My Love / Hate Relationship with the Concept of Gwyneth Paltrow

I needed a new cookbook. 

Over the past month, I have successfully (although probably temporarily) eliminated land animal from my diet.  I did not make this decision because I feel that "meat is murder" or anything like that Although I do care very much about how animals are treated,   my motivation originated from my husband's dietary needs.  Slowly but surely, it became evident that I was feeling good - great actually, and controlling my weight more efficiently.  Meat is not forbidden; I am simply enjoying the challenge of eating creatively to avoid it. 

Oddly enough, I am enjoying the cooking side of things, too.  Something in my brain told me that it wouldn't be fun to cook if I didn't make meat.  Au contraire!  I have discovered some excellent flavors and textures.

But I'm a cookbook girl, and I needed a new one that included good recipes.  I love my Kindle for all things literary, but it's just not the same for a cookbook.  The internet is great for providing tons of choices, but I love curling up with a book. 

On my afternoon off, I headed off to the bookstore.  As I walked up and down the cookbook aisle, Gwyneth kept looking at me from the cover of her new cookbook My Father's Daughter.  She smiled at me with her perfect teeth, her perfect size 0 figure...

Something within me refused to pick up the cookbook.  She has led a charmed life, she's a rich and famous actress, she has a beautiful singing voice, and now she's cooking?  I ignored it for about 20 minutes, but after not having any luck with any other chef's works, I caved.  Princess Paltrow had created a cookbook that perfectly matched what I was looking for.  

What did I find when I opened it up and started perusing?  An introduction about how her love of food ties in to her memories of her beloved father, and how they learned to cook together.  She discusses how she turned to health food and macrobiotic diet as a way of desperately trying to heal his cancer, and prevent that future for herself and her family.  How she has introduced her children to healthy eating and respect and love of cooking.  That horrible bitch.  It was truly becoming clear why I hated her so much.   

The fact that her mother was a famous actress, her father was a successful television show producer,  no doubt explains her penchant for all things expensive.  To her as she grew up, wealth was the norm. 

This cookbook, has been criticized for her recommendations of very expensive products and ingredients.  She does recommend good ingredients, but I have (so far) not found them to be terribly unattainable or costly.  

I do admit, she does have a taste and budget for the finer things in life, and her references to movie sets and famous friends makes her a wee bit difficult to relate to, but only if trying to relate to her lifestyle.  In that case, I have next to nothing in common with the woman. 

I find our common ground when I take time to examine her motive for cooking.  

She enjoys it.  She can control the ingredients that she and her family consume.  She enjoys gathering family and friends around the table to laugh and converse.  She keeps her father's memory alive and well, implanting it into his grandchildren with stories and tastes. All things I respect and agree with. 

I like her recipes.  After reading this book a bit further, I have started to like her too, albeit reluctantly.  Despite the fact that she is Hollywood royalty, she seems to keep herself grounded in her family.  This cookbook was not an attempt to flaunt her wealth or status.  In my opinion, it was actually a refreshing look at her as a wife, mother, and someone who is constantly seeking work / life balance, just like me.

I just really wish I was paid as much as she is...

Lemony Quinoa with All Kinds of Good - A Recipe

I had some fun experimenting in my kitchen last night, and think I found a winner!  

If you choose, this is a very filling vegetarian meal on its own.  Quinoa is a very healthy and complete choice, as opposed to noodles, rice, or cous cous.  It is gluten free, contains dietary fiber, vitamin B, and iron.  It is also a great source of protein, as it contains all of the amino acids.  Click Here for more nutritional information on Quinoa, courtesy of Self Magazine.

For the Salad:

2 Cups Quinoa
4 Cups Water, Vegetable Broth, or Chicken Broth (based on your preference)
1 14 oz can of quartered artichoke hearts (non-marinated) drained and rinsed
1 Cup of Kalamata Olives, drained and rinsed
1/2 to 1 Cup of chopped red onion, depending on how much you like onion
1 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced into strips (if yours are packed in oil, rinse them off a bit)
1 English Cucumber, cut into quarters and sliced
4 to 6 ounces of crumbled Feta Cheese
3/4 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped julienne style

For the Dressing

1 clove of garlic, minced
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 2 Lemons
1 1/2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
A pinch of sugar, if needed

1.  Prepare Quinoa according to package directions, using the veggie or chicken stock if desired, typically 2 cups of liquid to one cup of Quinoa.  Ideally, make this ahead of time and allow to chill prior to making the salad.

2.  Combine the remaining salad ingredients, through the cucumber in a large bowl.  Add the Quinoa and thoroughly combine everything together.  Add the Feta and Basil Leaves and toss to combine.

3.  Combine the dressing ingredients, through the mustard, in a bowl.  Whisk these ingredients together thoroughly.  Whisk in the olive oil as you pour it.  Add the Salt and Pepper to taste.  If the lemon flavor is a bit too tart, add a pinch of sugar. 

4.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again, coating the salad with the dressing. 

This will serve about 4 as a main course (or 2 leaving nice lunch leftovers), and about 8 as a side dish.  I recommend topping each serving with a tiny bit of chunky, crispy finishing salt (such as marsh salt) and an extra sprinkling of Feta. 

Variations:  The addition of some sliced roasted red peppers and/or pine nuts would be quite tasty.  You could also swap out the feta for some fresh mozzarella.  You could swap out the cucumber for some  steamed or roasted asparagus pieces. 

In addition, if your carnivore instincts are kicking in, this would be excellent with some lemon or sun dried tomato marinated grilled chicken.   

Doing Things Badly - Great Read!

Just read a great article by Katherine Weissman entitled "The Joy of Doing Things Badly".  Very encouraging and inspiring read!

Click here to read Ms. Weissman's article!

Things that Shouldn't have to be Said

1.  Never Shake a Baby. (Sign hanging in Tower City - Cleveland, OH)

2.  Yield to the Train.  (Sign hanging at a railroad crossing somewhere near Wooster, OH)

3.  Caution, handle with care - I'm Hot! (On Coffee Cups EVERYWHERE)
(Erie Island Coffee took a stand.  Their cup sleeves say "Of Course its Hot!")

 4.  Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk

Why Cook?

So many of my very close friends and family members ooze with artistic passion and talent.  I have always been a bit envious, not that they have talent that is simply not possessed by yours truly, but because they find such solace in creating and sharing a piece of themselves with the world.

Given the fact that my attention span rivals only that of an amoeba, my sporadic quests to become one of the artsy-craftsy folk have always ended - crashed and burned to be more accurate.  In the closet of the little room I call my own, you will find unfinished:

• Knitting Projects - Oh yes, my tension was praised, as was the consistency of my stitch size.  I lost it when a dropped stitch was noticed a few rows back, and my patience lacked to fix it.

• Scrap Booking - All the adorable supplies sit in a lovely, designated plastic storage container.  What's that you say?  I have to take the time to get photos printed to scrap book?  I guess that would mean that I would need to be vigilant about taking photos in the first place.

• Sewing - The machine sits, awaiting my attention,  as does some material, a "Sew-Easy" pattern, and all of the notions needed to get the job done.  But what happens if I mess up?  The project would end up like my knitting.  So why start it in the first place?

• Drawing, Painting, Sculpting - I tremendously enjoy viewing all of the various works of art, but the world around me expresses extreme gratification that I do not even attempt to create my own.  My 8 year old heart was smashed in pieces when my art teacher found that I was the only student that didn't have one single piece worthy to hang in the school art fair.  In 20/20 hindsight, it was probably best that the "No Child Left Behind" endeavor did not yet exist.  I not only deserved to be left behind; I probably should have been exiled to an uninhabited desert island.

My passion lies in cooking.  Over the last several years, I have come to the conclusion that cooking is a boon for someone like me.  Here's why:

• Cooking has a definite start and finish, and usually the finish is within a single day's span of the start.  Even big meals, like Thanksgiving, might take days of planning, but the actually cooking action is over within a solid 24 hour period of time. 

• The end result of the effort of cooking gives instant gratification.

• Cooking DOES provide solace an a sense of accomplishment, and it is something that one can take to the next level with creativity and passion. 

• Meals bring family and friends together.  It shows people that you care about them.  Good meals (and even the failed attempts at good meals, i.e. Bridget Jones' blue soup) are typically enjoyed with smiles and laughter.  

• 9 out of 10 times, errors made while cooking can be easily remedied with a dash of this or pinch of that.  If they can't be fixed, there is not days, weeks, or months of time invested in the project.  In addition, one does not feel like they need to store the effort for posterity's sake (nor could they if they wanted to). 

My kitchen is my studio; my guests are my audience.  It is with a full heart and satisfied palate that my dishes are cleaned at the end of the meal.  And my guests can usually find me asleep in my chair with a satisfied smile on my face, before they even leave my home. 

Welcome to Chez Spence.

Mmmmm...Honey!

As a customer service representative, and a manager of a team of customer representatives, I have extremely high standards.  My belief is that our clients pay our salaries and keep us in business, and we have to give them a reason to want to continue doing this year after year.  Therefore, doing more than our competitors is not only crucial, but standard. 

I have a hopeless flaw of holding others to the same standard that I erect for myself.  From my company's standpoint, they have told me that this is one of my strengths and a big reason for my supervisory position.  Those that have to provide service to me, as a customer, may not agree with my superiors.  Sometimes I even "lose my cool" with those computers that answer the phone, at which point my co-workers respond "it can't understand the tone in your voice, Rach; save your energy!" 

Fortunately, I have learned the meaning of that old adage "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar".  Two recent victories show that this is a very true statement.

My grocery store is wonderful.  Polite teenagers (crazy, huh?), beautiful meats and produce, reasonable prices are all great reasons to bypass the grocery store that is, literally, right in my backyard and drive into the next city.  It always frustrated me, however, that their hot pepper selection was always a bit jumbled together, and picking up the wrong hot pepper could be a big problem.  I sent this grocery store an email, and I told them how great their store is, including praise for their employees.  Within the email, I offered one piece of "constructive criticism", and asked them to post pictures of the hot peppers.  I sent the email on a Monday.  They responded to me within a day or two thanking me for taking the time to give them feedback, and that they would take my comment into consideration.  The next time I went to the store, less than a week after my email was sent, the pepper pictures were posted!  I know that this is such a small feat, however, as my husband pointed out, our world was altered for the better. 

Last Friday, I was preparing to celebrate my father's milestone birthday.  I called the caterer and, giving them slightly more than 24 hours notice, attempted to order their pork and sauerkraut for a crowd.  Their menu said "24 hours notice required".  The worker that answered the phone told me that they meant 24 "open" hours, and that there was probably no way that I was going to get my pork and sauerkraut.  She had to make a phone call, but told me not to get my hopes up.  Although I would have much preferred to go with my first instinct and snottily remind them that to a non-restaurant lay person, 24 hours means 24 hours, and 3 days would mean 24 open hours, I pulled out the honey dipper, apologized for giving them short notice, and asked her to see what she could do.  I also sent the manager a nicely worded email, stating how much my family enjoyed their food, how unfortunate it was that I misinterpreted their wording, and could he please work with his staff to try to accommodate my request.  Within 10 minutes, I received a call back, and the next day's pork and sauerkraut was delicious!

Unfortunately, sometimes the receiver of the honey does not do what I want them to do.  At that point it becomes a personal satisfaction thing for me.  I know that I treated that person with dignity and respect, and kept control of my emotions.  This little victory should not be under estimated, either. 

Watch out for Pirates

Here's a great idea for your Tuesday. If you have a yacht, don't sail it near Somalia. And if you feel the need to go somewhere that requires passage anywhere near Somalia, don't go.

I don't know if you've heard, but there are ruthless, blood thirsty pirates there; real ones, that don't work for Disney.

You could die.

Don't say I didn't warn you.