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There’s Something About Spring

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When Love is in the Air

It’s not just the weekly cascade of colors transforming the landscape that I love about Spring. It’s the sweet scents, especially the smell of lilacs – the scent of love.

A whiff of lilacs carries me back to May 1984. On a warm, humid night, I opened the door of my red brick apartment and was greeted with a bunch of freshly cut lilacs. Behind the soft purple lilacs was a tall man with sparkling eyes of blue.

“These are for you,” he said, as I took the flowers from his arms.

Forty years later, I can still smell those lilacs.

That handsome date of mine is now my husband. Every May, when the lilacs bloom along our white cottage, their sweet fragrance always reminds me of that fresh feeling of falling in love.

Back Stories

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The most wonderful gift was delivered to my doorstep on Christmas Eve – a box of family photographs spanning more than 60 years from my deceased aunt’s vast collection.

Christmas Eve dinner was put on hold as I took a quick journey through my past and my family’s days of yore. Sorting through the tiny black and white images and fading color Polaroids, I was struck by the bittersweet ‘back’ stories of these pictures: the shadowed truth and reality not evident in the bright eyes and the warm smiles of the people in the pictures.

There were pictures of Christmas Eve 1969, unwrapping presents with my cousins around their tinsel-draped tree and entertaining the grownups with Christmas carols. That Christmas, the best gift I received was my family together again after a painful separation between my parents.

I didn’t know then that this would be the last Christmas gathering for our big
family or that a few months later, I would have to say goodbye to my inseparable cousin, my first best friend. My parents needed to mend their broken marriage and moved our family from Chicago to El Paso, TX, for a fresh start.

My parents eventually divorced after more than 20 years of marriage and six  children. Their love just wasn’t strong enough to overcome their differences and their troubled past. With few memories of my parents as a happy couple, I cherish lifting and gazing upon a photo taken of them in a park against a backdrop of flowers. They were courting, their arms around each other, looking at the world through the eyes of love.

I am so grateful for these family photographs and the back stories of my life that come flashing forward when I look at them, even the not-so-happy ones. They remind me that the bond of love between my husband and me is the best gift that we could have ever given each other, and our children.

Summer’s End Salsa

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When softball-sized tomatoes are bursting on the vines and the last of the sweet yellow corn has been picked, you know that summer is coming to an end.

Here on the Jersey Shore, saying goodbye to the sun-drenched days of summer is never easy. It’s our reward for toughing it out through snowy winters and rainy springs, and we yearn for the good times of summer all year long.

Savor summer with this zesty roasted corn salsa. Perfect for those over-ripe tomatoes and leftover ears of grilled corn. It freezes well so you can enjoy a sweet taste of summer on a cold winter night.  

Ingredients

5 large ripe tomatoes, quartered (Beefsteak or Jersey Tomatoes)

1 large Vidalia onion, diced

4 Poblano peppers

3 ears of fresh corn (or leftover grilled corn)

½ cup olive oil

4 toes of garlic, crushed

½ cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

Fire up your grill to about 400-450 degrees. While the grill is heating, husk the corn and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt; quarter tomatoes, place in cast iron pan or pan that can go directly on the grill, sprinkle with the salt, add the garlic, onions and olive oil. When the grill is ready, roast the tomato and onion mixture for 15-20 minutes or until the skins fall off and the tomatoes are soft. While the tomatoes are roasting, turn the ears of corn until they are nicely roasted and roast the poblanos until the skins blister. Remove from the grill. Slice the corn off the cobs. Remove the stem, seeds and skin from the poblanos and dice. Toss all of the roasted ingredients in a large blow. Mix well; add cilantro and salt to taste.

Enjoy warm or cold. Great with crunchy tortilla chips, warm tortillas (add a little Monterrey Jack cheese for extra yumminess) or over fish, chicken and beef. You can also freeze in mason jars.   

What to do with ripe tomatoes and leftover corn? Fire up the grill and roast up Summer's End Salsa.

What to do with ripe tomatoes and leftover corn? Fire up the grill and roast up Summer’s End Salsa.

 

Love at First Bark

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Remi, the little Frenchie, came bounding into our life two years ago.
His owner was going through a difficult period and asked if we could take care of his beloved 2-year old French Bulldog for a month or so. My immediate response was an emphatic “no.” The thought of being tied-down with a dog that needed to be fed and walked multiple times a day, didn’t appeal to me in the least, especially since my husband and I were happily empty nesting.
My Mr. Nice Guy husband, who is always willing to help someone out, felt otherwise and asked if I would at least meet the dog. I agreed,
warning the entire car ride to meet Remi that I had no intention of changing my mind.
What happened next on that gray Sunday afternoon in February took me by surprise. The door opened and there was little Remi snorting loudly through his pug nose and greeting us on his hind legs, jumping up and down as if there were springs in his feet. I squatted down to pet him and wound up cross-legged on the floor with all 25 pounds of Remi in my lap, covering every inch of my neck and face with wet kisses.
In a matter of minutes, I caved. I heard myself asking all sorts of questions: “what does he eat, how often does he go out, when can we pick him up?”
The next day, Remi moved into our home and hearts. The things that I thought I would dread the most, such as early morning walks, became a welcome routine.
Winter turned into Spring and Remi was still with us. His owner needed more time and we were happy to oblige. We were planning our summer around Remi when we got the call that it was time for him to go back home.
Knowing that dreaded day would eventually come, sadly, we retuned Remi with all the things we had acquired to make him feel at home – a snuggly bed, a Tuffy toy and boxes of all-natural treats (only the best for Remi).
Just as quickly as he became part of our life, he was gone, and we missed him terribly.
After a couple of weeks of moping, we set out to adopt a dog of our own. We visited the local animal shelter and searched online, and eventually found a Frenchie that was abandoned in Philadelphia and rescued by a nonprofit group of veterinarians in Delaware. We drove 2 hours to meet “Spock,” a deaf bulldog, that looked alot like Remi.
The vets were pleased we wanted to give Spock a home, since deaf dogs are difficult to place, and just needed to make a home visit to ensure we were the right fit.
Not 10 minutes after we made the appointment for the visit, my husband got a phone call from Remi’s family asking if we could take him back. This time, when my husband asked, I didn’t hesitate to answer with a desperate “yes,” but only if it was permanent.
Less than an hour later, Remi was back. We were overjoyed to be a family again. Spock found his forever family too.
The love we give to and the love we receive from Remi is the of kind of love that makes me whole in my heart.

Salsa Time All the Time

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For lots of people, ketchup is the king of the condiments, but in our casita it’s all about the homemade salsa. We’re talking red, saucy goodness laced with fresh cilantro, sweet onion, and pickled jalapenos. We heap it on our eggs, toss it on tacos, scoop it on veggies and simmer it in sauces. And best of all, we dip our crunchy tortilla chips into bottomless bowls of my border style salsa.

When I left my El Paso home, one of the things I missed most was the great Mexican food always accented with variations of green and red salsas. For a taste of home, I came up with my own salsa recipe with a mix of ingredients that I’ve been able to find no matter where my heart has traveled.

It takes just 10 minutes to make.

Here goes:

1 can (28 ounce) plum tomatoes, reserve liquid

1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped

2-3 pickled jalapenos, coarsely chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro (no stems), coarsely chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp.dried oregano

In food processor or blender, combine reserved tomato liquid, onion, cilantro and jalapenos. Pulse several times. Add tomatoes, garlic, salt and oregano. Pulse to desire consistency. If you like it hot, add another jalapeno.

Keeps for 7-10 days in the fridge.

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Two Voices as One

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Twenty nine years ago today, I took the biggest leap of my life when I married my husband. Of course, I didn’t see it that way when we took our vows in a garden ceremony before a small gathering of family and friends at my El Paso, Texas home.
To our friends and families, we were rushing it. We had barely known each other six months – three of which included a separation of 1,000 miles – when we decided we wanted to spend our lives together. “Are you sure about this?” my friends asked. “Don’t you think you should get to know each other a little longer?”
Our wedding announcement even made the front page of the local Lifestyle section at the New Jersey newspaper where we met with a headline that read: “Register plays Cupid for newsroom romance.”
Understandably, there was an undercurrent of doubtful grumbling on that beautiful Saturday night in the desert when we vowed to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. For me, nothing was more certain than our love, and I couldn’t wait to begin my life with this amazing guy with a guitar slung over his back, who made my heart sing.
It was a leap of faith we both took on June 8, 1985 – based on a deep commitment to one another. We are still leaping. Through all the twists and turns – kids, careers, relocations, sickness, death – love is the music of our life.

Dedicated to Bob Rubino. Thanks for encouraging me over the speed bump! Ap

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