Now, Just Now, and Now Now

Now - adv. (South African) sometime in the future; 'when I get to it.'
Just Now - adv. (South African) shortly, soon.
Now Now - adv. (South African) immediately, Now!

A grammar lesson isn't usually included in a cooking lesson, but tonight, Enid - my beloved friend and short-term tenant is from Cape Town, and she used these adverbs as she taught us how to make a lovely Cape Malay curry. Now (and I'm not really using that as an adverb here), my other young friend, Jessie, has explained all this now business to me once before, and how it took her a while to figure it all out when she spent some months in S. Africa...so it didn't come as a shock to me the first time I heard Enid use now to mean, "Babes, I'll get there when I get there." But it's all in good fun, in the spirit of diversity and all...:)

Menu: Lentil and Potato Samosas w/ Chutney
Cape Malay Chicken Curry
Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad
Roti
Milk Tart and Rooibos

Mmmm...curry. I knew there was some magic to curry. It couldn't just be that vague mixture of exotic spices that costs a small fortune but really just came from McCormick's. Enid spent a day hunting for the ingredients, not unlike a safari from back home. She loaded bags, large bags, of tumeric, cumin, coriander and yes, a vague mixture of exotic spices called "curry" on my kitchen counter. But she only paid $1.99 for like, a pound of cumin! I've got to hit up the Indian grocery store.

Everyone shared the load of chopping no less than 8 onions, until the 'last man standing' was a brave young lass, who apparently wears contact lenses, which protected her tender corneas. In the pot went the onions, oil, spices, chicken, potatoes...and an hour later there was this thick, yellowish-green, fragrant stew that just seemed...healthful. At the very end, we watched as Enid grated - that's right, grated - a tomato. All that flavor has got to be good for you. And when you eat it, there are so many things going on inside your mouth. It's like your tastebuds are on a wild ride. And then...about 20 seconds after you start, it hits you. That growing fire at the back of your throat, on your tastebuds and in every crevice of your mouth. But it's not overwhelming, it's understated, but intense. And it hangs there throughout the meal. Enid says no South African meal is complete without meat, potatoes and rice. I guess you need all that starch to mitigate the heat.

She also taught us this incredible salad which included raw onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. These are not the sweet Vidalia variety either. They are the potent kind. The relationship-breaking kind. The no-kissing kind. But she showed us this method of toning down the intensity of the onions - she salted them, let them sit for a few minutes, then squeezed them out. Then she poured boiling water over them in a colander, and let them cool down enough to handle, then another squeeze. Then she added vinegar, salt and sugar, mixed them with the tomato (that's, 'to-mah-to' now...thank you 2-year-old Rosie for correcting me) and cukes.

We also had rotis (a tortilla-type thing for mopping up the curry juices), and samosas dipped in Mrs. H.S.Balls chutney, which also served as a lovely accompaniment to the curry.

And then...Enid rounded up all of my most beautiful china teacups, made a pot of Rooibos, and served it with silver spoons and proper Milk Tart. Milk Tart is just a simple, what I would call, Chess Pie. Lightly sweet and delicate, it just feels like something a British lady would have with her tea, for sure.

Enid doesn't consider herself a great cook. As a matter of fact she confided in me that she had to break out of her daily steamed broccoli and cauliflower habit when she married, fearing her new husband would starve to death if she didn't. But now, a well-fed husband and three kids later, I think she's a pro. I've certainly learned a lot tonight. And she is a born teacher - she seemed to relish the opportunity to share with others what she so clearly enjoys. It was a complicated menu, but she taught it with patience, grace and exuberance.

And we consumed it that way, too. Thank you Enid, for taking us to a far-away land tonight!

Asparagus: It's not just for Veggie-Tales Anymore!

Junior Asparagus: cute little guy, and a staple in any child's DVD collection. Did he ever inspire children to actually eat asparagus? (Probably traumatized some...) Is asparagus in your family's regular menu 'collection?' Maybe this will inspire your family to indulge in this healthful friend!

Tonight's lesson - the amazing things you can do with this beautiful spring vegetable. We're preparing asparagus four different ways.

Rule #1: Never, never, under any circumstances, purchase asparagus in a can, a jar or frozen.

Oh my, who ever thought processing asparagus was a good idea? Probably not anyone who ever enjoyed it. It needs very little in terms of cooking, takes on simple companions, embellishes nicely, is delightfully nutritious, and serves beautifully.

Menu: Salami wrapped Asparagus
Thin spaghetti w/ Lemon Chicken and Asparagus
Roasted Asparagus, Steamed Asparagus w/ Hollandaise

Asparagus is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. One cup provides over 100% of vitamin K, a ton of folate, vitamins A, B, C and fiber. And it's just so pretty. But only when just briefly cooked, as to retain the bright green. It actually gets greener in it's first few minutes of steaming, then starts to die as it's cooked too long...looking evermore drab as the minutes tick by. Don't let this happen! There is almost nothing worse than the sad, floppy, camo-colored remains of a formerly lovely sprig of asparagus.

We had an intimate group of four tonight, and then Jon helped us eat. :) Then we met up with the gals that couldn't cook with us to see "Soul Surfer." Oh, my goodness, we literally cried through the entire movie. So moving. What a courageous young lady. Such a hopeful story. Love those kind of films!

I'm groping here for a proper parallel between our adventures with asparagus and Bethany Hamilton's surfing story...but, I'm unable to find one. Oh well, it was a fun and inspiring evening!

Leaving the Nest

I have written before about the nest of sparrow's eggs outside my front door...I'd like to revisit the nest theme again...

Five little blue eggs which hatched today. Now four tiny helpless little birds, with one more to go. I've been spying off and on all day.

Things are happening. In that nest and in mine. Lots of change, growth, shifting. It's all good. All natural, but it's sometimes painful change in my nest...I've only got four babies, long since beyond freshly 'hatched' and helpless, but I can relate to that mama bird...

Egg #1: She's almost 25, out of college for two years, working a dream job (albeit on the other side of the country!), and traveling. A lot. She just returned from a two-week trip to Kenya, on a photographic assignment for the non-profit she works for. That was the third of her international trips just since January. These trips are tough. They spend time interviewing people who are losing children to drought, disease and hunger. Somehow she has to capture the story so the story can be told, and therefore solutions can be paid for.

Egg #2: Oh my goodness. My baby boy asked his sweetie to marry him last night! I can hardly believe it. He's certainly ready, at 23, preparing for an engineering career, full of common sense and a fair amount of wisdom. He's got a great girl; she's amazing. Looks like this one is about to fly off to build his own family, and is in the process of preparing their nest.

Egg #3: Another boy turned man. He's 21, studying hard in college, living on his own and preparing for a military career. I still cry a little each time he leaves after a holiday or summer

break to go back. He's so strong. So thoughtful.

And then there's Egg #4: She's 18 as of a month ago, and fixin' to leave home for college in the fall. I can't think about it. I just find myself repeatedly putting it out of my mind, waiting for another day to think about it. But it's fast approaching...

The empty nest.

Ugh. I hate that expression. Empty. Sounds so lonely. So quiet. I know there will always be people around; my house has never been quiet for long. But this is such a significant year - all this change.

Maybe it should be called, the spacious nest. That way there's room for more. Room for those baby-birds-turned-adults to come home to their original nest, bring their friends and families, and enjoy some moments of refreshment and fun.

Even though they are either out of the nest or moving out soon, the comfort of the nest is always there. Our roles are changing, but there are times when Mom and Dad are needed as a listening ear and a comfort, even to healthy, well-adjusted adult children. We had the privilege of doing just that as our daughter returned to the US after her trip. We spent a few days together in New York, just talking, laughing, sleeping and eating. It was therapeutic for her, and such a blessing to us. These times are few and far between, but the bonds are tight and we cherish every moment we get. Part of our conversation was a frank discussion about how hard it is for us all to be apart. We didn't come to a conclusion per se, but the discussion is an open one, sometimes with understanding and sometimes with tears. I suppose similar conversations will happen with each of them.

Over the years, I've always put a welcome basket together for overnight guests with granola bars, fruit, a few bottles of water. When the kids were little, they always raided that basket upon the guests' departure. I look forward to the day when they will be my guests.

And this gives me some comfort as I look at the growing space inside my nest. Hang in there Mama Bird! Your babies will grow big and strong, able to fly on their own and build their own nests someday!

A No-Cooking Cooking Night

April has arrived, with its temperamental temperatures and an occasional warm evening. Out with the soups, in with the salads! There were ten of us around the table (that's outdoor table) tonight, so a pasta salad for a crowd was in order. This one is easy to multiply; just a little more pasta, a little more of this, and a little more of that stretches it to feed an army. I love the way this main course salad brings in so many colors...it just looks like spring.

I'm always at a loss to find suitable accessories to a pasta salad; everything is already there - the starch, the vegetables, the meat. It's a complete meal, but it seems so lonely on the table. A few of the girls have been swooning over dips lately. So, I decided a trio of dips with an assortment of vehicles (aka chips, crackers, pretzels) would be an appropriate accompaniment. And a cool sipping dessert for our fireside chat...

Menu: Asian Pasta Salad
Guacamole, Cajun Seafood Dip, Salsa
Root Beer Floats

Although this salad does have a lot of ingredients, it's pretty easy to throw together, especially when you use some lovely shortcuts like a pre-roasted chicken. It takes little skill, just the ability to follow a list of ingredients, and has a decent wow factor, because it's so pretty.

And did I mention what a large crowd it feeds?

We had to kick brother Jon out of the kitchen...his calculus homework and tickling little sister was not going to facilitate getting dinner on the table in time. But it does a mama's heart good to have some laughter in the house among siblings.

Some lovely flowers, compliments of Lisa. Thanks, Lisa!

Conversation tonight? Jon was still working on his calculus homework, so more girl stuff...what girls are looking for in a man, toes, undergarments, second graders, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, no more monkeys jumping on the bed, and nurturing. Diverse topics, to be sure.

I feel like each time I get together with these young women, I am being challenged and stretched to think outside my box. My 1970s/80s box. The one I grew up in. My middle-aged woman box. The one I'm in now. They are my daughter's friends, fast becoming mine, but clearly I AM old enough to be their mom. Gosh, some of their moms are younger than I! I am glad they want to come over and cook with me on Mondays. I appreciate hearing the way they look at the world, the obstacles and frustrations they face, the victories they enjoy, maybe because their predecessors fought those battles already. I'm not into this age-segregation thing, where I have to hang out only with women my age. I don't think that's the way God intended it to be. The generations have something to share with each other.