Every Second Counts
What a nice Christmas it was. The holiday gave me the time to indulge in a cooking project that has interested me for a long time - making fresh pasta, by hand. I had purchased some dried pasta to have as a “Plan B” if my efforts came up short. Fortunately, it all turned out well. I used this recipe I found on YouTube. In addition to wide, pappardelle-type ribbon noodles, I also created some ravioli stuffed with a filling of ricotta cheese, smoked salmon, lemon zest, dill, parmesan, salt and pepper - similar to the filling in this recipe. We sauced the ribbon pasta with a meaty red sauce and meatballs. The ravioli was sauced with this simple alfredo sauce recipe.
In the quiet of the evening on Christmas, I stayed up late to re-watch two episodes of some of the best television I have seen in a long time - The Bear, available on Hulu, a digital streaming service. It tells the story of the many dysfunctions influencing a ragtag group of people trying to re-launch a restaurant in Chicago. The first episode I re-visited was episode 6 of season 2, titled Fishes. It is set on Christmas Day, a few years in the past. The mentally unstable matriarch (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) is frantically trying to cook the Italian-American classic Feast of the Seven Fishes for a large gathering of family and friends. Rather than accept help from her highly-talented chef son, she insists on doing everything herself, leading to a major meltdown. The ensemble cast brought together for this episode delivers a transcendent performance - the tension of the day ratchets up and up, finally crescendoing as the viewer knows it must. I was able to enjoy this despite the inherent tension in the story. It is just so darned good.
Episode 7, titled Forks is as quiet as episode 6 was loud. It tells the story of cousin Richie, who does a one-week “stage” or internship at a critically acclaimed Chicago restaurant. The restaurant is unnamed in the episode, but I later learned that it was in fact Ever, a Chicago restaurant featuring the artistry of Curtis Duffy, who grew just down the road in Johnstown. The series’ lead male character, Carmy, arranges this experience for Richie as a way to broaden his experience in the industry, as they prepared to re-open their renovated restaurant. Richie begins the episode thinking that Carmy has sent him on this adventure as some sort of punishment, only to later realize that Carmy is genuinely trying to help Ritchie to grow in his role at the restaurant. A key aspect of the high-end restaurant where Richie spends his week is the highly disciplined, regimented way that the entire team approaches each day. Beneath a clock in the kitchen is a plaque reading the phrase “Every Second Counts” and this phrase serves as a mantra for the staff. It is (I think) a less-than-subtle message from the show’s writer for all of us to consider.
As I look back on 2023, I am pleased with how I spent my precious time. I increased the time I spent reading and writing. I also got into a regular routine of volunteering my time to a couple of elderly people who could use some companionship and assistance - a way to honor my mother, by extending the same type of care to others that I was able to do for her.
Looking into the New Year, there is one significant new initiative in the works. I’m not ready to share it just yet, but am open to the changes it will likely require of me. I’m excited by the possibilities that lay ahead, and welcome whatever adversity that might present itself. I’m not inviting the universe to dump on me…just acknowledging that we can't anticipate everything that comes our way. We might as well welcome it rather than bemoan it, or wish it were otherwise.
Tomorrow is our annual New Year’s Day pork and sauerkraut feast. The menu never changes, and it always blows me away. Probably because we only enjoy this food one day out of three hundred and sixty-five (we actually get an extra day this year, as it is a Leap Year). Tonight we will sip some wine, watch a movie and turn in early so that we can start the New Year with energy.
Here's to enjoying our remaining down time, and starting the New Year strong! Cheers.
Sunday Supper
Like last week, I imagine we will be enjoying some sort of takeout or other convenient food as we prepare for tomorrow’s big meal. This simple White Chicken Chili would be great to enjoy either today as Sunday Supper, or in the week ahead as we return to less indulgent fare.
Sunday Music
I'm not sure why, exactly, but I find myself thinking of the great jazz pianist Keith Jarrett today. At this link, you will find a beautiful 46-minute improvisation that he performed in Norway in 1972. Jarrett is one of a kind, able to do things as an improviser that no one has ever attempted. Perhaps that makes his music extra appropriate as we head into a New Year. Life is improvisation, isn't it? His ability to perform was stilled by two strokes that he suffered in 2018. Thankfully there are many, many hours of his wonderful performances recorded for posterity. Enjoy!
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,