what’s up, y’all?

— wm

“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” — Clarence Budington Kelland

Subject: A Hockey Story

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a man makes his way to his seat right at center ice. He sits down, noticing that the seat next to him is empty.

He leans over and asks his neighbour if someone will be sitting there.

“No,” says the neighbour. “The seat is empty.”

“This is incredible,” said the man. “Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs and not use it?”

The neighbour says, “Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Stanley Cup we haven’t been to together since we got married in 1967.”

“Oh … I’m sorry to hear that. That’s terrible. But couldn’t you find someone else, a friend or relative, or even a neighbour to take the seat?”

The man shakes his head “No. They’re all at her funeral.”

“We grow tyrannical fighting tyranny. The most alarming spectacle today is not the spectacle of the atomic bomb in an unfederated world, it is the spectacle of the Americans beginning to accept the device of loyalty oaths and witchhunts, beginning to call anybody they don’t like a Communist.” — E.B. White, writer (1899-1985)

Here ya go, Internets.

Read!

and please get some #!@$@#! sleep! (Awww, who’s been reading the mom bloggers?)

— wm

“Sometimes we feel that one individual’s action is very insignificant. Then we think, of course, that effects should come from channeling or from a unifying movement. But the movement of the society, community or group of people means joining individuals. Society means a collection of individuals, so that initiative must come from individuals. Unless each individual develops a sense of responsibility, the whole community cannot move. So therefore, it is very essential that we should not feel that individual effort is meaningless — you should not feel that way. We should make an effort.” — His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from “The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings,” p. 400

Chicken Meatball and Tortellini Noodle Soup
(from Tyler Florence)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Take a large mixing bowl and add loose ground chicken meat (discard cases if using sausages), breadcrumbs, milk, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper then mix until fully combined. Using an ice cream scoop, make balls and set out on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little grated parmesan. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and caramelised.

While the meatballs are cooking make the soup. Set a large stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic and thyme and gently sauté until fragrant – about 2 minutes. Add carrots, onion and celery, season with salt and cook for 5-7 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and add peppercorns, parsley and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Once meatballs are cooked, scrape into the pot of chicken soup and add tortellini so everything is back in the pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Give it a final season with salt and peper and serve in shallow bowls with a small shower of parsley and grated parmesan. Garnish with a parsley stem and serve with some torn pieces of crusty bread.

(so good. wm)

Roasted Fruit a la Martha
We roast vegetables all the time (the asparagus has been soooooooo good this year, but we’re avoiding the frittatas, mmmmmmm frittatas…) but I never roast fruit. This is on my to-do list, after seeing them do it up on Everyday Food:

Chop into hunks and mix up: nectarines, plums, peaches (or apples and pears).

Sprinkle with two or three tablespoons of sugar (more if fruit isn’t very ripe); cube a couple of tablespoons of butter and dab it on top; add springs of rosemary; squeeze some lime juice over.

Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or so. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or creme fraiche.

Bon appetit!

ps if you’re looking for a great “how-to” guide for roasting vegetables, click here.

WM