This morning I awoke, and I found myself in that "in between" stage that you often find yourself in when you first waken-- processing thoughts and dreams that occurred while you slept. For some reason, the first thing that popped in my head was "tightrope". "Tightrope?", I wondered. "What's that mean?" So here's where my thoughts lead me:
Life is tightrope. It is a constant attempt at balance. Most of you probably have difficulty finding time for yourself. Too many demands coming from the outside: children, spouses, parents, friends, work, housework, pets. Where do you find time for yourself? And you fall off the tightrope.
I have a unique problem. I have too much time for myself. No spouse, no children, limited contact with friends. I only have work and home. Oh, and pets. Yeah, I've got those. They are my one real demand outside of work and housework (remember that I have five cats, a bird, and now two turtles). Without anyone else to answer to, it can be too easy to spend too much time with myself, delving into my interests, and *plop* off the tightrope I fall. While I sit around and blog or read, the grass grows and the clutter increases. The furballs floating around the floor multiply as the sweeping is put off. The weeds take over the garden bolstered by the heavy rains and with no hands to keep them in check. Boxes fill the office and the garage and laundry room, waiting to be unpacked and rediscovered.
Too much time for me. Not enough demands. I bet you wish you had my problem, huh? But when you are an undisciplined individual like myself, this really is a problem. I need demands of me to keep me in check. Otherwise the weeds start to grow within me, and I get cluttered.
Hmmmm. Funny where your mind takes you in the early morning hours, isn't it?
In my last post, I spoke of cooking dinner for my father and offered a recipe for the chicken that I made that night. I also showed pictures of the Zucchini-Corn Saute and Rosemary Potatoes that I made. However I believe that I misidentified these as Rosemary Potatoes when they are actually "Roasted Garlic Potatoes". There was no Rosemary in them.
The Zucchini-Corn Saute is easy and something that I came up with last year for our Mexican-themed Thanksgiving. I combine cut corn off the cob and chopped zucchini and onion in a saute pan, and cook until tender, and then season with cumin and salt and pepper. Easy peasy!
However the potatoes I got out of the cookbook The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2007. Here's the recipe:
Roasted Garlic Potatoes
2 pounds red potatoes (6 medium), cut into 1-inch wedges
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Adjust an oven rack to the highest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Toss the potatoes, cornstarch, garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Carefully remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven, add the oil, and tilt to evenly coat with the oil. Place the potatoes cut-side down in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast until browned around the edges, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the butter, garlic, parsley, and zest together in a medium bowl. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, using a metal spatula, turn the potatoes skin-side down. Roast until the potatoes are crisp and deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the potatoes to the bowl with the butter mixture and toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
They were VERY good. My boyfriend couldn't get enough of them.
Enjoy! And until next time, just keep walking the tightrope, one day at a time.
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