Frustation & Food

The scale has not moved in weeks!!!! WEEKS!!! It is so depressing and frustrating to me. DO NOT get me wrong…I am THRILLED to have lost 17lbs. but I want to lose more….The scale just stays in ONE place and doesn’t move! Imagine the Cartoon Cathy character screaming, jumping up and down and pulling at her hair. And you will have me! It is so frustrating. I am so glad that I have learned to maintain the weight but I want to lose more! I will tell you exactly what I think happened. I fell off the portion wagon. I went from measuring everything to who cares as long as I eat the right foods….size doesn’t matter if it is healthy… Let me tell you how wrong that philosophy is when it comes to food portions!

I have not been blogging in a while. I was volunteering at WCET and then I had my mom in town, did some work and here I am. AGAIN. Behind. I do not want to bore you with the daily details so I am going to try to catch you up in as speedy a fashion as possible. Kinda like that television ad for Pigeon Forge where the lady speaks at record-breaking speed to explain her vacation in 30 seconds. I am going to give THAT a whirl. Also, please note, I am going to make the recipe portion of this blog easier. Instead of spelling out what I am doing…I am going to give you the recipe at the bottom of the blog so it is easy to print out and have at hand. Hopefully, this will help you or entice you to try some of this stuff.

Action Auction. It is this wonderful event put on by WCET, which is the local PBS station here in town. In order to raise funds for the station they have people donate a wide array of items and experiences and auction them off. The funding is for a great cause. As the chairman of this year’s auction said, “There are a lot of kids out in the world that are solely learning everything from A to Z by watching public television. They don’t have cable, and they don’t have computers, or books or toys and this is their only educational experience. When you think of it that way it is such a treasure!

My mom was very involved in Action Auction when I as a kid. It was a natural spot for me to gravitate back to it as a returning adult to Cincy.

My friend Mare and I went to see the new Smale Park addition down by the river but it had yet to open. The carousel was locked up behind doors across the street awaiting its big debut. It looks beautiful. I can’t wait to go ride it. I did end up going with friends to see the new kids park. They did such a nice job. Dulce enjoyed sitting on the bench watching the kids going by….she liked riding on a swing far better.

My friend Stacey and I went to get sushi at this wonderful spot called MEI in Montgomery. I had a platter of sashimi. I love it! I really think I could eat sushi/sashimi ALL the time! Stacey and I have April and May birthdays so we try to go in the middle of both!

My cousins had a birthday party for Aunt Connie. She wanted a painting party for her birthday. When you are 95, you can have whatever you want. So we had two gals that guided us through painting a picture of a sunset. Here are all our sunset pictures lined up!

Aunt Connie has a cockeyed notion that her brother was the artist and she was the aspiring one. He was definitely incredibly talented over a multitude of mediums but let me tell you…Aunt Connie…you aren’t so bad yourself!

My cousin Debbie did something incredibly clever. She created cards that had a famous person and a brief history about them and they were all born in the same year as Aunt Connie. 1920…and they were pinned on our backs and we had to guess who we were. It was very fun! VERY clever!

I have been playing tennis every Saturday except the last two with a fella who played for Walnut Hills. He is really good. My back is having a hard time with it, but my soul loves it.

My mother came to town and it was to be the per usual eat fest with the exception being that I was on a relatively strict diet. When was the last time Ruthi came to town and I didn’t gain a pound? Maybe NEVER!!! Actually, once in Boston…maybe…

The first evening we went to Thai Namtip on N. Bend Road for some really exceptional Thai food. I heard it was close to were I live and really good and it was!!! I had a shrimp and vegetable dish in a curry and coconut milk broth. I could have drunk the broth. It was that good.  I couldn’t believe how good the flavor was!!!

The following day we went to my friend David’s PHO LANG THANG for Pho Soup and I was going to forego the noodles till the waitress told me it was gluten free. I devoured them!

It was great to be with my mom and Jennie!

My mother was in Cincy for her 50^th College Reunion from DAAP (Design, Art, Architecture and Planning) @ The University of Cincinnati. The first night my funky mom went to a cocktail party dressed like this…she is so hip.

Her first event that I was able to tag along for was a campus tour. I love architecture. I love, adore, relish architectural tours. Most of the pictures I take are architectural delights. Here I am on a tour of my college alma mater with my mother and a handful of her classmates with the majority of them being architects. It was heavenly for me. Heavenly. It was so fun and fascinating to hear them talk about the UC campus, which in the last decade or two has become saturated with an exceptional caliber of well-known architects.

   

I walked and talked with a fella named Harry who let me know that my mother was the ONLY woman in Industrial Design in 1965. She was a pioneer. They didn’t think she would get through it. There was pressure for her to NOT succeed from the faculty because she was a woman. She persevered. I was so impressed and proud and didn’t know that fact till that day!

Harry was my walking buddy through the majority of the tour. He was in ID with my mom. He lived in Baltimore and worked for a local television station in town. Nice, nice and interesting man. So many of the people I met had used their degrees in a variety of ways and they scattered like the wind to all parts of the country.

That evening we attended a cocktail party. So hard to find gluten free appetizers. Glad I nibbled before I went. Then we went in to watch the DAAP fashion show. Those students are so impressive. Really it was quite the spectacle and a coveted ticket in town.

My mother requested two parties while she was in town. Two occasions that she refused to let go quietly by her. First a Kentucky Derby Party and secondly a Cinco de mayo celebration. I am game for the challenge.

I went into Bluegrass Recipes and got the Mint Julep recipe. I am the only one who drank them. Maybe one other person. I ended up taking the pitcher of them and a sprig of mint to a Lexington native who is a neighbor of mine.

It was a fun small party. Most people had other engagements.

My mom and I had been wanting to try Hangover Café down off of short Vine and the ambiance was adorable but the food was ordinary. We sat next to and met this really nice couple who had moved from Boston and NY to be here for his job. I invited them to our Cinco de Mayo party but they didn’t come. Phonetically spelled. Her name was Nay-ee-ma and he was Ron. They seemed really cool and fish out of the water in the Midwest. How did I know they were New Englanders? Red Sox hat.

My mom and I went to Tacqueria Mercado for a Mexican lunch one day. I had fajitas without the wraps and it was tasty!!! Really good quacamole. The place was empty when we arrived and packed when we left.

That evening my mom said, “Pick your most wanted meal for a belated birthday dinner.” We went to Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse. I think my mom enjoyed it more than me and I really enjoyed it. We split the Collinsworth steak, which is a filet mignon resting in bordelaise with asparagus, crab and béarnaise drizzled over the top. I have eaten many steaks in my life and even had the famed Peter Luger steak several times, but I think Ruby’s are my favorite. We also shared a lobster bisque before dinner with CHUNKS of lobster in it.

We had the most darling server. He somehow heard me say that for dessert I wanted cheesecake and I was served one for a birthday gift.

The following day we went to meet our cousins and my friends at TACOCRACY. I still do love their tacos. They are the best! Great creativity and good flavor. Who would think to put duck in a taco with the dried apricots, juniper berries, white cheddar and pear de gallo salsa.  I love that sweet, salty explosion simultaneously in my mouth that they pull off so well. The manager Jacob was a sweetheart to save us a table for 10 on Cinco de Mayo Day, but we quickly discovered why and how that was possible. When we got there and went to the table it was inside and the WHOLE reason we went was for the garden. We were in a dark empty room. It was terribly disappointing. We could have left but instead we ate the splendid tacos and then mozied down the street to LITTLEFIELD’s garden and had unusual drinks and scrumptious food. My mom and I shared a piece of meatloaf. I have no idea what was in it, but it was so yummy.

 

 

Littlefield is Littlefield. It is always a wonderful experience. The staff is warm and welcoming and they accommodated our party of 10 immediately. They serve above par food as always and they just are a wonderful establishment. They made everyone feel at home and those fleur d’ bees….I LOVE them!!!!

Here we all are at LITTLEFIELD….

 

To the people of Tacocracy, I hope you can make it. You are a nice group of innovative foodie thinkers and you have a fab product. If you want to go punk…hey you got it and good for you, but if you don’t or want a mix…leave those rat bastard landlords that ripped out your garden in the middle of the night and seek greener pastures….you deserve so much better! This is what the garden looked like before the destruction of it.

The following day we did my mother’s annual pilgrimage to the Netherland Palm Court for a Netherland salad. It would be a tradition breaker to not go with her. She adores that salad. Heck, I do too! It is so healthy on one hand and so darn tootin’ fattening on the other hand. Who cares…it still falls within my diet restrictions…another find afternoon with family.

That evening, we decided to eat at home. FINALLY. We stopped at Findlay Market. We first bought a few ribs at Eli BBQ because I heard it was great. It was the best BBQ either of us have ever had and I have had a lot of BBQ from various regions in this country. Look at these ribs.

Then we went next door and shared a cup of hot chocolate at a new joint here in town called Maverick. Closest to NY City Bakery and Paris’s Laduree here in Cincy. It was pretty good. The owner was so friendly and informative. That is a real bonus.

Then we bought salmon and we came home and grilled it on my baby Cuisinart grill and then we sautéed mushrooms to put on top and then we didn’t drizzle. We POURED a healthy amount of leftover Jeff Ruby béarnaise sauce on top. Can you say YUM!

SALMON WITH PORTABELLAS & BERNAISE

 1lb. salmon

Package of portabella mushrooms

1 stick of butter + 1T. butter

8 egg yolks

2T. parsley

1T. tarragon

¼ c. red wine vinegar

1 drop Tabasco

A few drops of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

2T. Olive oil

Handful chopped onions

1 garlic clove

 For the béarnaise:

Cook this first so the rest will be hot when the sauce is ready.

In a small saucepan, combine the tarragon, wine vinegar over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Blend yolks and add to mixture. Best way to make this is in blender. Put in blender add 1/3 of the butter in a slow steady stream. Once it emulsifies, turn the blender speed up to high and add the remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in a warm spot till you cook the remainder of the meal.

 For salmon:

 Poke with fork

Drizzle olive oil over it

Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over it

Cook until it is to desired temp (I like to push with fork and if it bounces back not ready and if it doesn’t and flakes and looks cooked. To me it is cooked.)

 For Mushrooms:

Take a skillet and add olive oil and salt and pepper

Add sliced onions (small handful)

Add 1 garlic clove

Once those are translucent or turning brown add mushrooms (I like mine cooked till they are toasty brown)

 Plate salmon add mushrooms and cover with béarnaise and serve.

The following day my mother returned to her new hometown of Venice. Florida. Not Italy. For her sake, I wish it was Italy. Come to think of it. For my sake too!

Then I roadtripped up to Indy to visit my friend Jules. We either meet in Indy, Cincy or in the middle. We tend to meet in Cincy more often because she has a sis who lives down here. I liked it when we met in Sanibel. Neither of our families have homes there anymore.

We started in downtown Indy in an area called Mass Ave that is shops and restaurants. We went to a flea market that has a few food trucks. It sadly ended up not being much. We ended up at a restaurant in that neighborhood. We had salad at a joint with outside seating. We stopped at this really cool place called Trader’s Point Creamery for homemade ice cream on our way to Zionsville. It was delicious!!! They have a restaurant called The Loft that was such an awesome space. I want to go back there for dinner.

 

And look at their room of cheeses…..and they have a patio outside to eat on that looks wonderful…

 

Then I had never been to Zionsville. It was beautiful. So quaint. I loved it. We wandered around there.

 

There is Jules off to the right.

Then we went to Jules place and vegged out. Then we went to Stonecreek and got another round of salads for dinner. Then I drove home.

Really, really nice day. Jules and I have been friends for 25 years!!!

My family rocks! Aunt Connie and her daughter Pam invited me over for Mother’s Day dinner. Aunt Connie even went out and bought me gluten free crackers. How thoughtful. Of course it encouraged me to eat WAY TOO MUCH dip. See….I am following the basic guidelines but on portions I am bending the rules to the breaking point. I need to behave better if I want that scale to go down again.

I am just starting to get a new wardrobe of clothes with my old clothes. The more I lose the more clothes I get! Yes, I am one of those that keeps it all.

My cousin Pam’s hubby Joe bought the best Metts I have ever had. They were so good. Who invented hotdogs or any variation on them. I want to personally thank you!

I actually had a tablespoon of Graeter’s salted Caramel. I can’t believe I had the willpower to do it. There is a first for everything!!!

And then I went into my walking mode….I walked with my friend Mindy and her kids at Heekin Park near the river. I walked with my friend Nancy H. in Clifton and College Hill. And still the scale doesn’t move….

Probably didn’t help that I went with my friends to Ruth Chris. A friend was treating me and another friend to a steak dinner. We had lightly fried calamari. Delicious. I could have eaten it all. A major no-no. We shared a chopped salad. Then we all ordered steaks and had sides of sautéed mushrooms and creamed spinach. There is nothing like a good steak and I always save a little to eat icebox cold for breakfast the next day. LOVE cold steak!!! It is a real toss up for me if I rather eat it hot or cold.

We went to the Reds game after the Ruth Chris dinner. I ran into an old friend. I thought it was so funny that he introduced me as a classmate from Summit. I said I didn’t go to Summit. You should have seen his face. A few months ago I was introduced as someone who went to Indian Hill. I didn’t go there either. I think I was the serious party girl. I tried to not miss a party. I wasn’t wild. I didn’t party but I loved to go.

At the REDS game, we sat 10 rows behind third plate with KILLER good seats.

A few days later, I made my first trip to Burlington Flea Market. I love that joint. I don’t need a damn thing but I love to pick up a Mexican Latte and wander through it looking at all the antiques. I will have company next trip because I have two friends who want to go. Any other friends that want to go? Third Sunday of the month.

That evening I was craving something light and relatively healthy. I made sautéed mushrooms with Crab Louie and a piece of avocado in them.

The next day I had lunch @ MELT with my friend Jennie and my lunch there inspired me. I had beets, apples, cheese in a dressing. I love beets. Days later, I would do a beet recipe.

I went to New Richmond to hangout with my friend Mindy’s two sons Herwyns and Wagner. They are such great kids. We had such a fun day! I taught Wagner to eat carrots dipped in peanut butter. I was so impressed that he would taste anything. I handed him roasted sweet potato slices. He asked for more. It is so unusual today to see a kid willing to experiment with food. I love it.

Here is a pic of Dugal the hamster. He stole my heart that day!

Memorial Day two friends had a party. One friend made this really yummy butternut squash and pecan recipe that reminded me of pumpkin pie and it was healthy. I will get back to you with the recipe. If she says I can! It was a really nice party. Nice group of people.

Other recipes that I have recently tried include the following.

Avocado Brownies. I made them last night. They had no flavor. I added a teaspoon of sugar for flavor. Still nothing. I ate two and didn’t like them. I should have thrown them away but I was determined to make them taste good. In retrospect, I should have blended dates and mixed them into the brownies to make them naturally sweet. I didn’t. I could have added a banana or apples but didn’t. So, what did the scientist that I am not do this morning? I cut open a date and spread it across the top of the flavorless brownie and ate it. It was good. So, I ate a second one. Then I added a piece of bacon and a date to the third one. Not bad. Then on the fourth and fifth one, I added marscapone cheese to them. That was good as well. I guess I have really missed chocolate. I really overdid it. I will give the recipe below. It is a healthy brownie it just has no sugar so it is not a tasty brownie. And it is not square shaped but rather spoon plopped down shaped. Here is an example of my placing a piece of bacon then a piece of date on top of the brownie.

AVOCADO BROWNIES

 2 avocados

½ coconut flake

1 egg

½ t. baking soda

1 t. brewed coffee

½ c. Droste cocoa powder

1t. raw sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 t. cinnamon

2-pitted dates

2 figs

 Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl I mixed all the above ingredients with a hand mixer.

Spoon out on parchment paper on cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes.

Cool down. Store in airtight container.

 

I had a recipe for Avocado cream. I didn’t have sour cream in the place so I used ricotta cheese and I loved it with lemon zest, olive oil and salt and pepper. So good, I ate it with a spoon…and then I spread it into an omelette. It was advertised as the sophisticated guacamole. I don’t know about that but it sure is a good alternative to guacamole. If only I was allowed to eat the chips!

AVOCADO CREAM

 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled

2 T. (HEAPING) ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ t. lemon zest

Kosher salt

Last night, I cooked salmon in olive oil with salt and pepper and at the last minute, I thought I would try the Beau Monde spice my mom sent for me to try. Holy moly. I couldn’t eat the fish fast enough. It had such a wonderful flavor to it. Here is a picture of the package and the spices in it.

           

As I said earlier, my lunch at MELT inspired me to do a beet recipe. I do have a tendency to slice beets thin and roast them in olive oil and eat them with salt and pepper. This time I did that but then cut them into bite size pieces and tossed them in a bowl with goat cheese and drizzled a balsamic glaze over it and then a handful of almonds. I really loved the combination of the flavors.

ROASTED BEETS WITH GOAT CHEESE & DRIZZLED BALSAMIC GLAZE

1 bunch of beets

2 T. Olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 oz. goat cheese

Handful of almonds

Clean and cut ends of the beets (long tail from the ground and the long leaves OFF)

I slice it as thin as I can

I put a piece of foil on a cookie sheet and drizzle oil on it and sprinkle salt & pepper and place beet slices on sheet

Bake @ 400 for 10 minutes (or longer depending on how you like your beets) on EACH slide

Take out and cool & slice

Toss in a bowl with crumbled goat cheese & drizzle balsamic glaze.

 

I have been on a mushroom kick lately. I bought shitake mushrooms last week and each and every bite of the sautéed morsels was a religious experience for me. Last night, I took the standard fare mushrooms and sautéed them in bacon fat with onions and garlic. Oh yes, baby. They were delicious!

Until we meet again…

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often…

Time Travel BACK….

This is a long blog this time. I need to catch up! So, grab a good cup of Joe (aka Coffee, Java) or a nice big glass of wine and settle in for the tales of your wacky friend Erin….

 

Okay, you will love this! I am down in Florida and I write three weeks worth of blogs. Then I completely forgot that I wrote them. I just went to write about Florida and realized I had 3 weeks prior in here. OH MY GOSH!!!! I am so the girl (yes, I turned 35 for the 10^th time on Friday, and I am still a girl) that goes into the living room to email a friend and discovers a food magazine and stops to look at the pretty pictures and decides I need some water and go to the kitchen and see the almonds, eat those, forget the water. BY-PASS the living room, go to the den and start watching TV, and then remember I was supposed to send an email. Go back to the living room to send it, find another pretty picture in that mag on the way to the computer and pick it up and realize I never got the water! Go to get the water and the silver wrapper as alluring as the gold one in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory PULLS me to the chocolate. I again don’t get the water. Don’t send the email. Go sit in front of the TV. and realize I haven’t sent the email or gotten the water. The only thing I got was the chocolate because the pretty pics made me hungry! WELCOME TO MY WORLD. Hence, I also forgot to send 3 weeks worth of blogs. How is that for a seriously roundabout explanation for forgetting something!!!

 

So, let me take you back EONS ago…before the trip to Florida, which will be the next blog….

 

I went out for coffee with my dear friend John, a lawyer, who exchanged a prestigious law firm job for mediation. He is a closet poet and a good one. We met at the Coffee Emporium, which I was thrilled about because I crave the Aztec coffee it is so similar to the Mexican Latte at Sidewinders.

 

We talk a lot about writing. When I got my first book published, John took me to dinner and gave me this framed piece of art he made with a picture of a stone carved book he took in Central Park and a famous Camus quote in it. It was so sweet and I was so touched by it. It was really cool!

 

I thought of a great group of people to put together to talk writing. Three former reporters from the Enquirer, one being my old editor, Clark, my friend John and my friend Lisa. I think the brainpower from all of them would be frightening, astonishing and cool as hell to witness. I just want to sit back and watch them all interact. I think it would be fascinating. I am going to make it happen, if I can. I had to wait till after Lent to make it happen. Clark gave up socialization for Lent. NOT KIDDING!!!

 

Back at the Action Auction I was trying to help my friends get ready for the 5-day event. I was assigned the job of editing scripts. That was fun, but what was more fun for me was writing the scripts for the Chairman of the Auction,  a friend of mine named O’dell. I was very tempted to send him a message and say, “Yes, you can thank me for making you sound so good on television, but opted not to do it. Wonder if he noticed my writing style and said, “That’s my wacky friend Erin”, but I doubt it. It was a lot of fun! I spent a few hours a few days editing and writing scripts for Action Auction. I really like that group of people. Nice, nice folks.

 

I really was meant to do volunteer work. If I ever strike it rich that is what I plan to do!

 

I am chairing the Legal Committee in my condo. People thought I should be the social chairman because I am a girl, but thankfully, I was chosen for (and really wanted) the Legal Committee and so I was thrilled when they tossed me there instead. I had my first meeting in my home with coffee and coffee cake.

 

We had more than enough material to discuss. I really like the group I chose. Here was my criteria. I wanted people I liked, trusted, respected, could contribute to the discussion and would offer great insight. I didn’t ask my two best friends in the building. I asked people that I thought would be best in this role. It was fun!

 

My favorite restaurant on Sanibel is called THE TIMBERS. Years ago, the owner had someone cut out of wood this extraordinarily large fish and it was painted in pastels. When the restaurant got a face-lift, my folks got a fish. It hung in one of our houses in Florida, and since was relegated to the garage. My mom didn’t want it, or had nowhere to hang it, so it came back to Cincy with me at Christmastime.

 

 

During the stressful winter, I decided to paint the fish in colors that were more appropriate to my style and hang it. It was therapeutic to paint. I would get super stressed and I painted and it felt great!

 

 

The other therapy was a vent and bitch session with my two closest friends in the building Vivian and Shirley. I vent and bitch and they listen. True friends. It used to be French lessons, but it has turned into a chat session. Last Wednesday night, it was a movie night. We watched THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. I love my 80 + year-old friends! Age is a number and that is all it is! Don’t ever forget it!!!

 

We don’t dress like this for movie night. Just Downton Abbey parties. HONESTLY!!!!

Must confess that the Malaysia flight was a doozy. Where the heck is that plane? Where did it go? Is it really in the ocean off Perth? Or did it vanish? I think it is sitting in a hangar in some faraway land and the people are being held hostage and they are waiting for the right moment to expose this! Yes, I am a fiction writer.

 

I flew in and out of Kuala Lumpur years ago. I remember wearing my scarf like a berka, because I was the only one in the airport that originally had an exposed head. Not good. I am sure they QUICKLY surmised I was an American.

 

I had this crack of dawn flight with a layover and I was wiped out! So, I sprawled out on a metal bench in my $2 Thai pants and my $2 Bali shirt and my Berka over my head, but I got cold, so I took the Berka off the head and wrapped it around me like a blanket and I am sure many, many people passed me as I was lying there head exposed, cheap clothes, chances are drooling on myself or the bench and people said, “Do you think she is an American?” I remember taking a nice little nap on that terribly uncomfortable metal bench and sleeping like a baby. I was drooling. I am so sure of it. Maybe that is why no one bothered me? My $40 Target watch had died. I was so sad by that, but I had replaced it with a lovely Rolex I had bought in a market in Bali for $5. Such a deal! Target watch or Rolex? And the Rolex is cheaper.

 

It could have been my flight in or out of Kuala Lumpur. How many people thought it could have been me? I am sure they didn’t take the plane with the gal that thought it was more important to wrap her scarf around her arms instead of her head, with drool stains on my $2 shirt and my fake Rolex and my clown like Thai pants. They would have looked at me and thought this one is going to be trouble. Let’s find another flight!

 

I went to meet my friend Julia at Bronte’s. I had the Pear and Bleu Cheese salad with lettuce, pear slices, bleu cheese, toasted almonds, golden raisins, shrimp and pear poppy seed dressing. We had a ball. We always do! She is uber liberal and I am not, but when I talk to her, I realize I am more liberal than I realize. Fiscally, I am so conservative, but socially, I am so liberal. I almost fall of the charts. Kinda.

 

So, I dated this dufus, the cancer leaving one that professed his undying love to me until I had to shave my head. THAT one! Well, he was really good friends with this guy named Ed and I became friends with Ed’s wife, Mindy. Love Mindy! I always joke that she is the best thing I got out of that relationship! She rocks! And I love her kids!

 

They used to live about 10 minutes from me in Clifton and then they moved to the country. I went to visit them. Their house looks out into trees and countryside. It is a beautiful, although 55-minute drive there, but they are SO worth it. The kids are so great! If her daughter doesn’t hear from me, she sends me emails. THAT day, they did a magic show. Some of the tricks, I could tell what they were doing. Other tricks, no clue and some tricks I thought so that is how they do it.

 

Mindy made these awesome brownies called BRAINY BROWNIES from a recipe book from the SNEAKY CHEF and it gets kids to eat healthy things without them ever knowing it. I found those brownies addictive. Made with chocolate, spinach and blueberries. I would have never known and as I write this, weeks later, I have just finished three with a glass of milk. They are healthy brownies! Give me a break! But ya’ll know I can rationalize ANYTHING!!! Ruby and I did a dance. Then we took the dogs for a walk. I love their one dog Bunny, who is a rat terrier with seriously long ears. The newest member is Barley and he looks like a cross between a yellow lab and a Bassett hound. Imagine that combo for a moment. He is cute.

http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_recipe_brainy_brownies.php

 

We had fun! I am happy for them to have land, space and be in a beautiful part of the Cincy countryside, but selfishly, I wish they were still 10 minutes away!

 

I love Mindy. She is such a wonderful human being. A great mom! She is just amazing with those kids and they are so great and so fun and easy to be with! My friend Temple said that is the secret. You want kids that not only you love being around, but everyone else does too!

 

            I had a book signing in the building. I get so nervous for book signings and then I get there and it is so nice and fun! I sat down and people came in and out to buy autographed books. It is still so odd to sign books. But what I love is the stories it brings out of people. A little old lady named Barbara came to the signing. She has written 8 cookbooks. She talked about what she wrote and how she came about it and it was really fascinating. I had never had the time to really talk to her beyond elevator talk, so it was nice.

 

            The staff at the Hammond North every year put on a St. Patty’s party for the owners. It is so sweet! Literally! They fill a table with sweets, coffee and dress up in green and we all walk around and eat, drink and chat. I really love so many of the nice folks in the building.

 

            I sat and talked to Hot Rod, I still don’t know her real name. (Well, I finally do! Only took over 2 years.) She is such a sweetheart and a spitfire. She used to zoom in and out of the garage, hence the nickname. She was in a car accident and so she has tamed down quite a bit. She questioned whether to get another car or not, and then decided to. I told her she was too young to be car-less and she is totally with facilities. She is a pistol. I just love her.

 

            A gal Wilda came up to me and told me she started to read my trashy novel and it was too raunchy. No one has ever told me it was raunchy, but I don’t think it was a compliment, but I am going to pretend it is! I love Wilda so she could tell me it was complete crap and I would still love her.

 

            I went and watched the first half of the Cincy v. Harvard game with my friend Viv on a HUGE television. I went to UC for undergrad and Harvard for grad school. Who was I to root for? My dad said it was a no-brainer. He hates Harvard. They are too liberal for his tastes. Probably the ONLY dad in history to say, “Why did my daughter go to Harvard! He ALWAYS sings some song to me about “Don’t let my son go to Harvard, only let him go to Yale!” I always say, Suck it up, babe! I went to Harvard and I AM A GIRL. NOT A SON!” He giggles and roots for UC. He went to UC. So, did my mom and she is a HUGE UC fan, so she was a little torn. My dad was not torn AT ALL. So, I stuck a Harvard bumper sticker on his car. THAT’LL teach him. Every time, we walk by it, he looks and says what is that red thing on my car. I respond, “It’s CRIMSON!”

 

I was torn till the game started going and I rooted for Harvard. I went to UC and I had an okay time there, but I loved Harvard, and even though I worked my butt off, terrified of flunking out. I had a ball there and in Boston. So, I am more partial to Harvard. I watched the second half of the game with my friend Bill in the building on his smaller (than Viv’s GINORMOUS TV) in his studio. I could barely see the screen, I think it was hard to go from 80 inch TV to normal. Sad but true. (No, I am not getting old. I am 35 for the 10th time!) Well, the company was so good it didn’t matter!

 

            Went back to the Sleepy Bee with a family friend named Marion. Channel 9 or 12 can’t recall which, did a news piece on “Amazing Marion”. She is 95 and still plays 18 holes of golf. She and her hubby married on the day my mom was born in 1941. (My mom is going to kill me for this!) Marion and my grandparents had been great friends for a long time. My grandparents died and my mom and Marion stayed close and now that I am in Cincy, Marion and I are close. She is a really cool lady!

 

 

            I took a picture of this cool glass fused thing in the restaurant.

 

 

I forgot to take a picture of the gluten-free pancakes (how UN-me) that were made with almond quinoa and buckwheat flour, local eggs and almond milk. They sound like cardboard, but they are so delicious and healthy and the maple syrup is so good you will be tempted to lick the plate, but I refrained. I thought it would be rude.

 

            While we were there, I saw a lawyer I worked with years ago. He is 80+ was one of the best divorce lawyers in the city for a very long time. I went and talked to him. I had always thought so much of him when I was a kid.

 

            Whether you want time to pass or not, it always does! I bet he really feels that way!

 

            There is this wonderful gal in my building named Jo! She lived not too far from me in Wyoming. Didn’t know her in Wyoming. She is one of the prettiest ladies in my building. She also couldn’t be nicer and easier to talk with!

 

            She has two sons. One is here locally and a teacher, don’t get ideas. He is too young for me. And the other is in NY with what sounds like a fascinating architect.

 

            Jo and I are pool buddies and for a while before Carolyn left for the winter, I was lucky enough to tag along with them for breakfasts. They try different places.

 

            Jo had never been to Sugar n Spice, which is one of my favorites! My mom attended Walnut Hills High School, which is this fabulous public high school in Cincy and is in the top 50 in the country and she is all too quick to boast of all the famous people that attended her school throughout its history! Well, Walnut kids hung out at Sugar ‘n Spice and my mom goes back to childhood when she steps in the joint. Funny thing is, I do too! I just love that diner feel.

 

            Jo and I decided to split two omelettes and one was better than the other!

 

            The Mexican Omelette, which was chorizo, onions, cheddar, sour cream and homemade spinach sauce. Holy moly! It was killer! Then we shared something called “Not So Kosher Omelette”, which was kosher salami, bacon and cream cheese. For me it is hard to go wrong with salami in anything. It was good, but not as good as the other one.

 

            Jo and I sat for an hour and a half and talked. I told her what Josh had said and she said, I have wondered it too. Why are you here? I really appreciate my friends telling me this!!! I need to hear it. I am happy here, but I like to hear it. Sometimes, I need swift kick in the pants. Usually though, I really prefer a gentle nudge, and this is what I got.

 

            But I would miss friends like Jo, Carolyn, VIv, Shirley, Mary Lou, Karen, etc….but they say they will all come visit and I am holding them to it.

 

            My old neighbor, Martha invited me out for sushi. We went to Wild Ginger. The last time we went, which was probably almost a year ago, she ordered a sashimi bowl. This time, I decided to follow her. It was basically a bowl of rice with raw fish on top. Yellowtail, salmon, tuna, etc. It was so yummy. Sushi makes me happy. I am completely convinced they put some opium derivative in wasabi that makes you crave it like a drug.

 

            Before and after the dinner was pretty interesting. I went to drive to dinner and my car was dead as a doornail. I had driven in the morning with no issue. That night, dead. I started calling neighbors in the building to see if they had jumper cables. No luck. This wonderful couple that I know from the pool had just returned from Florida and they had a jumper box, so they offered to help me, but it was not charged so it didn’t work. Luckily, my friend Nancy in the building, her roommate, who I have only met once drove by and asked what happened and when I told her dead battery she offered to take me to meet Martha and it was on her way! How nice is that!!!!!

 

After dinner Martha and I went to Graeter’s, because she like everyone else knows my weakness. We came home and I called AAA. The guy showed up and he was the chatty Cathy. He was there for OVER an hour and talking about every single thing under the foot of the sun. Nice guy, but it is 10pm on a Friday night. Do I really want to be in my garage talking to the AAA guy? Nice guy, but come on!

 

            Next day, I go meet Lisa and Mindy at Lisa’s totally adorable art gallery called BROADHOPE. I highly recommend it. It is a co-op of artists and they are extremely talented and offer classes there and it is just very cool.

           

Broadhope Art Collective:

3022 Harrison Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio 45211

(Directly across from Westwood Town Hall)

 

            We leave there and go to Django in Northside for lunch! I normally don’t do this but the waiter was talking and I was completely fixated on his perfectly full lips and the idea of chewing on them, his blue eyes that were stunning, his red hair and the sadness I felt knowing he was 100% gay! Now that my friends is a travesty!

 

            He left and I had to ask Mindy and Lisa what he said the specials were and I explained why I missed it. I couldn’t get beyond his lips. (Can I blame it on the Spring air?) When he came back, Mindy was biting her lip to not laugh at what I had said. It basically ended up being a lunch of really good food that included two baskets of chips, a big bowl of guacamole, and our individual lunch entrees on top of that, and us laughing our….heads off. You know I want to say asses, but I am a lady!

 

Laughter is so the best medicine, but when and if that fails it appears yoga is next! I went to a restorative yoga class at the Wellness Center. It is now called Cancer Community or something like that! It was so wonderful! I felt so restored.

 

There is a wonderful woman in my building named Phyllis and we met in the laundry room years ago. I asked where she was from and she told me Australia. I told her I had lots of Aussies friends. She asked if I had ever been and I said yes. I asked where she lived. She said Tasmania and I am sure you have never been! I proudly said, Oh yes, I have!!! She was so shocked and so thrilled. I told her about my adventures in Tassie and the wonderful people I met there named Maree and Murray and I stayed in their home and they had friends visiting from Perth named Tom and Sandra and we all still keep in touch! Love the Aussies! Here is a pic of Tassie for you….

Here is a pic of my Tassie & Perth friends:

 

Well, Phyllis has been trying to play matchmaker with one of her son’s and I, but it is just not going to work. I think dating someone in the building or that comes to the building is kinda like that expression, “Don’t eat where you shit!” Her daughter Laura married an adorable former Olympic skier from New Zealand, and they live in Monterey, CA. Beautiful husband, beautiful kids, beautiful town, great job, and Laura gets breast cancer. So wrong!!!! She was just here visiting and my friend Stephen arranged for us all to go to lunch together. Laura and I sat in the backseat on the way to the Club gabbing about chemo, losing our hair, foods to eat, foods to stay away from and how tired one gets. She had on a killer wig and looked fabulous and she was in such great spirits. I am so glad we were able to talk.

 

She invited me up for Mexican Dominoes and I went. It ended up being Phyllis’s 4 kids, 3 spouses, and a grandchild. I went up for an hour to visit and got sucked into this game and three hours later, I was still there, still losing. Counting the domino dots with my fingers and felt slow as molasses. Phil has a fun family. I had a ball. So much so that I called to say bye to Laura before she left and they said come on up, and I was there for hours again playing this game that I can’t win!

Look at all the dots to count!!!!

 

My friend the sculptor invited me to see his studio on a Saturday when people can tour the artist studios. Pendleton has such wonderful spaces. He is so talented. On my way in, a man named Vince Gray who does pointillism and I kept getting lost together and finally we introduced ourselves to each other and talked. He told me he just sold his first painting for $1500. I congratulated him. He was so excited and proud and should be. Here is a guy that delivers FedEx packages in the day and does his art at night. That is passion and dedication. He invited me to a show in Evendale on May 2^nd. I may go! You should too! But first go see my friend, Bill’s work. It is knock your socks off good. He is so talented. I don’t have permission to put a pic here or use his name. That would be impolite. I just emailed him and asked if I can use his name and he said yes. Yippee! Okay, go google: BILL FEINBERG SCULPTURE.

 

Well, I told you about my friends Jack and Edie that lived upstairs and Edie sadly passed away. Well, Jack keeps kosher and so what do you get someone who keeps kosher. BAGELS! I brought back a dozen from New York and was impatiently waiting for Jack to organize our bagel party. He was so excited! He bought lox, he bought pickled herring, which sounded and looked awful, but wasn’t so bad. I had to taste it. He wanted to wait for his daughter to visit. He set up the place with help from daughter Wendy, who is such a nice and cool person. He asked me to come up and see the place and what he did for the party and make sure I had the bagels and that they were defrosted.

 This is where I got the bagels in NY. I got them from Bob’s on University near NYU.

 

Sunday at 1pm, minus Kate and Lynn, the out of towners were the group that was there for Edie’s last party. Viv, Shirley, Kitty, Wendy, Jack and I and we ate like kings! And he was happy! I asked if we should do this once a month and he said, “No too much, but maybe every 6 months!” He misses Edie so much! That kind of love is so rare and wonderful. If you find it, hold onto it forever!

 

When I was in high school, my friends and I were out in a town called Indian Hill driving in my mom’s convertible and looking for a party. We somehow ended up in the parking lot of the Little Red Schoolhouse talking to another equally large convertible full of boys. One was a guy named Jason, who I had a crush on, crush ended, that was it, but about six years later I was asked to be a date to attend his wedding to a gal named Shannon. My date and I arrived late, I barely remember it. I just remember that Chapel at Summit being beautiful!! Now, fast forward another twenty plus years. I am in the waiting room for my lumpectomy with my boyfriend, who was my date to that wedding (of Jason & Shannon) and I didn’t like him very much back then, but I was gaga over him 20 + years later. Who is sitting in the waiting room with her mother but Shannon, who I have not seen since her wedding. I’m telling ya, Cincy is so small in so many ways! We talk. We emailed a couple times after, and I don’t see the bride aka Shannon because we just don’t bump into one another. (Some times the city can be big too!) The other day, she sends me the sweetest message through Facebook. I was so touched by it. Thank you SOOO MUCH, Shannon! I loved your note and it meant the world to me!!! She saw my blog on Facebook and she read it and has been reading it since and wanted to write and tell me that and that I seemed so relatable. I relish being relatable!!!! (Even thought I am not sure how to spell it.) Mostly, because I had an icky stepdad that taught me you should always make it clear that you are better than others, and a father who said you talk to the sweep cleaner the exact same way you talk to a federal judge. I ALWAYS knew my dad was right and I have always gone out of my way to make people feel comfortable around me and with me, none of this you are in a different socio-economic level than me and I want you to know it crap! So, when Shannon said relatable, I thought someone who barely knows me, sees that and she made my day! MADE MY DAY! WEEK! MONTH! YEAR! I wrote her back and told her so and now all you blog readers, her included, will see it. Sadly, she will see I had a crush on her hubby when I was 16, and hopefully she will laugh. But the book sales are slow and I was wondering if I really have what it takes to be a great writer, and maybe it is just a hobby and then I get this awesome boost from Shannon who I haven’t seen in almost four years and it just made me smile from ear to ear!

 

So, the moral of the story is….you never know how your words will impact someone and how a small gesture can mean the world to another person. So, to Shannon, thank you!!! And to everyone reading this…if you see someone doing something you think is great, tell them, you may change a life or a person’s path or course….how cool is that…it is like that X-mas movie “It’s A Wonderful Life!”

 

So, I am a hopeless romantic. I could deny it, but I would be lying. I told you about my dear friend Betty dying and her love letters with her hubby, and a soldier before him, so when I was asked to be friends with a soldier in Iraq via Facebook. I said yes. I usually only accept friend requests from friends, but I took it as an omen. And what a great story it would have made. HOWEVER, he was getting ready to retire and he was looking for a wife, and maybe kids and it was too much, too fast, and really not where I am right now. I will meet someone au naturel. Bump into him on the street, doing a volunteer job, or in the grocery when we are both testing melons, or I am so hung up on the nursing home thing( you know I am convinced about me and the 80 yr. old toothless man, when I am 80)….and if I don’t…that is okay too, because I have great friends.

 

Until we meet again…

 

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

 

p.s. I know not as many food pics…I will try to get better. I keep eating it before I remember to take a picture of it. Whoopsy!