Laura and I work well together… however, when we are both in the kitchen it becomes a bit of a struggle… but making this wonderful dish brought us together for our anniversary… now 37 years married.
We married at the ripe old age of 20 and one of our favorite places to go was “Madame Wu’s” in Santa Monica. MW’s was a gourmet Chinese restaurant … a bit unique for the time but a wonderful experience. Making this particular ‘sweet & sour pork’ recipe brought those fond memories back.
The future is always uncertain, but I hope we have many more of these wonderful years and incomparable meals!
I was at home, at our house. I just woke up from my sleep and I was walking in the hallway to get a snack from the kitchen. I remembered that Mom or Dad was talking to a friend on the phone, saying “Oh no! Look what happened to the World Trade Center!” and then they went to their bedroom to watch the news on TV to see what happened. Karen was at school at SMU that day. Kristin was in a Officer’s Basic Course in Missouri before being stationed in Seattle at Fort Lewis. That same day I was drawing in my room and listening to my radio walkman. I was only 17 years old that day. Even so, but still. I feel very sorry for the poor families who lost their loved ones on that day. I hope a day like this never happens again. Not only the day affected the United States, but also affected most other countries altogether. We shall never forget.
We can grow a lot of great things in our county and almost every variety of grape, except Concord I am told. So there lay the challenge! Some 20 plus years ago, I received a concord grape cutting from New York and planted it where I thought we would get the most wind chill. Our side of the world has a daily afternoon typhoon that will really bring the wind chill down at night… making for great bonfires and — of course — concord grapes. The dusting on the grapes is actually natural yeast, something that doesn’t usually happen in a vineyard until it is quite mature… things started to ferment right away when I pressed the grapes and for a moment I thought I might make wine instead…
Rather than just snack on our grapes this year, we endeavored to make some jam! There required a little more preparation than I intended, I went out and bought a‘food mill’ from Bed , Bath & Beyondto easily separate out the troublesome seeds. We have many wild blackberries and such in the area and for years we were surrounded by them (think Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and you get the idea!) So, this is the first time we actually needed anything like a food mill.
Concord has a lot of its own pectin so many recipes exclude adding any… and I wanted to use honey rather than any other sugar… so we did a bit of recipe tweaking.
I am looking forward to toast tomorrow at breakfast! BTW, my daughter drew me as ‘chef bear’ …a family moniker.
a house becomes a home when it reflects those who live there!
Before I moved into our present home ( now for 23 years), I never lived anywhere more than 3 years starting the day I was born. I am reminded that the second grade was particularly challenging in sitting in 5 different schools. This goes to say that our home was designed in what many fashionistas call “feng shui.” This was practical since my sales manager father was constantly being moved around.
Personally, I could make our home ‘feng shui correct’ if I opened the front and back doors and attached a wind tunnel machine on one end and let it rip! However, I wouldn’t like living in a house like that. When I walk into a home designed this way, it doesn’t speak to me, it tells me nothing about the people who live there … it feels empty.
By contrast, and although a bit over the top, the Weasley home in the Harry Potter series is much loved by the cast and crew who often eat their lunch there I am told. I really can’t blame them, the home seems so warm, comfortable and inviting, it practically says… “come in and stay a while.” Ben Franklin touched on this a bit in discussing many of the attributes associated with a comfortable home: “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” He also felt that a home should be added to in much the same way as we gain new experiences in our life.
I think all homes need a little of the Weasley magic….. otherwise it’s just a house.
By now, if you know us, then you are aware of how important the right food can be to mark a special occasion, be it: a great geographical landmark, our various travels, new cultures and their people, or even major seismic events. After all, cuisine is the international tongue that speaks to us all clearly. The expression “Breaking bread” ,and sharing a meal, has always been the first step to gaining an understanding of those around you… and you may remember in Sunday School how Jesus was recognized by his style in breaking and sharing bread.
In any event, Saturday marks Laura and my 37th wedding anniversary. Believe it or not, there is actually a stone or material to mark this unusual anniversary, it is ALABASTER. Hmmmm … I guess I could buy Laura an 8′ chunk of wall board… but that doesn’t sound very romantic… unless you view it as something to strengthen a well loved home.
Back to food, around the time of the Beijing Olympics , Laura was searching for one of her favorite Chinese meals to fully enjoy the festive occasion. She found a wonderful recipe for sweet and sour pork and added her own twist of vegetables. This will be our anniversary dinner as well.
