Spring is just around the corner; I have seen daffodils blooming and flowering trees are blooming.
Book club will be at Linda Weschler’s home, (301) on March 11th. We will be reading by .
Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.
Traveling neighbors
Donna is off on a business trip then off to Mexico to get in some beach time.
Edy just doesn’t understand the concept of retirement. She has a travel schedule that would make a flight attendant tired.
Recipe du Jour
Classic Shrimp Scampi
1 pound of large shrimp (about 20) shelled and deveined
¼ C dry white wine and Salt and pepper to taste
6 T unsalted butter, softened
3 large garlic cloves, minced.
2 T freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat oven to 375F,
- In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the wine. In a small bowl, mash the butter with the garlic, cheese, parsley, lemon juice and crushed red pepper. Season the butter with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the shrimp side by side in a single layer in a ceramic baking dish and drizzle any accumulated juice on top. Spread a scant teaspoon of the seasoned butter over each shrimp.
- Bake the shrimp for about 7 minutes, until almost cooked through. Do not overcook. Remove the shrimp from the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil the shrimp about 6 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, or until browned and bubbling. Serve immediately with baguette slices and lemon wedges.
Hints – I often make a double recipe of the butter mixture, maybe not double the butter but almost everything else, I like a lot of sauce. As I noted above, I often use dry Vermouth instead of opening a bottle of white wine for such a small amount asked for in the recipe. Vermouth lasts forever in your pantry.
One thing about this recipe is that it chases away all vampires for a couple of days.
Soup du Jour
Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
8 servings
This creamy soup: is a one-pot dish that can be made in about a half hour.
Ingredients
2 T vegetable oil
½ medium sized onion chopped
1 pound ground mild Italian sausage,
(I often use chicken Italian sausage, Central Market has it in bulk)
10.75 can pureed tomatoes.
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
6 oz. cream cheese, softened.
14.5 can diced tomatoes.
2 tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning¼ tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh pepper
1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until slightly softened and edges are golden, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add sausage and using a wooden spoon, break apart into pieces. Cook until browned, stirring often. Add chicken broth, cream cheese, diced tomatoes, pureed tomatoes, and spices and stir to combine.’
- Reduce heat to medium, cover pot and simmer soup for about 12 minutes.
- Stir in cream and shredded Parmesan and cook uncovered for about 3 more minutes.
Serve sprinkling additional cheese and parsley.
Tips, you can use any kind of dairy you would like, the heavy cream will give you the creamiest result, but you can use half and half or even just milk, won’t be as heavy and creamy.
Recipe from Real Balance (realbalance.com)
Entertainment Recommendations
I recently read a book named Wounded Tiger by T. Marin Bennett
All you history lovers would like this book. It is about the man who led the Japanese group which bombed Pearl Harbor. It follows his life from before the war to after it. Also, it is about an airman who flew with Dolittle’s Raiders and a woman who was raised in Japan by missionary parents. It is very interesting.
TV Recommendations- Found on Netflix
The Night Stalker
A well done documentary about the serial killer who killed several folks in LA and SF in the 80’s
Concerts
An interesting series of concerts is available in Seattle and the surrounding area. Candlelight Concerts in Seattle. The music ranges from a Tribute to Taylor Swift to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Art Exhibits
Mohai
Towers of Tomorrow with Lego Bricks
https://mohai.org/exhibits/towers-of-tomorrow-with-lego-bricks/
May 25-Sept 22
Seattle Art Museum
Calder in Motion
https://calder.site.seattleartmuseum.org/the-exhibition/
Nov-23-Aug 4 2024
Ridge Reports
This month we have a few limericks you might enjoy.
Other members of my family also appreciate them and try their luck at writing them, with mixed results. My pediatrician cousin, W.G. “Jerry” Beauregard, had a bad back that restricted his sleep. He would often write Limericks and other things at 2 or 3 in the morning. He had a vast medical lexicon which he would use in some of his poetry.
Some samples:
There was an old woman in Bristol.
Who carried a small shiny pistol.
Once she shot at her hubby
Where it left him more stubby
And now he’s more proximal than distol.
There lived an old man in a crate.
Who had a quite large estate.
He was tax-free and mobile.
His addresses were global
And he traveled at lowest freight rate.
An overweight old chef from Cape Hatteras
Had a penchant for foods very batteras.
His souffles, cakes and pies
Gave us large hips and thighs
And certainly made for a fatteras.
A poor blond girl named Hortense
Used to hang clothes to dry on a fence.
Her outer attire
Withstood the barbed wire
But her undies were quickly past tense.
A venturesome lady named Nellie
Had a British affair in New Delhi.
Such an act she decried
Til she no longer could hide
Her convex rotund Delhi belhi.
And my all-time favorite… (Waskom is a gas station town, just over the Louisiana line into Texas.)
A Thrifty old redneck from Waskom
Ate roadkill of raccoon and possum.
When asked which he favored
He averred that he savored
The ones where a truck had just squashum.
Not to be outdone, my daughter had her class try their hand. As a rhyming/poetry lesson she decided to have her second graders write limericks. They wrote in pairs and were armed with a Scholastic Rhyming dictionary. She thought that for a group of 7 and 8 year-olds that they did very well. They didn’t quite get that all the lines needed to make sense together even if they were silly…
My best friend’s name is Jane
She has a Great Dane
She named it T-bone
It played the saxophone
And now he sits out back on a chain.
When I wake up I floss
My mom works at Ross
I colored something blue
I looked under the couch to find my shoe
Then I went to the store to buy applesauce.
My mom bought some floss
She decorated the cross
She gave me a shove
With her boxing glove
My mom is such a big boss.
Restaurant Review
Grazie Ristorante Italiano
23207 Bothell Everett Hwy
Bothell, WA 98021
425-402-9600
Hours
Lunch-Monday-Friday-11:00-3:00
Dinner Monday-Friday 3:00
Happy Hour 4:00-6:00
Saturday. Sunday 4:00
They have 2 locations : South Center and Canyon Park
Grazie is a bit out of the way but in reality, is only about a half hour drive. I have had lunch a couple of times and have enjoyed lunch each time. The dinner menu looks great and soon I plan to take Jerry out for a try.
It’s time for some corned beef and cabbage and a little green Beer. Watch out for the Irish leprechauns and enjoy the day.
Easter comes early this year, the 31st of March. A great time to celebrate all things Easter with your family.