Today was the last of my many birthday celebrations. After all of the previous celebration my dear friend Bob took Lee and me out for lunch at P. F. Chang's. PFC is always a treat. I know it's a chain but the food is so well prepared and just delicious. I love it that they offer brown rice. I will routinely have chicken lettuce wraps and Kung Pao chicken. The chicken is sauced perfectly with peanuts and hot chile peppers. I also have a wee bit of a chopstick fetish. I adore eating with chopsticks and the way using them slows down consumption to nibbles of meat and vegetable with rice. I think about Pearl S. Buck and her descriptions of Asian women eating so delicately bringing chopsticks with food to their pink rosebud mouths. I read those books so very long ago but the image remains. I will never eat so delicately and with the same dexterity. Do you know that some people can bring a boiled egg to their mouths with chopsticks. That is awesome. Maybe I could practice with some golf balls. Such a picture.
So you get the picture lunch with a dear friend who I don't get to see much. Of course having lunch out doesn't mean I get to skip preparing dinner for Miss Lee. We ate very late. I made a very simple dinner of barbecued shrimp and corn on the cob. Of course Lee had a piece of Julia Child's cake I made - Reine de Saba. It's a single layer chocolate cake made with butter and rum with eggs separated and whipped and gently folded into the batter. The frosting is butter, rum and semisweet chocolate melted together than whipped over a bowl of ice water to chill the chocolate mixture as it thickens to a frosting consistency. After frosting the cake I toasted almond slices and sprinkled them over the top. That cake is "over the top".
I snagged the recipe for the shrimp from a Weber grill display at Home Depot. In the recipe shrimp is marinated with barbecue sauce. After grilling the shrimp is tossed in a bag with spices. Of course I changed it or as we say "adapted" it. It is yummy and great and the shrimp stay plump and juicy on the grill as I grilled them in the shell. Of course Lee detests getting her hands messy shelling spice coated shrimp but it was all worth it. It was a pretty simple but fun meal that signaled the end of my birthday week. I think you'll like it.
Sack'Em Shrimp
1 lb large shrimp (15 - 20) shell on from Trader Joe's. The recipe calls for peeled and deveined 26-30 size shrimp. I like Trader Joe's because they are easy peel.
1/2 C barbecue sauce
1 1/2 T. chile powder
1 T. parsley flakes
2 tsp. lemon pepper
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp.onion powder
melted butter for dipping
Marinate the shrimp for an hour in barbecue sauce in the fridge. I used Hendrickson's marinade and salad dressing. In a sack place the remaining spices and toss well together. Remove shrimp from the marinade and discard the marinade. Thread shrimp on skewers and grill 3 minutes. Flip and grill another 1-2 minutes. After grilling remove the shrimp from the skewers and toss in the spice sack. Serve out of the bag. Guests can dip shrimp in the melted butter.
This was very messy but very good. I would definitely do this again. So birthday done :(. I so loved seeing and talking to everyone. Next adventure is surgery to remove and biopsy a mass on my arm. I think it's pretty harmless. Just a remnant from life as an alien in my 40's. One does need to pay for one's past.
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
My Orgasmic Birthday
I knew that title would get your attention! I realized something wonderful. When you are little everyone makes sure your actual birthday is special and there is a large amount of birthday energy concentrated on that day. It is so nice and lovely for the very young. At my tender age I still work and have a demanding schedule but the birthday gets spread over a few days with get togethers and fetes and wishes delivered as people can, the special day and then the birthday celebrations after. It means that you celebrate a much longer time and I love it. I do love spending time with and hearing from special people in my life.
So my birthday stated last Saturday with the Julia and Anne celebration preparation I shared in the last blog. The Sunday celebrants had a great time and it was delicious fun. People started wishing me hap birthday as my little son used to call it. Yesterday I had a grueling day that started at 5:00 a.m. and involved a trip to Columbus then on to Cincinnati. I had to be in Cincinnati early this morning so I spent last night with Sue and Tom. When I arrived about 6 I found plans for a special dinner. Sue lovingly prepared grilled shrimp over a spinach salad with lemon vinaigrette. The shrimp were sauced with tzatziki sauce (yogurt, dill and cucumbers with lemon) and feta. Tom gardens so Sue also made a salad of eggplant, lemon and garlic. As is that weren't enough we had "cuppycakes" as they named them with mini fruit tarts. Served with a large amount of fun and laughter and with a call from my youngest sister it was incredible. Such sweet kindness and celebration from people so dear is incredible. I heard from Mimi and Bobo with a card and a call with a fun chat. They are in such good spirits it's another gift for my birthday.
This evening Lee and I went to dinner at the Meadowlark where I had an orgasmic dessert. We love local restaurants and this one is great. Lee had Jamaican spiced chicken thighs with rice and grilled bananas. I chose a thick slice of eggplant fried to crunchy goodness with mushrooms and capers teamed with mashed potatoes and broccolini. After this dinner with a glass of wine I was in fine birthday fettle. I decided to go for dessert and it was incredible. Perfect Leo summertime dessert - it was Pavlova.
I've seen it and wanted to try it but never have. That was a huge error on my part. Pavlova is not too sweet, crunchy and creamy - perfect for a texture maeven. It is beautiful and yes I'll use that word orgasmic. I will just tell you that after I ate it I surreptitiously and much to Lee's chagrin gave my plate two licks with my tongue. It was that good. So Pavlova is a nest of crunchy meringue filled with whipped sweet and sour cream. On top of that are strawberries, blueberries and kiwi. To gild this lily it is drizzled with raspberry sauce. OMG!!! The server asked if we would like anything else and I laughed and said I would take 6 more Pavlova's. I'm joking but they were delightful and I cannot wait to eat more.
So this is my birthday wisdom: Don't wait 62 years to eat Pavlova or don't wait to try something new and different and tempting. Your life can be made immeasurably better and fun.
Love to all and thanks for all of the birthday sweetness. You are all my Pavlovas and you know who you are!
So my birthday stated last Saturday with the Julia and Anne celebration preparation I shared in the last blog. The Sunday celebrants had a great time and it was delicious fun. People started wishing me hap birthday as my little son used to call it. Yesterday I had a grueling day that started at 5:00 a.m. and involved a trip to Columbus then on to Cincinnati. I had to be in Cincinnati early this morning so I spent last night with Sue and Tom. When I arrived about 6 I found plans for a special dinner. Sue lovingly prepared grilled shrimp over a spinach salad with lemon vinaigrette. The shrimp were sauced with tzatziki sauce (yogurt, dill and cucumbers with lemon) and feta. Tom gardens so Sue also made a salad of eggplant, lemon and garlic. As is that weren't enough we had "cuppycakes" as they named them with mini fruit tarts. Served with a large amount of fun and laughter and with a call from my youngest sister it was incredible. Such sweet kindness and celebration from people so dear is incredible. I heard from Mimi and Bobo with a card and a call with a fun chat. They are in such good spirits it's another gift for my birthday.
This evening Lee and I went to dinner at the Meadowlark where I had an orgasmic dessert. We love local restaurants and this one is great. Lee had Jamaican spiced chicken thighs with rice and grilled bananas. I chose a thick slice of eggplant fried to crunchy goodness with mushrooms and capers teamed with mashed potatoes and broccolini. After this dinner with a glass of wine I was in fine birthday fettle. I decided to go for dessert and it was incredible. Perfect Leo summertime dessert - it was Pavlova.
I've seen it and wanted to try it but never have. That was a huge error on my part. Pavlova is not too sweet, crunchy and creamy - perfect for a texture maeven. It is beautiful and yes I'll use that word orgasmic. I will just tell you that after I ate it I surreptitiously and much to Lee's chagrin gave my plate two licks with my tongue. It was that good. So Pavlova is a nest of crunchy meringue filled with whipped sweet and sour cream. On top of that are strawberries, blueberries and kiwi. To gild this lily it is drizzled with raspberry sauce. OMG!!! The server asked if we would like anything else and I laughed and said I would take 6 more Pavlova's. I'm joking but they were delightful and I cannot wait to eat more.
So this is my birthday wisdom: Don't wait 62 years to eat Pavlova or don't wait to try something new and different and tempting. Your life can be made immeasurably better and fun.
Love to all and thanks for all of the birthday sweetness. You are all my Pavlovas and you know who you are!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Happy Birthday Dad
I have been trying to write this blog and the universe is either saying don't do it or I am simply having trouble. Several months ago my "e"key fell off and I have been struggling to hit the right spot in the vacant key spot to iterate an "e". E is the most common letter in writing so you can gauge my level of frustration. So today because I am out of home most of this week and next week I surrendered my computer to the geek squad to repair the errant key. I tried to log-in on my work computer and ran into the google/blogspot morass of wonder. So after a good bit of time I am on! Thank you!
Last year at this time my Dad escaped from the hospital after wrestling with his a-fib issues. We all held our breath and wanted his health to return. Things didn't improve much and he was scheduled for a trip to the Cleveland Clinic to have the medical cognoscenti scrutinized and analyze and strategize. In the middle of all of this was the Henry vacation. Twenty plus years of family ecstasy in a gorgeous location. Needless to say we were on pins and needles over whether Dad was going to make it. We needn't have worried because he made it in typical FC Henry style. All of the medical trials and tribulations were a non-issue for the week - he was here to have fun and be with the people he loves and those who love him back to the nth degree. He reigned over the week, helping with the cooking, hanging out and giving advice and comfort to the enemy (men's side of the table) in the nightly game of slip a**. We went to a beach bums ballgame, savored meals, cornhole cocktail hour and the general joy of four generations playing, laughing and celebrating. It was awesome. Spending this time with Mom and Dad and the rest of the family is a soulful time for me. I connect. I breathe in these people of my blood and choice who are dear beyond measure. This time always helps me get my groove back. I love watching Mom and Dad's reactions to this time. Mom exults in being in the middle of all of this and her laughter and sidling up to be with someone working in the kitchen or gathering laundry to add to a load speaks her love of being in the middle of all the brouhaha and chaos. Dad loves this as well but he seems more to soak it all in and you can see the happiness on his face as he reflects on his and mom's success in creating a strong supportive family. He is far more introspective about all of this but his eyes shine in delight when Gabe strolls over to him to show him a treasure from the yard or look up at him with a big grin. Dad looks at each of us and considers the person and enjoys their happiness reflected through the filter of their personality and it generates many a chuckle for him.
It's always been my goal to be like my Dad. Like Mom, he was one of my first role models. I saw his high standards and desire to do the right thing. His compassion for others and respect for his patients were characteristics I treasured. Not always his politics but you can't have everything. I most wanted to create in me and my own family the sense of being protected and cared for and being a beacon for the future. I don't know that I'll ever be able to recreate the incredible sense of being safe I felt with him though I've tried and tried.
I love the sense of adventure and fun in him. When we were little he would speed up on hills so we would temporarily leave the gravity behind and our stomachs would roll with fun. It was so exciting. Again Daddy do it again we would cry and he would find another hill. He and Aunt Lil taught us to water ski and when skiing on his own he literally walked on water - ask Uncle Ralph the Tennessee cannonball. He took us snow skiing. We went out with him to gig frogs at night and he found an opportunity to show us frogs mating. We also went canoeing with the Polks to catch snapping turtle for dinner. A grand adventure was learning to drive. He had me drive the family from Toledo to Monroeville to practice. My sisters were in the back seat screaming about their impending death. That was crazy! He took us for airplane rides when he became licensed to fly. We would fly together over the city and fly past our house. On one occasion we looked up to see someone parachuting in front of us. A quick turn of the wheel saved his life and ours.
At one point he decided he would read a classic to us and we gathered together to read Treasure Island. I don't know if we finished but I do remember his voice reading the story of adventure with pirates. He loved history and arranged historical vacations that celebrated American history and allowed us to see our country. We canoed and were taught to fish and even had opportunities to learn to shoot a rifle. The last time Dad canoed he was paired with me. Within 100 feet of the place we put in I managed to get us stuck on a log and ended up tipping us in the water. Dad was so not happy and his grim smile to my apology let me know being wet from a canoe snafu was not in his list of favorite things to do. He took us on some wonderful fishing adventures. One was at a club in Canada he belonged to - Wabe. It was such fun. We had to fly in on a float plane. We fished and laughed and spent a night at Benoit. That cabin had no electricity. We slept in sleeping bags on cots and listened for bear. No bear just the scratching of mice through the night. I didn't know who taught him to fish and asked him. He shared that he wanted to learn so he did and he became an accomplished sport fisherman who fished in some exciting and exotic places. Dad taught his grandchildren fishing and shooting. His two great grandsons have fishing poles sized to them to begin their fishing skills taught by Bobo. He hated golf and had some choice opinions of golfers but for some reason decided to take up golf in retirement and did pretty well. So much like Dad, he shot a hole in one on the Veronica Valley golf course near Leland, MI. Walk on water, hole in one - you get the picture.
Dad loves to laugh. He has some great stories from his life and experiences. When he gets tickled he chuckles and chuckles. He has a circle of friends who are like him larger than life and the source of some great fun and laughter. He laughs over their misadventures and delights in the fun he shared with them over the years. We vacationed in Hawks Michigan on Lake Nettie for a number of years. One summer Dad and Uncle Ralph rented a catamaran for us and a little sailfish. In true Dad style he and Uncle Ralph decided to take the cat out to see if it could be upended and how hard he would have to work to make it happen. In other words were the kids at risk or was the cat safe. Dad and Uncle Ralph took the family dogs out for the sail. Cricket Jones and Mandy Henry were willing sailors and quite at ease. Finally Dad and Uncle Ralph managed to tip the cat. They moved the dogs to the side of the pontoons that were in the air. Seeing this, the kids fired up the outboard and raced to rescue - of course - the dogs. Dad and Uncle Ralph were a little challenged by our priorities but saw the humor in the situation. Dads are invincible, dogs are not. When we visited Mom and Dad in Florida Dad found a video that tickled him endlessly. A bull wandered into an English grocery store and terrorized a shopper. Dad laughed endlessly as he described the image of the man being chased by the bull through the aisles of the store. He would laugh again just thinking about the video.
This post hasn't really documented Dad's professional career, his financial wisdom or his medical accomplishments. It is more some recollections of one special Dad who created a legacy of love and family that he inoculated in his family and the generations. He is modest and doesn't want to be in the spotlight but he takes pride in his accomplishments nonetheless. It's his birthday on the 18th of May. It's a day for celebration, joy and remembrance that I'll honor to the end of my life. My Dad has shared much wisdom with me through the years. I think we could write a book with Dad's pearls. My favorite is this. You will never see a greater return on investment than the effort and love you invest in your family. I believe it from my own life and know this to be true for me and my family. Thank you Dad for being you! Happy Birthday!
Dad grills a superb anything. One of our favorite meals is a 2 1/2 inch thick porterhouse steak grilled and served with a compound butter.
Heat the grill to high and then regulate the flame to about 350 degrees. Season the steak with Montreal seasoning on both sides. Put the huge hulking 2 1/2 inch wonder on the grill. Do not fuss with it but watch it. Let the steak roast for about 20 minutes and then turn it. Continue to cook until a thermometer reads about 135-140 degrees. Remove the steak from the grill to a platter and tent with foil. Let the steak rest for 15 minutes then bone and slice. When everyone comes to vacation we grill 3 of these for our family. Sometimes there is some left over. We slice it thinly for steak salad the next day.
Paprika Parmesan Butter
4 ounces softened butter
1 clove of garlic minced
3/4 tsp. paprika
1 T. chopped parsley
3/4 C grated parmesan cheese (fresh please)
Mix thoroughly. On a sheet of waxed paper shape the butter into a log. Roll the waxed paper around the log and roll until evenly shaped. Chill.
Serve a slice of the compound butter with the warm steak. It oozes over the top and is quite delightful.
Last year at this time my Dad escaped from the hospital after wrestling with his a-fib issues. We all held our breath and wanted his health to return. Things didn't improve much and he was scheduled for a trip to the Cleveland Clinic to have the medical cognoscenti scrutinized and analyze and strategize. In the middle of all of this was the Henry vacation. Twenty plus years of family ecstasy in a gorgeous location. Needless to say we were on pins and needles over whether Dad was going to make it. We needn't have worried because he made it in typical FC Henry style. All of the medical trials and tribulations were a non-issue for the week - he was here to have fun and be with the people he loves and those who love him back to the nth degree. He reigned over the week, helping with the cooking, hanging out and giving advice and comfort to the enemy (men's side of the table) in the nightly game of slip a**. We went to a beach bums ballgame, savored meals, cornhole cocktail hour and the general joy of four generations playing, laughing and celebrating. It was awesome. Spending this time with Mom and Dad and the rest of the family is a soulful time for me. I connect. I breathe in these people of my blood and choice who are dear beyond measure. This time always helps me get my groove back. I love watching Mom and Dad's reactions to this time. Mom exults in being in the middle of all of this and her laughter and sidling up to be with someone working in the kitchen or gathering laundry to add to a load speaks her love of being in the middle of all the brouhaha and chaos. Dad loves this as well but he seems more to soak it all in and you can see the happiness on his face as he reflects on his and mom's success in creating a strong supportive family. He is far more introspective about all of this but his eyes shine in delight when Gabe strolls over to him to show him a treasure from the yard or look up at him with a big grin. Dad looks at each of us and considers the person and enjoys their happiness reflected through the filter of their personality and it generates many a chuckle for him.
It's always been my goal to be like my Dad. Like Mom, he was one of my first role models. I saw his high standards and desire to do the right thing. His compassion for others and respect for his patients were characteristics I treasured. Not always his politics but you can't have everything. I most wanted to create in me and my own family the sense of being protected and cared for and being a beacon for the future. I don't know that I'll ever be able to recreate the incredible sense of being safe I felt with him though I've tried and tried.
I love the sense of adventure and fun in him. When we were little he would speed up on hills so we would temporarily leave the gravity behind and our stomachs would roll with fun. It was so exciting. Again Daddy do it again we would cry and he would find another hill. He and Aunt Lil taught us to water ski and when skiing on his own he literally walked on water - ask Uncle Ralph the Tennessee cannonball. He took us snow skiing. We went out with him to gig frogs at night and he found an opportunity to show us frogs mating. We also went canoeing with the Polks to catch snapping turtle for dinner. A grand adventure was learning to drive. He had me drive the family from Toledo to Monroeville to practice. My sisters were in the back seat screaming about their impending death. That was crazy! He took us for airplane rides when he became licensed to fly. We would fly together over the city and fly past our house. On one occasion we looked up to see someone parachuting in front of us. A quick turn of the wheel saved his life and ours.
At one point he decided he would read a classic to us and we gathered together to read Treasure Island. I don't know if we finished but I do remember his voice reading the story of adventure with pirates. He loved history and arranged historical vacations that celebrated American history and allowed us to see our country. We canoed and were taught to fish and even had opportunities to learn to shoot a rifle. The last time Dad canoed he was paired with me. Within 100 feet of the place we put in I managed to get us stuck on a log and ended up tipping us in the water. Dad was so not happy and his grim smile to my apology let me know being wet from a canoe snafu was not in his list of favorite things to do. He took us on some wonderful fishing adventures. One was at a club in Canada he belonged to - Wabe. It was such fun. We had to fly in on a float plane. We fished and laughed and spent a night at Benoit. That cabin had no electricity. We slept in sleeping bags on cots and listened for bear. No bear just the scratching of mice through the night. I didn't know who taught him to fish and asked him. He shared that he wanted to learn so he did and he became an accomplished sport fisherman who fished in some exciting and exotic places. Dad taught his grandchildren fishing and shooting. His two great grandsons have fishing poles sized to them to begin their fishing skills taught by Bobo. He hated golf and had some choice opinions of golfers but for some reason decided to take up golf in retirement and did pretty well. So much like Dad, he shot a hole in one on the Veronica Valley golf course near Leland, MI. Walk on water, hole in one - you get the picture.
Dad loves to laugh. He has some great stories from his life and experiences. When he gets tickled he chuckles and chuckles. He has a circle of friends who are like him larger than life and the source of some great fun and laughter. He laughs over their misadventures and delights in the fun he shared with them over the years. We vacationed in Hawks Michigan on Lake Nettie for a number of years. One summer Dad and Uncle Ralph rented a catamaran for us and a little sailfish. In true Dad style he and Uncle Ralph decided to take the cat out to see if it could be upended and how hard he would have to work to make it happen. In other words were the kids at risk or was the cat safe. Dad and Uncle Ralph took the family dogs out for the sail. Cricket Jones and Mandy Henry were willing sailors and quite at ease. Finally Dad and Uncle Ralph managed to tip the cat. They moved the dogs to the side of the pontoons that were in the air. Seeing this, the kids fired up the outboard and raced to rescue - of course - the dogs. Dad and Uncle Ralph were a little challenged by our priorities but saw the humor in the situation. Dads are invincible, dogs are not. When we visited Mom and Dad in Florida Dad found a video that tickled him endlessly. A bull wandered into an English grocery store and terrorized a shopper. Dad laughed endlessly as he described the image of the man being chased by the bull through the aisles of the store. He would laugh again just thinking about the video.
This post hasn't really documented Dad's professional career, his financial wisdom or his medical accomplishments. It is more some recollections of one special Dad who created a legacy of love and family that he inoculated in his family and the generations. He is modest and doesn't want to be in the spotlight but he takes pride in his accomplishments nonetheless. It's his birthday on the 18th of May. It's a day for celebration, joy and remembrance that I'll honor to the end of my life. My Dad has shared much wisdom with me through the years. I think we could write a book with Dad's pearls. My favorite is this. You will never see a greater return on investment than the effort and love you invest in your family. I believe it from my own life and know this to be true for me and my family. Thank you Dad for being you! Happy Birthday!
Dad grills a superb anything. One of our favorite meals is a 2 1/2 inch thick porterhouse steak grilled and served with a compound butter.
Heat the grill to high and then regulate the flame to about 350 degrees. Season the steak with Montreal seasoning on both sides. Put the huge hulking 2 1/2 inch wonder on the grill. Do not fuss with it but watch it. Let the steak roast for about 20 minutes and then turn it. Continue to cook until a thermometer reads about 135-140 degrees. Remove the steak from the grill to a platter and tent with foil. Let the steak rest for 15 minutes then bone and slice. When everyone comes to vacation we grill 3 of these for our family. Sometimes there is some left over. We slice it thinly for steak salad the next day.
Paprika Parmesan Butter
4 ounces softened butter
1 clove of garlic minced
3/4 tsp. paprika
1 T. chopped parsley
3/4 C grated parmesan cheese (fresh please)
Mix thoroughly. On a sheet of waxed paper shape the butter into a log. Roll the waxed paper around the log and roll until evenly shaped. Chill.
Serve a slice of the compound butter with the warm steak. It oozes over the top and is quite delightful.
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