Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter! What are your family Easter food traditions?

My family of origin is of Polish descent. My husband's family is Greek and Italian, but the food traditions are Greek. So every Easter it is Greek lamb and Polish, well, everything else. Desserts are not really a big deal, so we can have fun there. But the lamb is deadly serious. Here is my mother in law, Kay's, recipe for lamb, in the Cordapatis tradition.

Kay's Greek Lamb

Preheat oven to 325o

1 leg of lamb, bone in or out, approx 5-7 lb
Olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
6-7 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley (the curly parsley is fine too)
Juice of 2-3 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
Salt
Pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or a little more if you want

Roasting pan and grate for lamb to sit on. If you don't have the grate, it can sit right in the pan.

Put lamb in roasting pan. Rub lamb with oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a little of the oregano and garlic, if you want. Put lamb into the preheated oven, uncovered. Time for about 25min a pound. (Internal temp should be about 140oF or warmer if you like it more brown than pink inside)

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add onions and sauté on med low heat until translucent. Add rest of garlic and cook till fragrant (1 min or so). Add parsley and rest of oregano. When parsley is a bit cooked, add lemon and warm through.

Baste lamb with onion mixture several times in last hour of cooking.

Save pan drippings and make gravy. I usually serve with mashed potatoes and whatever side dishes you like. Traditionally, there should be hard boiled eggs died red.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Secondhand Smoke

A little anecdotal information about secondhand smoke - just in case it can help someone.  My Dad is a cigar smoker.  (Info on the dangers of cigar smoking here.)  Usually, my exposure to secondhand smoke is limited, but while vacationing together, I have been the recipient of quite a bit of secondhand smoke.  It is hard for me to believe this, but after just a few days I have a scratchy throat, dizziness, a bad headache, a heaviness in my chest and nauseousness.  This is just after a few days.   I am bringing this up not to get anyone to feel sorry for me!  I just want to let smokers know that their smoking can profoundly affect others, even if the exposure is limited.  The research on the effects of smoking are profound, as are the effects on others who are exposed to secondhand smoke. 

The bedroom I am staying in is upstairs above the TV room, and I have a fan going and the windows open, and a towel under the door, but the smoke still makes it in.  For those parents who think they are protecting their kids with the same types of precautions, think again.  Smoke rises, smoke is a vapor that can permeate smaller spaces than we can, so the logical things we might do to block smoke may not be good enough.

Ready to quit smoking?  Call me (201-394-2319 - I am an hypnotherapist/psychotherapist who specializes in smoking cessation) or get this book or enroll in Allen Carr's Easy Way.

Do it now.

PS - I finally got up the nerve to tell my Dad about how the cigar smoke is making me feel and he apologized and put it out! I should have told him before!!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Sunny Florida

Enjoying a few days in warm Florida with some of my family members.  We have had some nice times and a good visit! 
look left


look down
look right
At the ballpark