happy like Hugh Jackman

Last night I dreamt Hugh Jackman was a very good friend of mine. While we hung out I noted that he was very, very happy and remembered that throughout our friendship he was always that way. Then he started climbing this huge water fountain in a very exuberant manner. I watched him as he seemed to abandon all cares, oblivious to how ridiculous he looked. I couldn't help but think, "Hugh Jackman is very, very happy." Followed by, "I should be happy like Hugh Jackman."

At that point my alarm sounded, awakening me from my deep state of REM sleep. As I sat up, I thought, "I SHOULD be happy like Hugh Jackman."

old times . . .

One of my friend's blog is all about her wonderful family life (replete with photos). We are all at different "passages" in our lives. Our daughter, Marissa, has grown into an independent woman presently residing in Brooklyn, working in Manhattan. But, there was a time when she was just a child too and our lives were tied together more compactly as a family unit.

I gave my wife a digital photo frame as a Mother's Day gift with the intent of digitizing a large number of slides she has never seen before. It has been a wonderful trip to the past. Like my friend, I can see that I was engaged in photographing a lot of our family activities. So, as a brief glimpse into an earlier time, I've loaded a few of the photos above.

lobster rolls

When we lived in Connecticut (during Joni's Yale Law School days), we discovered a largely East Coast delicacy known as lobster rolls. Essentially, lobster rolls are similar (sort of) to chicken salad sandwiches only they are made with lobster instead of chicken and they are typically served on rolls that bear a suspicious resemblance to hot dog buns (depending upon the pretentious or lack thereof of the eating establishment).

During certain seasons, the lobster harvest is bountiful and the prices on the East Coast are amazingly low. I recall buying fresh caught lobster in the supermarket (The Stop and Shop) for $2.95 each! I suspect that such low prices encourages the use of lobsters in ways we would not think of in the West (inland) due to their preciousness and high prices. I've even made and seen lobster in macaroni and cheese recipes. Yes, we COULD make a Kobe Beef sandwich, but do we really want to dress an elegant, sophisticated cut of meat in a T-shirt rather than the tuxedo it deserves? (OK, OK. This is not the best analogy here, but you catch my drift). Similarly, lobster in a sandwich? Shouldn't it only be served elegantly on a plate with a cup of drawn butter that will not "interfere" with the pure subtle shellfish flavor?

Absolutely not!

A lobster roll makes this delicacy accessible. It CAN be mixed with other ingredients (typically mayonnaise, pickle relish, minced onions, etc. - look for my all-time favorite recipe for lobster rolls - a rosy tartar sauce blend in an upcoming post) and still be delicious. Admittedly it's an expensive sandwich, but hey, I've had $12 + hamburgers. As long as it TASTES great, no price is too high, no ingredient too extravagant. A lobster roll is an indulgence dressed in everyday clothing. I eat them with potato chips and a side of baked beans. It is yet another delight in my arsenal of guilty pleasures. Look for my next post, the actual recipe I use for my version of Lobster Rolls. Again, no need to thank me. Just try it once and ENJOY!

the joy of cooking

I love to cook. I've been cooking now for many years, much to my wife's delight. Recently though, I've re-discovered the joy and creativity of cooking. I've benefited from a free subscription of Gourmet magazine for the past year and scored another free subscription to Bon Appetit magazine not too long ago (both compliments of Amazon.com kitchen appliance purchases ). The best cooking magazine however, is Cooks Illustrated. The recipes featured are amazing and often go into great detail about the scientific aspects of why a particular technique or combination of ingredients coalesce into the best possible result. If there are key ingredients involved in the recipe, you can be sure that the author will write a sidebar article regarding that particular ingredient with ratings of the most popular brands available. Interestingly, the highest rated products are often not the most expensive ones. As an example, one recent sampling rated vanilla flavorings. (McCormick pure vanilla extract was rated the best at a mere $4.00 per ounce. And did you know because of its high alcohol content, vanilla has an extremely stable shelf life? 10 year-old vanilla is virtually indistinguishable from new vanilla.)

I cannot tell you the plethora of techniques and "secrets" I've gleaned from my Cooks Illustrated issues. Recipes and ingredients alone do not the successful outcome produce. A deeper understanding of the underlying principals of cooking go a long way to make the difference between a good meal and one that is truly superb.

Over the years, my mother-in-law has become my most reliable critic (this is the woman who cried when she met me because she did not approve of her daughter marrying somebody of Japanese ancestry, but this is fodder for another posting). My mother-in-law is incapable of disguising her true emotions in any situation regardless of the sensitivity of the situation at hand.
(I'm not saying this in a BAD way . . . ). But I digress.

She simply loves to eat. She lives for it. She has sampled the cuisine of countless restaurants across the country and returns often to those fortunate enough to receive her blessings. She has developed a relatively sophisticated palate, although it is prone to her prejudices of an earlier era. For example, she abhors steamed vegetables and finds them too raw and crunchy. Nonetheless, it is her approval I seek most in trying out a new recipe.

I KNOW that I have achieved a certain level of mastery in my cooking because more often than not she gushes, "DELICIOUS!" after eating one of my meals. I have seen her tear up with gratitude and now she unfailingly embraces me with a hug upon departure (can I tell you I am probably the only one of seven in-laws that enjoys this dispensation?). Yes, this is the same woman who threatened to "ban" her daughter for marrying me. I guess the way to a woman's heart is ALSO through her stomach. Her gratitude spurs me on to increasingly complex dishes that require even more elaborate preparation (to the extent that some of my cooking often begins the day before the scheduled meal. I worry about my ability to maintain this pace over time.)

Cooking however, is just not about being another venue for creativity. More importantly, it is an expression of love for me. It all goes back to caring for somebody and nurturing them in a way that only cooking addresses. You are literally providing nourishment for another person and doing so in a way that hopefully brings them pleasure and enjoyment. (Yes, I admittedly go beyond just being in touch with my feminine side here, but perhaps those early hunter-gatherers also threw their catch on top of the fires when they were done for the day, thus becoming the first chefs.)

Needless to say, I'm proud of my cooking. More importantly though, I have found a way to express my love for my friends and family. For me, this is the true joy of cooking.