can also look beautiful, too. The creating, slicing, spreading, constructing and stepping back to admire. Wait...to add just one more flavor. Then sitting down to savor it all. I love this poem written for me by my favorite fellow muncher, Ava ❤️

Ava's tastes and palette have evolved and expanded. She may still be super sensitive to merely a few dried chili flakes added to an entire pot of pasta, calling out dramatically for a glass of milk if even one minuscule speck ends up on her plate. But she is more adventurous and excited to try new things. She has advanced to the point that I now find myself reluctant to share my latest culinary find lest she devour it all before I can have a second helping.

To say that I was surprised the day she agreed to taste sliced fresh radishes on a buttered slice of baguette and sprinkled with flaky sea salt, the ruby orbs' peppery bite marrying with the soft butter and chewy bread is a severe understatement. More recently, her discovery of smoked salmon with capers and fresh dill adorning a smear of cream cheese on a toasted bagel blew me away. Is this my child who would only eat chicken nuggets and oven fries doused in ketchup? She admonished marinara sauce on her pasta, preferring lightly buttered noodles. The only vegetable I could serve her was inoffensive and bland frozen corn.

Imagine when she asked me last winter to teach her how to poach an egg to rest a top her avocado toast. She then proceeded to garnish it with pea shoots. During that same holiday break, she tried roasted asparagus dipped in lemony hollandaise and now orders Eggs Benedict when she is out for breakfast. These dishes may not seem overly exciting and new but believe me when I say, that we have come a long way. Blueberries, licorice, gravy and dipping a brush into a creamy egg yolk, would never before have crossed her mind as options to use to paint a picture of food. 

Before I know it, Ava will be boarding a plane next fall to study abroad in Rome. I am excited for her to see incredible works of art and architecture, to experience another country and culture, to immerse herself and discover someplace completely unknown. There she will be able to find some familiar flavors but I am confident that she will dive head first into tasting everything that is offered. And when her semester is completed and she is ready to come home, I will welcome her with a favorite comforting meal: a grilled hot dog with ketchup or perhaps some mild and creamy mac 'n' cheese. Because while we all love to wander and explore, there is nothing like coming home.

Radish Tartine

(Previously published under "French Breakfast" 5/21/15)

Smoked Salmon Tartine

(serves one)

1 slice pumpernickel bread

2 tablespoons cream cheese ( I prefer jalapeno cream cheese, Ava prefers plain)

a few slices smoked salmon

2-3 teaspoons capers

a few very think slices of red onion

fresh dill fronds (or any other herb/pea shoots, sprouts)

sea salt

Lightly toast the pumpernickel bread. Remove from toaster and spread with cream cheese. Top with smoked salmon. Add capers, red onion and herbs. Sprinkle top with sea salt. Serve whole or cut into 4 strips. 

Enjoy with your favorite fellow muncher!