Before I forget, I wanted to show you how pretty my Spanish lavender is--it loves Vacaville! You could plant some Spanish lavender for your mother in her garden for Mother's Day!
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Trust me, lady--I know how you feel[/caption]Moving on. I had a bit of a hard day yesterday. No, in the scheme of things it wasn't tragic. Well, maybe a little. I was in a store and I got asked if I wanted the senior citizen discount. I wasn't sure whether to punch the clerk in the head or cry. I did neither, but the whole episode certainly did provide fuel for thought.
I remember, when I was about 25, my mother told me that no matter how old you get, you never really feel very different inside. That once you pass 30, you stop feeling like you are getting older. That you don't feel any different than you did when you were about 30, even if you are, say, 48. Sure, I know that I've aged on the outside, but inside? I still feel pretty young. Now bear in mind my mother died at 66, so I can't vouch for how she would have felt at 83. But it's true--I don't feel much different than when I was about 30, even though I am fast approaching 50. So I cannot tell you how dismayed I was when the clerk asked me about the senior citizen discount. "What?? I'm not old! How could you think I'm that old??" (No, I didn't say that--I just gasped a little and shook my head.) The whole thing kind of laid me low. A little reminder that hell yes, I'm getting old and looking it.
I know it shouldn't matter, that every wrinkle and grey hair I have is a testament to the fact that, yes, I am much wiser now that I'm older (no, really, I am), a testament to the woman I have become, and to the life I've led, blah blah blah. YOU get asked if you want the senior citizen discount and tell me how you feel about the life you've led and the woman you've become.
The age thing, on the whole, doesn't usually bother me that much--but that was before I knew I looked old enough for the senior citizen discount. Holy crap! Am I wasting away my years bemoaning my waxing weight and waning looks? Maybe that's what my mother was telling me, to appreciate whatever age you are, 'cause you're only going to keep getting older, no matter how you feel inside.
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Ava[/caption][caption id="attachment_1722" align="alignleft" width="110"]
Cyd[/caption]My mother was very pretty--when she was young she looked a lot like a combination of Cyd Charisse and Ava Gardner. The shape of Cyd's face, but with Ava's eyes. So even when she was older, she still had men (who were a bit older still) look at her, and that's what prompted our conversation. We were out shopping one day and she was getting checked out by a man, and she said that you never stop enjoying that feeling of being noticed and appreciated. It was a little gift, really, to pass this knowledge on to me, to remember that the pretty girl is always inside the aging woman.
So here's a few more of her tidbits:
1. Stay out of the sun (can't tell you how much I wish I'd listened to that one).
2. Stop wishing your life away ( I was always wishing for things to be different than they were).
3. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (all the champagne and chandeliers in the world won't help--trashy is still trashy).
4. Pay yourself first (I still have a hard time with this one--keep forgetting to save money).
5. Children (and pets, too, actually!) come to live with you.
6. Put on a happy face.
I feel completely confident that your own mother has or had little sayings that crop up regularly, and that you still apply to your life. So be good! Be nice to her! Mother's Day is coming, so make her a nice lunch. You could start with the Mother's Day Punch I mentioned last year about this time, and then move on to this easy and very make-aheadable lunch. Oven-fried chicken, tortellini salad, followed by chocolate dipped strawberries? Delightful.
Oven Fried Chicken with Tortellini Salad
The Chicken:
Water
3 Tbl. salt
8 to 10 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
2 Tbl. butter
1/2 cup flour
1 Tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
About 6 to 8 hours before you plan to cook the chicken, place the chicken in a large bowl. Toss in the 2 Tbl. salt and fill bowl with water, completely covering the chicken. Cover bowl with plastic wrap (or you could use a giant Tupperware, if you were so inclined) and place in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the bowl, and dry it well (I put paper towels on a baking sheet, put the chicken on the paper towels, and then dab chicken with more paper towels--it must be dry!). Put the butter in a large roasting pan and put the pan in the oven for a few minutes while it preheats--don't forget it, though, or it will burn. Put the timer on if you need to. Remove the pan when the butter is melted. Put the flour, remaining 1 Tbl. salt, and the black pepper in a plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag, a piece or two at a time, and shake to coat the pieces well with flour. Shake the excess flour off well. Lay each piece, skin side down, in the butter in the roasting pan. Return the pan to the oven, and cook for 40 minutes. Turn the pieces over and cook for 20 more minutes. Remove chicken from pan and drain on paper towels momentarily, then on a rack set over a baking sheet. Serves 4 - 5
The Tortellini:
9 oz. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
2 tomatoes, deglopped and chopped
1/2 cup thin slivers of red onion
1/2 cup thin slivers of red (or yellow or orange) bell pepper
1/2 cup small black olives, halved
2 Tbl. chopped Italian parsley
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Place tortellini in a bowl, then add onion, bell pepper, olives and parsley. In food processor combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic and whiz to emulsify. Pour dressing over the salad and let stand about 30 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally. Serves 4
The Strawberries:
You know how to do this--dip strawberries in melted chocolate!
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