Author Archives: themidlifesecondwife

You Say Tomato, I Say Tabouli …

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food for Thought

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… or Tabooley. Or Tabbouleh. No matter how you spell it, this Middle Eastern salad is an incredibly delicious and refreshing addition to any summer meal. Vine-ripened tomatoes are abundant in Central Virginia now, and I’m looking forward to making my first tabouli of the season to accompany baked kibbee, the recipe for which I’ve already published on the blog. I took this photo last summer, before I had any idea I’d be a blogger. I suppose I could postpone this until I make it again and can take new pictures, but I hate to keep you waiting. So, as I’ve been known to say in my kitchen, “please pardon the mess.”

This recipe is a hybrid of what I could decipher from my Lebanese grandmother’s handwriting and an old community cookbook from Ohio. My best advice to you as you plan your shopping list is to make sure you’re buying fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. If you can get them from a local farm stand or farmer’s market, that’s even better. In my list of culinary sins, nothing is worse than serving up a bland, pale, pithy tomato that traveled thousands of miles to land on your plate. And that’s today’s sermonette from the MSW. Now go, shop, prepare, and enjoy!

Tabouli

2 cups bulgur wheat
3 cups boiling water
3 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup lemon juice (approximately 4 lemons)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 bunches (2 cups) fresh mint leaves, chopped (I prefer using spearmint)
3 bunches fresh, curly parsley, chopped
2 bunches green onions, including tops, chopped
8 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
additional salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pour boiling water over bulgur wheat, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, using a food processor, chop mint leaves. Remove from processor bowl with a scraper and place in a large bowl. Add parsley to the food processor and repeat the procedure, scraping the chopped parsley into the bowl with the mint. Using either the processor or a sharp knive, chop the green onions with tops and add them to the mint and parsley mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

After the bulgur wheat has been soaking in the water for 30 minutes, squeeze handfuls of it over an empty bowl, until all the excess water has drained away. Next,  add the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, stir well, and refrigerate the wheat/dressing mixture for two to three hours.

Once the wheat mixture has chilled, add—in batches—the mint, parsley, and green onions. Cut up the tomatoes and add those to the mix. By this point I’ve abandoned all decorum and use my bare (very clean) hands to mix the salad. Adjust the flavor to your taste—additional salt, some freshly ground pepper, and perhaps more lemon juice.

On This Day in History …

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Relationships and Family Life

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On this day in history, three years ago, Marci Janas met John Rich. Fourteen months later, to the day, they were married. And so began the journey of The Midlife Second Wife.

Three years is a long time in midlife. It often seems, as with dogs, that there’s a seven-to-one ratio at play; aging progresses more quickly. Time certainly passes more quickly. The pages of the calendar don’t turn, they blow past—as though caught in a hurricane. And, as the wind blows, we’re more keenly aware than ever of our mortality, and of how precious each day really is.

I’m waxing philosophical with this anniversary because it is amazing to me that I’ve now known John for three whole years. Readers familiar with our story know we met on Match.com. Our first date—our first meeting—was at the Allen Art Museum on the campus of Oberlin College. We met outside the beautiful Cass Gilbert-designed jewel box of a building, and paused to get acquainted on the arbor bench under the tree at the top of the screen. We call it our “Laughing Tree.” If you don’t know that story, then by all means go and read it. Then come back. There’s something else I want to tell you.

And that is this—a wonderful thing that has made us smile each June 14th for the last two years. There are no “pages” to a calendar any longer, not really. (Some metaphors are difficult to abandon.) Like most everyone, John and I use the calendar on our iPhones or laptops. So when John and I were planning our first meeting, he entered this into the calendar on his phone: “June 14. Meet Marci at art gallery.” By some error of fateful import, however, he also clicked “Repeat this event.” Now, every June 14, this entry shows up on his calendar:

“Meet Marci at art gallery.”

Now that’s one way to ensure you never forget an anniversary.

Happy third-year-of-knowing-you, John. Here’s to many more.

Apricot Pork Tenderloin: A Scissor-Worthy Recipe

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

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On a recent trip to Fresh Market, I picked up two one-pound pork tenderloins on sale and popped them in our freezer. We have a small kitchen and no basement; the only freezer we have is (which is bigger than a breadbox, but just barely), is the one that came with our refrigerator. Consequently, there’s not a lot of room for, say, a side of beef, or even a turkey. (Well, I could probably squeeze in a turkey, but the ice cream and sorbet from Bev’s would have to go. Trust me, I have my priorities.) On occasion, however, if I see something I know is a bargain but can’t use it right away, I manage to find the room.

As you know, I am also an inveterate recipe clipper. That confession can be found in an earlier blog post. I promised to try the recipes I’ve amassed over the years, at random, and let you know how they turned out. Here, then, is the latest of my adventures—apricot pork tenderloin. I’m pleased to tell you that it is quite “scissor-worthy” indeed.

What I found appealing about it on a first read was its modest list of ingredients, the fact that it featured pork tenderloin, which John and I both love, and the lure of the dried fruit, which promised a marriage of sweet and savory that didn’t disappoint. And let’s all admit it: Sometimes when we want to cook, we don’t want to engage in an epic production. Sometimes we just want to throw something together quickly and have it be delicious. This one is. And we got three dinners out of it. This was a bargain that paid dividends. I served this with rice pilaf and roast asparagus. Enjoy!

Apricot Pork Tenderloin
—Serves Four

1 pound pork tenderloin*
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, cracked pepper
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar OR lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup EACH: water, chopped dried apricots, chopped prunes

*Remember, I doubled this recipe. To make eight servings with 2 pounds of pork, double everything else, too.

Pat tenderloin dry; rub with salt and pepper. Combine preserves, vinegar, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl. Brush some of the mixture over tenderloin; reserve extra mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Brown tenderloin on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add water, chopped fruit, and any remaining apricot mixture to skillet. Cover; reduce heat to medium. Cook until thickest part of meat is pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cover; raise heat slightly. Cook until pan juices reduce slightly, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice pork; top with fruit mixture.

Provenance: Judy Hevrdejs (Chicago Tribune), published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A link to the original recipe, as it appeared in the Chicago Tribune, can be found here.

The Midlife Second Wife Honored by BlogHer as a ‘Voice of the Year’

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in The Writing Life, What's the Buzz?

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After considerable trial and error, one of the most important discoveries I made when I was a creative writing student at Oberlin College was finding my voice as a poet. Until I could tap into that intrinsic, pure, uniquely identifiable me, all I was doing was stringing words together with interesting line breaks. Over time, as a prose writer, I learned that my voice had different colors and tones, and that I could dispense with line breaks and keep sentences flowing, one after the other, to tell a story. This past year, as a relatively new blogger, I’ve experienced the twin thrills of immediacy and intimacy—by expressing my voice as The Midlife Second Wife, I began hearing from readers all over the world for whom, for whatever reason, my voice was compelling. Last week, I experienced another thrill: out of nearly 1,700 entries, readers and editors at BlogHer chose one of my posts and selected me as a Voice of the Year (VOTY) for 2012, in the category of Heart. (The other categories are Humor, Identity, Op-Ed, Parenting, and Visuals.) All in all, the jurors selected only 110 bloggers for VOTY. The awards will be conferred at the Community Keynote of BlogHer’s annual conference, held at the Hilton New York in August.

This is extraordinary recognition from an organization for which I have the utmost respect and admiration. As I begin reading through the other winning blog posts, it’s clear that I’m in phenomenal company. I extend my warmest congratulations to the other honorees, my deepest thanks to the judges, and my heartiest appreciation to you, my loyal readers.

You can read my winning post, “A Tale of Two Deaths: Losing My Mother to Alzheimer’s, Part I,” by clicking this link. As difficult a subject as this was to write—I posted this last November and found it was too painful to go on—I will be completing the series. My mother deserves to have her story told, and I dedicate my BlogHer VOTY award to her memory.

Catalina Spinach Salad

31 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Food for Thought

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I absolutely love this time of year—late spring, when the lure of the Farmers’ Market beckons. It’s one of our favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning, poking around the richly diverse offerings at the South of the James Market in Richmond. I found a vendor selling fresh organic spinach, and knew straightaway what we’d be having for dinner that night.

This recipe has been in my files for more than three decades. (Sheesh. That makes me sound old. If I said I started making it when I was eight I doubt you’d believe me. Nor should you.) I no longer remember the recipe’s provenance, and I’ve tweaked it enough over the years that I feel comfortable claiming it as my own. Crisp, flavorful, and eminently nutritious, this is the perfect salad for those days when it’s too hot to do anything with the stove other than boil some eggs and fry up some bacon. Enjoy!

Catalina Spinach Salad

1 pound fresh spinach
4 ounce can water chestnuts (optional)
4 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 to 4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into eighths
5 to 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

For the Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt

Wash, rinse, and dry the spinach, then remove the stems and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry the bean sprouts. Toss the ingredients (except for the bacon) together about one-half hour before serving; when ready to serve, add the bacon.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Pour over salad and toss.

Note: If I’m making this salad for just two people, I find it best to toss only what we’ll eat, keeping the remainder of the ingredients unassembled in the refrigerator, since this salad is best when served shortly after preparation. The dressing keeps well in the refrigerator for about a week.

Marge & Sally’s Make-You-Feel-Better Meatloaf

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Food for Thought

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When you’re recovering from an illness or surgery, there’s really nothing like a home-cooked meal to warm your heart and hasten your journey on the road to wellness. John, the Midlife Second Husband, made me a wonderful meal of pork chops, gravy, and egg noodles. My neighbor Marge brought over the meatloaf you see here.

Everyone has a recipe for meatloaf in their files, right? My own, which includes chunks of cheddar cheese, has been my default setting for ages. But Marge’s version of this comfort food has inspired me to vary my repertoire. It was delicious—just the right balance of sweetness and tang. I enjoyed several meatloaf sandwiches for lunches the week after my surgery, with nothing other than ketchup to adorn the bread. I’m craving it even as I type this.

Marge tells me that her daughter Sally really gets the credit for this concoction. By virtue of a happy accident, she once erred by adding sweetened condensed milk instead of simple canned milk to the mix. It was such a hit that she changed the recipe to include her mistake. (Marge tinkered further by splitting the difference to reduce the sweetness factor, as you’ll see below.)

Marge, thanks for bringing this to us during my recovery, and for allowing me to share the recipe on the blog. And Sally, thanks for misreading the recipe!

Marge & Sally’s Make-You-Feel-Better Meatloaf

1-1/2 pounds hamburger
3 tablespoons onion, minced
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix meat mixture with hands or fork and form into a loaf pan.

Topping:
Combine a splash of cider vinegar with
1/3 cup ketchup

Pour topping over meatloaf and bake at 350-degrees for one hour. Serve with
homemade mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Delicious cold, sliced in a sandwich.

Editor’s note: Sally (of Marge & Sally) tells me that the recipe originated from the kitchen of a former First Lady of Virginia—Edwina Dalton, wife of the late Governor John N. Dalton, who served as the Commonwealth’s 63rd governor, from 1978 to 1982.

On a Thin Gold Chain, Mementos from Sissy Spacek’s Extraordinary Life

06 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in The Cultured Life, The Reading Life, The Writing Life, What's the Buzz?

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My Extraordinary Ordinary Life
Sissy Spacek with Maryanne Vollers
288 pages, Hyperion, $26.99

One of the reasons I took a brief sabbatical from the blog is because I was given the distinct honor of interviewing Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. I met her at Selba, a Richmond restaurant, for our interview. Afterwards, we were standing and chatting when I noticed a necklace she was wearing—a thin gold chain from which hung a cluster of charms. I asked her to tell me about them, and I’m awfully glad I did; her answer gave me the lede for my article. The story, “Sissy’s Way,” appears in today’s newspaper (which has a few extras that don’t appear in the online version). I’m pleased to share a link to it here so that you can read about this extraordinary artist. You might also like to check out Jay Strafford’s review of Ms. Spacek’s heartfelt new memoir, My Extraordinary, Ordinary Life.

As a bonus, Ms. Spacek shared a little secret with me. She’s been married to film production designer and art director Jack Fisk for 38 years, so of course you know I just had to ask: “What’s the secret to a happy marriage?” Here’s what she told me:

“Marryin’ the right guy!”

Enjoy the article!

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Orzo with Roasted Vegetables — A ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Recipe

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in Food for Thought

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Cookbook author Ina Garten is my hero. I discovered her years ago on her Food Network program, The Barefoot Contessa, and was immediately captivated not only by the delicious-looking food she prepared, but also by her warmth and hospitality. So many cooking programs give you the impression of having been invited into the host’s kitchen to learn a cooking tip or two; with Ina, you get the sense that she’d invite you to stay after—not to help her clean up, necessarily (although I’d gladly do so), but to chat over coffee and dessert. A decadent, incredible dessert.

The first Ina Garten book I ever purchased (there are four on my shelf) was Barefoot Contessa Parties!. I’ve made my favorites from this book so often that the dog-eared, stained pages have retained their place-memory. The recipe I’m sharing here is found on page 174, and I’d like to thank the publisher, Clarkson Potter/Random House, for giving me permission to do so.

With farmers’ markets opening up for the season, this is the perfect time—and the perfect way—to enjoy the bounties of your region. This is truly one of my favorite dishes to make, and it garners raves each time it appears on my table. (The dressing is so delicious and easy to prepare that it has become my default salad dressing.) I promise you: if you’ve never tried one of Ina’s recipes, this one will get you hooked. You’ll soon start your own collection of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
Copyright © 2001 by Ina Garten. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.
—Serves 6

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis, toasted (see note below)
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

The vegetables, all minced and seasoned and ready to roast

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

TO TOAST PIGNOLIS:

To toast pignolis, place them in a dry sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until evenly browned, tossing frequently.

Where in the World is the Midlife Second Wife?

21 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in The Writing Life, Transitions

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MorgueFile Photo (Credit: Reto Stöckli, NASA Earth Observatory --NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

What do bloggers do when they’re not blogging? Do they travel to Antarctica, where Internet connections are spotty? (I’m assuming this is the case. I’ve never been to Antarctica.) Do they assume new identities and start life anew with a clean blackboard slate in the analog world? Do they suffer from blog withdrawal?

In my case, the last statement is true. But there’s a good reason I haven’t been posting.

I’ve been on assignment for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. As a special correspondent for the paper (which is a nice way of saying that I’m a freelancer and therefore not on staff drawing a reliable salary), I’m working on a high-profile feature article. It’s kept me pretty busy, what with research, preparation, and an hour-long interview with my subject last Saturday. I’m now keeping my head down and my fingers on the keyboard, writing and writing. And writing. I expect the article to come out sometime in May, and I’ll post a link on the blog once it’s been published.

In the meantime, I see we’ve now surpassed 18,000 visitors to the Midlife Second Wife. Thanks for reading, y’all!

Finally, a word about something different you might have noticed about the site. There are a couple of banner ads now appearing on the Midlife Second Wife, and here’s why: My blog is part of an exclusive group approved by WordPress to help beta test their new WordAds program. I hope you don’t find the ads too distracting. In fact, I hope you’ll click on them, because if I understand the idea behind AdChoices correctly, this allows you to have a say in the kind of ads you want to see on the web through interest-based advertising.

In the interest of full disclosure (and revealing my self-interest), I earn a little something each time a visitor clicks on an ad on my site. It might not fund a trip to Antarctica, but it could go a long way to helping me fund this blog. And pay the Internet bill.

I’ll be back soon with new articles, new recipes, and—as promised—a link to my article when it comes out. In the meantime, enjoy beautiful weather, wherever you are.

Love,
The Midlife Second Wife

Of Journalism and Cherry Blossoms

24 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in Indulgences, The Cultured Life, The Writing Life

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A flowering cherry tree, with the Washington Monument in the background.

Our move to Virginia in 2010 situated us less than two hours from Washington, DC. John and I could visit the city one day each month for the rest of our lives (we plan to live until we’re 100 or so) and still never experience all there is to see in this fascinating metropolis. I have been to Washington exactly four times, including yesterday, and—for the first time in my life—I saw the cherry blossoms in bloom.

We spent the day in the Newseum—an extraordinary pilgrimage that I highly recommend, especially if you find the history of print, broadcast, and digital journalism as fascinating as John and I do. As we walked through the exhibits, I thought that although mine is a small life, and my contributions to the published word have been modest, I’m proud of being a writer.

When I began night school back in the 1970s, right after Watergate, I declared journalism as my initial major—All the President’s Men, the book and the film, were influential factors in my decision. I felt a kinship with so much of what I saw yesterday: actual sections of the Berlin Wall; a recreation of Tim Russert’s NBC bureau office;  the 9/11 Gallery, with front pages from around the world chronicling the day’s tragic events; a sobering memorial to journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty. Journalists play such a crucial role in our society—it’s said that they write the first page of history—and sadly, quite often, they place their own lives in peril to do so.

After we left the Newseum, we took the Metro back to Union Station, where we’d parked our car. Before heading home on the highway, we detoured toward the Tidal Basin, which is where you can see the magnificent cherry trees—gifts from Japan to the United States in the early 20th century. An American journalist had a hand in that, too—Eliza Scidmore, who was the first female board member of the National Geographic Society.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is going on now through April 27. If you find yourself in our nation’s capital, I hope you’ll have a chance to appreciate at least one beautiful bloom. And a chance to visit the Newseum, too.