There's the good and the bad, and then this - the crazy. Its the best word to describe the day-to-day highs and lows. So welcome...to a place where the only bit of normalcy is knowing that nothing ever is.

It was time for Nigella’s classic: roqumole.  Not guacamole, not really anything ordinary - just damn good.  The mash of sour cream, blue cheese, avocado and jalapeno slices is pungent, powerful and rich.  Strangely enough, it lacks lime, salt and cilantro though you’d never notice.  And while it’s even better when said out loud with a British accent, plain and simple it rocks!

Natalie quickly agreed to eat it again and we’ll experiment to make it as kid friendly as possible.  The jalapenos weren’t over the top, but might need an adjustment.  An initial idea is to use only the juice from the jar to still achieve that vinegary bite.

On to the main course - (and utter kid-friendliness) - flash-fried steaks and white bean mash

The premise is simple: thin steaks in the skillet, 90 seconds per side; the juice of a lemon to scrape up and sauce up the bits; plated and done.  Meanwhile the cans of white beans are mashed into warm olive oil, garlic and lemon zest.  Done!

Nigella proposed a 5 minute overall time frame, but much like a certain cook’s 30 minute goal - it’s a bit of a stretch.  10 minutes would suffice to make this tender and flavorful dish.  Perhaps the 5 refers to the time necessary to clean every inch of your plate.  There’s nothing about this recipe that needs to be fiddled with.  Just bookmark the page and return again and again.

When Nigella is a guest on NPR, the number of auto accidents skyrockets.  Drooling, I listen to her describe a latest dish - the accent, the attitude is intoxicating.  As I arrive at my destination I have a renewed spring in my step and am ready to take on the day.

That’s what eating well and cooking well can do.
And I want to do it, too.

During this holiday season, I’ve received three of her books.  In the style of Julie & Julia, though, I won’t be cooking my way through them in this next year’s time.  I’m going after something all-together different (yet perhaps a bit of the same).  I’m to cook,eat or both with heart.  With love, confidence and an attitude that may also be contagious.

Sunday the 27th

Dates wrapped in bacon and fried to crispy perfection

I pulled this from Sunset and was pleased with the results.  They didn’t unroll in the pan and looked quite appetizing.  They lacked a little sweetness, but I have plans for round 2.

Baked brie with truffled honey

Can’t go wrong with a classic like this.  The honey crisp apples were a nice pairing.

Cypress Grove chevre - Bermuda Triangle

I was a newbie to this triangle of rinded goodness.  Whoa.  We’re talking creamy, salty goodness - and a choice that I’ll make again and again.

Someday some scientist will realize that Stella is a force.  Not unbridled pure energy, not magnetic nor radioactive.  But something.  And this isn’t a complaint, just my observation.  I don’t actually dwell on this too often since I’m bounced back and forth, up and down by my children.

I have to stop, though, and look at it all through her eyes.  We all must seem like sloths - slowly going about business.  To her, it seems our business, our lives aren’t interesting or important.  We should be orbiting about her, serving her and entertaining her.  This royal attitude is often kept in check.  She knows our basic rules and expectations for behavior, but then something changes and it all falls to pieces.  I’ve read and am reading books which outline ‘triggers’ in spirited kids.  It isn’t that simple, though.  I think that more than how you prepare a child for a routine change.  More than how you word your request or offer praise or cook the vegetables or breathe - its just about energy.

When I’m running low or in a perfect-storm-horrible-situation N’s is low too, wham!  And not even Wham! can fix the breakdown.  Until a warning meter is invented, this formula will have to make do:

Stella’s energy level - ((Mom + Dad’s energy)/2) + 5 for extra cherries on dessert + 10 for grandparents’ visit - (5 - Porter’s proximity in feet)
If > 10, no chain reaction, no meltdown
If < 10, run for cover

Not numerically inclined?, here’s my handy rule-of-thumb: keep your energy/attitude above 90%, keep Porter a few feet away and make a lot of dessert.