Older but no wiser
My almost disaster dinner.
Recently I saw a Snoopycartoon that advised, “Don’t worry about getting older. You’ll still do dumbstuff. Only slower.” I must have felt obligated to prove it true last nightwhile cooking supper. Jordan and I decided on salmon patties and a marinated beansalad. I had seen a “fancy” recipe for salmon patties but at Jordan’s request wentwith the old and plain way my mom did them. But one new trick I learned (hattip to Mary Kay Hughes) is that they hold together better if you chill thembefore frying. So I used two small cans of salmon and made six patties. Putthem on a plate in the fridge to chill. (Another tip, this from my mom: throw ahandful of instant tapioca into meatloaf or salmon patties or anything you wantto hold together—you’ll never know it’s there, but it works magic.)
The bean salad was already in thefridge “blending its flavors,” but I remembered I hadn’t put in the lime juice,so I got it out. And there I sat, bowl of salad in my hands, as I watched inawe as the plate with the patties sailed out of the fridge in a perfect arc andthen curved downward to land upside down at my feet. I felt like I was watchingsomething in slow motion and absolutely incapable of doing anything about it.
For a second, I tried for thethree-second rule: it hasn’t been on the floor long enough. Jordan wasindignant: “I will not eat off the floor, and I will not allow you to.” I knewshe was right. If it had been bread or biscuits or something, I’d have beenokay. But not uncooked patties. We shooed Sophie away—she seemed to understandthe gravity of the situation and did not try to sneak a bite—and Jordan sweptit up and threw it away. Jordan got two more cans of salmon out of the closet(my extended pantry), and I did it all over again. I guess, being my mother’schild, what bothered me most was the waste: I used four cans of salmon (it’snot cheap) to get five salmon patties. They were good though, and the beansalad was terrific.
About bean salad: my cookinghint for the day is substitute honey for sugar and cut way back on the amount.The recipe I followed called for two Tbsp each oil, vinegar, and sugar. Whoa! Iused 1 tsp. honey, and it was just right. My three-bean salad recipe also callsfor a bit of honey, and though I was skeptical, I have to say it’s great.
I demonstrated my age another wayone day not long ago. My oldest son and his family—wife and two grandkids—were goingto Gatlinburg, TN and Dollywood for a week. Don’t ask my why. Dollywood is notand never would be on my bucket list, though I admire Dolly a great deal. Ihave been to Gatlinburg years ago and remember it as crowded and touristy but withgood crafts. I once bought a dinner setof good, heavy crockery in Gatlinburg. It went to whoever in the family when Idownsized.
In my old-fashioned idea of afamily vacation, you get up ungodly early, jump into the car, eat a sweet rollfor breakfast while traveling, and drive s far as you can until evening. So Ithought I’d just check the “Find a Friend” function on my phone and see if they’dgotten an early start. They were at Houston International Airport—no drivingfor them! Maybe it’s because I don’t like to fly, but flying and family vacationis an oxymoron to me.
No summer trip for me. Havinghad my riotous birthday weekend, I am once again content in the cottage andwelcoming friends for happy hour. Neighbors Greg and Jaimie came up tonight. Ihad invited them to walk up (about a long block uphill) but they admitted theydrove because it’s so hot. I love it when they come for a drink because wealways laugh a lot. And we did tonight, over everything from Jordan’s teenagestories (she was with us and shared them) to neighborhood gossip. Sophie loves it because Greg was oneof her early loves—when she was a pup, he came once a week to mow our yard andvisited with both Sophie and me. Jaimie often brings anappetizer—she’s the source of the good baked goat cheese recipe—but tonight I fixedpigs in a blanket, which ended up being my supper.
Christian is at a “guys only”birthday evening, Jordan has gone off to watch a movie, and I, happy and content,am going to read. Sweet dreams, everyone.
