Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and Spicy Broccolli (Lo Carb)

Porter House steaks were on sale at Publix this week for $5.64 a pound!  That’s our favorite kind of steak to buy because my husband and son eat the two strips and my daughter and I, the two filet mignon. Jim was off today so he fired up the grill and I took care of the rest.

2 pints of baby portabella mushrooms
Olive oil
pat of butter

heat the oil and butter in a large non-stick pan, add mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are desired color, add more oil if necessary

2 heads fresh broccolli, cleaned with the florets removed (freeze the stalks for broccolli soup or vegetable stock)
4 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 c. of peanut oil
Soy Sauce
1 pint grape tomatoes, cleaned and halved
dried red pepper flakes

Steam the florets till they’re just bright green – you want these a little undercooked, you’ll be cooking them more in the oil. Drain the broccoli and set aside.  Heat up a nice big pot over med. heat – peanut oil splatters, so be careful.  Add the oil, then the garlic, allow to cook for a minute or so.  Add the broccoli and stir, taking it off the heat when necessary.  Cook the broccoli till it’s perfectly tender crisp lower the heat and then add the soy sauce – Don’t be stingy, at least a half cup. Toss to coat.  Add the tomatoes, toss and allow the tomatoes to heat up and start to break down.  Add the pepper flakes to taste, we like ours really spicy.  Cover and allow to sit at low temp. until the steaks are ready.

Plate and eat. Yum.

Cornify Baby.

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Beautiful Baroque Bracelet

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Letting Go… A Little at a Time

My baby is going to Orlando today.  Without me. I know I’m over-protective, there’s no need to inform me of that, thank you very much. From where I sit though, the world isn’t nearly protective enough of its children, so I’m trying to make up for it.

It is time however, to let my children spread their wings a little and I’ve been doing that.  Little by little, I’ve been giving them a little more freedom here, a bit more privilege there.  So far it’s been working very well, and last week my very good friend’s daughter asked if Haley could accompany them on her birthday outing to Orlando.  Her mother, knowing me very well, told her daughter that she could, indeed ask Haley to join them, but not to be too disappointed when I said no.   I surprised them all.   Haley has spent quite a bit of time with this family, she always enjoys it and I know that my friend Irene is as, if not more, diligent than I am.  I agreed that it would be a great time and gave my permission for Haley to go.

As the week drew to a close, I started to panic a little.  Thankfully, another good friend invited us over yesterday which gave my mind something else to do so that I wouldn’t obsess over the idea of my daughter being 100 miles away from me. We had a lovely day playing with them and went food shopping after we left their house.  By the time I got home, put the groceries away, got everyone fed, showered and into pajamas, I was pretty tired myself, so once again I didn’t have time to obsess.

This morning I woke up at 7:45 to a very excited little girl, asking me if it was too early to get dressed.  I stated that it was and then started to panic.  I think I’m pretty adept at hiding my panic from my children as I’ve had to do it so often so as not to turn them into the the panicked, crazy ball of train wreck that I am. I got her ready, packed her lunch, collected her cell phone, purse, jacket and the lunch and ten minutes ago, kissed her, hugged her told her I loved her and sent her out on what I’m sure will be a marvelous adventure of a day.

I, on the other hand, will sit here and worry even though I know she’s fine and having a wonderful time.  I can’t imagine what I’ll do when my children grow up and don’t live with me anymore.  But hey, I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
-Elizabeth Stone

The Effects of Facebook on Man in the Moon Marigolds

Everyone is talking about Facebook lately.  My parents both have profiles, and I’m 43, I can imagine how horrified teenagers must be in the same situation.  My great-aunt even has an account, although she doesn’t know that I know and that’s ok, I’m not going to tell her. We’re all having fun connecting with high school friends, cousins, long lost neighbors, and first loves.  It’s created a new dimension for the people we’re friends with in the here and now and we’re using it to connect to local people with similar interests.   We’re networking for business reasons and even using it to find an audience for our vast and sundry creative pursuits.  It’s useful for all of those things and more.

The thing that has surprised me the most about Facebook has been reconnecting to people that were a part of my very young life and for one reason or another, I lost touch with.  I find that some of those renewed relationships are the ones that are delighting me most of all.  From my 6th grade best friend with whom I listened in awe and disgust as our 137 year old teacher explained what oral sex was, (let’s just say she used the word lollipop) to the boy who played guitar in the first idea of a band that I ever sang in.  From the girl who stole my boyfriend, which led to the demise of our friendship, to the girl whose boyfriend I stole, which led to a lifelong friendship, as well as both of the boys  – although they’re all grown up and probably as oblivious now, to all the drama, as they were then.  Then there’s the terrific piano player who taught me how to bang out a couple of chords in order to accompany myself and with whom I practiced harmonies for hours on end and the girl who was better friends with some of my other friends than she was with me, but who I now discover lives pretty close by and is as funny and nice as I remember her being all those years ago.

I can’t wait to see who shows up next.

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