Friday, October 29, 2010

Stepping out into the world... part 2...

I can't even eat a piece of fruit without the dogs wanting some, and I'm just enough of a soft touch to share.  Never mind that two of them are "with puppies", and that the little guy is just so darned cute!  They greedily devour whatever I have, be it bananas, tangerines, raspberries, pears, peaches, cottage cheese, rice cakes, toast crusts or the last bit of egg off my breakfast plate.  If I buy a precooked roast chicken from the rotisserie at work you can be sure they wait eagerly, tails wagging, for their "toll".

So here I am, an "almost-divorced-empty-nester" who had never cooked for one until almost 5 months ago.  It's hard to remember that I have to make meals.  Mostly I eat at work; there is always fresh, hot pizza or sushi, sandwiches or salads, and fruit by the piece - honey tangerines are a current favorite - and I don't have to worry about spoilage or storage. But I realize that without having someone to cook for I would rather make homemade soups than any thing else;  shallots and butter with white onions, a few threads of saffron, and cream simmering with fresh oyster meat; onions carefully caramelized with olive oil, beef consomme and just a touch of red wine, laced with shredded Jarlsberg cheese and topped with toasted Romano croutons;  onions, leeks and potatoes with sweet corn, simmered in chicken stock, finished with canned milk and chunks of white meat chicken; shredded cabbage, onion and carrots with beets, soured with just enough lemon juice to make the colour bright and simmered in homemade stock, topped with perogies....  Fresh ginger, carrots and butternut squash become a soup to warm you on cold winter nights.  Diced yams and red onions, roasted in the oven with olive oil and cumin until they become fragrant, are simmered in home made chicken stock, then pureed to make a sweet, savory soup that satisfies.   Fresh chard, onions and zucchini become a light and fresh soup, loaded with phytonutrients and vitamins.  Paired with fresh greens topped with light balsamic dressings and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds or sliced strawberries, sweet raspberries or juicy clementine segments to add texture.  There is always wonderful bread from the bakery; rosemary and sea salt focaccia, calabrese, multigrain baguettes, croissants, perhaps spread with a soft unripened cheese....and little doggie eyes gazing up at me, waiting for a crust, a crumb, a sip...  Healthy food;  comfort food; simple food very simply prepared, and always better the second day.

When there is just me if I want hot chili in my corn chowder I can add hot chili!  Ah... truly the "spice of life"...

Stepping out into the world...

Starting over at the age of 52 after a 36 year relationship is the thing I never thought would happen, but here I am.  Yes, I have the occasional "pity party", and I step into the muck while trying to navigate the swamps, but like I tell other people out here in the ethernet.. they never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it. There is a lot to be said for starting over.  Sometimes you start from scratch.. sometimes you bring your baggage with you and sometimes you start with less than nothing, but you do have to start from somewhere.

I have never lived alone before and it is easy to slip into long stretches where you don't see anyone or go anywhere except for work and home.  That's where having dogs makes it better.  Dogs don't care about much;  food, water, a warm place to sleep, company, tummy rubs, walks...  just the basic necessities of life, really.  Unlike people they don't borrow the car, they don't spend all your money (unless you have really large vet bills to pay), they don't borrow your clothes, they don't lie, cheat or steal, they don't judge you, hold grudges or play head games.  They don't make promises and so they don't break them either.  Perfect companions except they can't really hug you back, but having a big dog lean on you is almost as good...  And who could object to "puppy breath", or that liquid look in the eye of a dog who isn't quite sure if they are in trouble right now, but they are really very sorry anyway... 

Unlike children, you can close a dog up in a kennel for 8 hours while you are away at work, and when you come home they are uncomplaining and ready for your company.  They are happy to take a walk to nowhere because the walk is it's own reward.  Rain, snow, sun, wind, day or night, dogs really don't care;  the objective is just to walk.  Most people my age seem to have more than one dog;  I ran into another woman on my walk this afternoon, me with my fluffy Pom, my Shih Tzu and my Chihuahua cross, her with a pair of Shih Tzus and an older Lab...  "You're as crazy as me..." she commented.  And yes... when it comes to my dogs, I am.