Laura stepped off the bus and headed towards home. If you could call it that. An illegally converted garage wasn’t much of a home. She shared the single bathroom with three others and had to keep her food in a cooler so it wouldn’t be stolen from the community kitchen. It was all she could afford but was far better than the house she used to live in with her alcoholic husband.
“The life in front of you is greater than the life behind you.”
Nothing says “Hanukkah” more than latkes! But they are actually a delicious addition to any meal, year round. (And you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy them.) This Bubbe is fairly new to the latke game and I’m not adept at the use of electric appliances, so these are handmade with lots of love (and oil). They are a bit on the time intense side … turn on some music, pour a glass of wine or eggnog and put on an apron.
The five basic ingredients are simple and available year-round at our Grocery Outlet and the cost is about 50 cents per serving. I find the best way to mix and form the patties is with my hands; a bit messy but the results speak for themselves.
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity and I haven’t taken any quality time for myself. I haven’t spent any time on my blog or writing short stories or recipes, haven’t decorated our salon for Hanukkah (and it’s almost over!) and I have a few gifts still to finish before our family celebration tomorrow evening. My home and husband are both in need of my attention. Half day of work today with the other half committed to paperwork for the sale of Nana’s house and errands. And a busy, busy weekend ahead with the kids. The last time I felt rested and not rushing was Thanksgiving weekend.
So I stood on the end of the finger and closed my eyes. I listened to the sea birds calling to each other and the water lapping gently against the neighboring hulls, felt the bite of cold air on my skin and breathed deeply. I let my thoughts drift from my “To Do” list to the miracle of a new day unfolding and opened my eyes to watch the world awaken.
I’ve been crazy busy with the holidays and babysitting my grandchildren and missed my weekly GO To Tuesday post … so we’ll do a GO To Thursday instead! Our local Alameda Grocery Outlet is a great one-stop go-to for holiday menu ingredients. I’m creating a Hanukkah menu of brisket, latkes and roasted asparagus this weekend that I’ll feature next week.
Amy saw the poster tacked to the phone pole at the bus stop.
LOST: Female Dog.
Beloved Family Pet.
Sat., Oct. 6
near Grand and Otis.
Answers to Cookie.
The picture below the text showed two adorable little boys with their arms around an even more adorable little brown dog. Her heart sank. It looked exactly like the dog she had found just after midnight two days ago.
Both sweet and savory … these delicious noodles take minutes to prepare and make a great side to an Asian-inspired meal or, as we did, serve with fresh Dungeness crab and garlic bread. (One can never have enough garlic in my opinion!) Grocery Outlet doesn’t sell fresh crab, but they do feature an amazing ocean caught salmon that would be terrific with a miso-soy glaze. Hubby says he could easily eat just a big bowl of the noodles all by themselves … they are THAT good!
Turkey is the hands-down favorite for Thanksgiving but when you are cooking for just a few (or have a tiny oven as I do), Cornish Game Hens are a great alternative and also make a festive meal during the winter holidays. Who doesn’t like having their own drumstick? Grocery Outlet has a wonderful frozen food section and these little birds are inexpensive and thaw in a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. You’ll also find a good selection of fresh produce in bulk, packaged and organic varieties to chose from.
Every weekday morning Mama would walk us to school and chat on the schoolyard with the other mothers, discussing their supper menus and any juicy news they had heard since the day before. We lived in a small town where walls were thin and lips were loose. Today’s hot topic was the recent sale of the old Dorst home to a couple from out of town.
Martha, who lived across the street from the house, couldn’t wait to share her latest insight, “This morning the wife drug the trash bin to the curb and then drove off in the convertible. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the husband yet.”
When you don’t have time for prep or a long cook time but want to feed your family a healthy meal, pop into Grocery Outlet for a nice assortment of veggies ready for a quick sautee and organic, free range chicken to throw on the barbecue. This took all of 20 minutes from package to table and cost a total of $14 which fed hubby and me dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.
Vivo O Sonho 