While we were moving to a new house last week, four people asked me: “Did you know that marriage, death and moving are at the top of the list of most stressful life events?”
Well, actually, yes. I knew that five years ago. And now I know it again.
It’s a funny thing about moving. After five or ten years, people forget how awful it was the last time and start thinking about doing it again. I swear now that I will never move again, but I think I did that last time, too.
It’s probably because I’ve got a mental block about our last move. Total amnesia. I know we had moving trucks. I know people came and loaded up the things I had boxed and brought them to our new house. Somehow they got unpacked. But I don’t know how. One day we were living one place and the next we were in our next house, where the dining room remained empty for a year, an idyllic playroom for three cartwheeling, dancing girls who were actually disappointed when we bought furniture.
I don’t think I’ll forget this move, though, which came along with a remodel. I became things I try not to be: unattractive, uncommunicative and indecisive. I usually care what I look like but moving made me into a person who could get up in the morning, brush my teeth, throw my hair into a ponytail, put on my oldest dirty jeans – and consider myself ready for the day. I am usually a social person, but I could not return phone calls, could not make small talk and repeatedly tried to excuse my unfriendliness with the very uncreative line: “We’re moving.” By the end of moving day, after deciding where each box should go, I became completely indecisive. Simple questions like “where are the paper towels?” and “what should we have for dinner?” became monumental.
Now that things are more settled and we’re headed toward a life with fewer boxes, I am feeling better – witness the fact that I am actually writing a new column this week. I love our new house and all the birds outside. My family is settling in. And I am remembering that there are many reasons to feel thankful and almost no reasons to wallow in my moving blues self-pity.
I am, however, adding another item to my list of un’s – and I mean it this time: unmovable.
– More mashed: I was discussing the merits of mashed potatoes with a new neighbor at a Fourth of July party. He’s a meat and potatoes man, one who believes it’d be hard to mess up mashed potatoes. And I think he’s right. But some are better than others and I am rerunning the following recipe for him. Their creaminess and the spice of horseradish make them perfect for a good steak or a slow-cooked roast. If you cannot find horseradish sauce, you can mix 3/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup horseradish.
Oprah’s Potatoes
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes
2 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes
1 1/4 cups butter, cut in pieces
1 cup bottled horseradish sauce
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Chopped parsley (optional)
Wash red potatoes and Idaho potatoes well, leaving skins on; cut in half. Transfer to a large pot and cover with water. Heat water to a boil; lower heat to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain potatoes well; return them to the pot. Do not peel them. Add butter. Mash slightly by hand. Add horseradish sauce, milk, salt and black pepper to taste. Mash until the texture is creamy but still slightly lumpy. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Makes 10 servings.
– Quick pasta: Years ago, I talked this recipe out of a nice Italian chef at a small restaurant on Haight Street in San Francisco. The restaurant is no longer there, but the recipe is still perfect for summer. You can throw in fresh tomatoes and basil which will make it taste magnifique. Don’t forget to pick up some thick pancetta at the store.
City Pancetta Pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 thick slices pancetta, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup basil, shredded
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
Pepper, liberal amounts
1/2 pint Half ‘n’ Half
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Melt together olive oil and butter and saute the pancetta until it’s almost firm, being careful not to burn it.
Throw in chopped garlic and chile pepper, tomatoes, black pepper and stir until garlic is fragrant. Stir in the Half ‘n’ Half and cook over medium heat until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Stir in fresh basil. Serve over freshly cooked pasta, topped with cheese.
– Twist on a side dish: Pick up some lentils at the store, throw in some onions and make this side dish, adapted from a recipe by Christopher Kimball in “The Cook’s Bible.” It makes great use of some easy-to-cook legumes and adds slowly sauteed onions. Yum.
Lentils and Rice with Smothered Onions
1/2 cup lentils
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 cup long-grain white rice or white basmati rice
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pick over lentils for stones, rinse well and boil uncovered in 4 cups of water for 12 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet with a cover. When foam subsides, add onion and cook covered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and saute over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add lentils, chicken stock and salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 4.
End notes: “We all have weaknesses. But I have figured that others have put up with mine so tolerantly that I would be less than fair not to make a reasonable discount for theirs.” ~ William Allen White
Happy cooking!
Jenny Midtgaard Derry is the Executive Director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau. Write to her c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, 95021. E-mail: [email protected].
