Grandpa’s Birthday

It has been a difficult week for us, so we’re taking a break on a recipe and instead taking a moment to remember Megan’s grandfather, Bill, who would have had a birthday today if he were still with us.

If you’ve read some of our earlier blog entries, you’ve already met Grandpa, legendary for growing the juiciest of tomatoes in pots in his front yard.

Grandpa was also famous for telling me he would absolutely not go swimming with me in their community pool, only to give in to my incessant negotiations and spend hours letting me jump off his shoulders or rating my dives. Somehow we developed another tradition while at play: We would lock Grandpa up in “jail” and write him letters until he was released.

He accompanied me on countless tea parties, volleyball games, and sick days home from school. He brushed my hair 100 times and helped me shop for my favorite pair of black shoes as a little girl. Grandpa’s specialty was a back scratch that we nicknamed “turtle bite.” He told the best jokes and had an infectious laugh.

Here’s to a kind and loving husband, father, and grandfather. Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Fave-Find Friday

Man, Friday couldn’t come soon enough! It has been just a little challenging to get our work ethic and momentum back after spring break. Megan finally sorted through photos from her family trip to Istanbul, and made a little video. Would you like to see?

And, some links to brighten up your weekend! Hope it’s spectacular.

A great round-up of funny responses to Hillary’s candidacy.

This article on trying to be deeply good is really inspiring. Please read.

A Wes Anderson playlist? Yes, indeed.

Ben & Jerry’s is making beer! (P.S. Did you know that Joe and Megan met at a Ben & Jerry’s shop? It will always have a special place in our hearts.)

In keeping with the theme, cool illustrations of some of Istanbul’s landmarks.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Rose!

Grandma Rose is just about the sweetest grandma you could ever imagine. She bakes all kinds of delicious cookies, plays bridge, loves English toffee, mends my sweaters, and goes to the gym every day. Grandma Rose wore high heels to class back in the day, and still enjoys looking through fashion magazines. She is very artistic. She raised two boys (three if you count Grandpa) and has five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

When I think of Grandma Rose, I immediately think: caring. She cared for my dad when he had polio in the third grade and lived in an iron lung for most of the year (can you imagine!). She cared for my grandpa when he spent his last few years in assisted living, visiting him every single day. She would come over to take care of us when we were sick and our parents couldn’t take off work. We would have tea parties, and put my grandpa in jail and then write him letters.

Grandma Rose cares for us all. You can hear her smile every time you call. When I’m getting ready to travel somewhere, she tells me wonderful stories of the last time she was there—even if it was sixty years ago, she remembers so many details. She writes thank-you notes in beautiful cursive, and promptly.

Grandma Rose knits Christmas stockings for everyone in the family. They have little bells on the bottom.

She also danced at our wedding! Because she’s the coolest. And the most fashionable (I mean, check out that dress, and those pearls!).

She might not want us to tell you, but today she turns a very youthful 94! Happy Birthday, Grandma Rose!

Grandma Jean’s Easy Frittata

This past Friday would have been Megan’s grandmother’s 89th birthday.

I’ve been thinking about Grandma Jean a lot this weekend. She was one hardcore lady. She squeezed every last drop out of life, traveled the world, was brutally honest, and had more energy in her 80s than I think I will ever have. She raised six children, moved her life from Illinois to California, mourned the loss of a daughter and her husband, played bridge and tennis until the very end, volunteered, cultivated a lush and vibrant garden, was quick to jump on a boogie board and catch a few waves at the beach, and accomplished too many other feats to list here.

Grandma Jean taught me: to relax on a hammock whenever possible, to avoid watching the “boob tube” too often, to play different kinds of solitaire, to savor the small yet crucial pleasures in life (coffee first thing in the morning, and pinot grigio at 5 pm), to top pasta with sautéed spinach for the easiest elegant meal, to appreciate the understated sophistication of white (walls, T-shirts, whatever), and to clap along, even if on the wrong beats, to the New Orleans Christmas CD that she played so often she wore it out.

Grandma Jean told me: that just about everything was “darling,” that only boring people were ever bored, that my best friend’s father’s socks were the wrong color, and, upon my complaining about her noise in the kitchen one morning on vacation, that I can sleep when I’m dead.

Grandma Jean gave me: matching bathing suits with my cousin Christina every Easter; a huge, extremely soft, unbelievably cozy blanket in leopard print to keep us toasty when our old and drafty house on Cape Cod was too chilly; a very memorable trip on a cruise to Mexico with Christina, during which time we two gals giggled over the way Grandma said “Mazatlán” (it sounded something like “Matt’s-at-land!” and was always pronounced with sheer joy); a profound admiration of how much one can accomplish with a little elbow grease; and a small ceramic plate with a reindeer painted on it that I look forward to pulling out of storage every Christmas.

Grandma Jean was a classy chef and easy entertainer. She never worked too hard or seemed to get frazzled, but everything turned out just right—she was the kind of hostess we all aspire to be. When my mom and I went over for dinner, she would always say, “Nothing fancy, we’re all family,” as we admired the simple and gorgeous meals that seemed to just materialize in front of us. She would always make me something vegetarian, on the side, without ever making me feel guilty for needing special treatment. Very often my special meal was a frittata full of veggies and topped with bubbling cheese.

And so, Grandma Jean, a frittata for YOU. Happy Birthday! I know you’re not sleeping up there.

Grandma Jean’s Easy Frittata (print here)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup onion or leek, chopped
• 1 cup chopped kale or spinach, with large stems removed
• ½ cup chopped vegetables of your choice (asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli,
• ¼ cup Crispy Breakfast Taters (leftover)
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato, sliced

Directions

Heat oil and butter over medium heat in an oven-safe skillet. Add leeks or onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and just beginning to brown (leeks take longer than onions). If using kale, add it and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes. Add your other vegetables and continue stirring. If using spinach, add it at the last minute and cook just until it wilts. Increase heat to medium-high and add (pre-cooked, leftover) potatoes, cooking them just long enough to warm them. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper; then pour eggs into the pan. Let set for about a minute, and then begin stirring as if making scrambled eggs. Cook until about halfway done, allowing edges to firm up. Sprinkle with grated cheese and sliced tomato, and place under the broiler until eggs are completely cooked and cheese is bubbling and browned, usually about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, as it can go from perfect to burned quite quickly. Serve immediately, or at room temperature.

Notes

Other veggies that work really well in frittatas are: asparagus, broccoli (chopped very small), bell peppers, zucchini (salt first to draw out water), and probably many others. We find potatoes to be the essential ingredient, and when they are cooked ahead you can whip up this meal fairly quickly. You can also try a different kind of cheese (jack, goat, or feta have all tasted great to us before).

Frittata keeps extremely well in the fridge for the next day. Wrap individual servings in foil, then reheat in the toaster oven. Leftovers inside of leftovers!