Kitty's Scratch Pad

My friend Megan

My friend Megan recently went through a big change.  My friend Megan used to be my friend Michael. 

As you can imagine, when we found out, it was a pretty big surprise.  The funny part is, it really wasn't a big deal.  It was the typical, "have a seat, we need to tell you something", intro.  At that moment my heart  sank into the depths of my stomach and my throat instantly knotted up with the dread that someone was terminally ill.  Something horrible was about to be announced...  Instead, something exciting was announced.  When Michael explained to us that he was transgender and planning to transition to Megan I felt 1,000 lbs fall from my shoulders.  It was the craziest sense of empathy I think I have ever experienced. 

I will not go into great detail about all of this.  Megan has graciously and articulately composed her own blog about the experience and she continues to post quite regularly.  I encourage you to check it out.  I will however rant for just a minute about a recent comment she felt compelled to respond to.

So here's the thing...  While I realize one might feel compelled to answer this comment, I think it should be said that you have no obligation to defend your decisions.  To the commenter, it saddens me to think that you have missed how life really works and it pains me to know that there are people out there as close-minded as yourself.  I know it is overplayed but this is analogous to oxygen masks on airplanes.  You always put your mask on first before helping anyone else.  Life is about a lot of things including happiness and if you are unhappy, then your world is unhappy.

When I became a single parent I put everything I had into my son.  I thought it was the right thing to do.  The responsible thing to do.  In the end, I was absolutely miserable.  I then spent the next couple of years figuring out ways to balance my happiness with being a good parent which wasn't always easy.  What I found during this process was my support group.  My friends and family that came to the rescue so I could go on a date or become a rafting guide or go on one of my many adventures.  And what this did for my son was allow him time with those that helped and also see mom as a well-adjusted, happy person.

While I realize there are many people out there that don't necessarily approve of Megan's decision, I implore you to search yourselves before you pass judgment.  People change themselves all the time and are rarely judged.  For crap sake, don't we always tell our children that what matters is what is on the inside?  I beg to differ with this commenter and truly believe that Megan is raising a very well adjusted family that can take on adversity and get by on what they hold most closely which is love.  It is pretty inspirational if you ask me. 

Homemade Ice Cream

I am responsible for dessert on Christmas day.  I decided to finally get through my stack of unread food magazines.  Not only has Bon Appetit changed their look and feel for the New Year, they also have a great collection of bests.  One being brown butter and included in their list of recipes was one for brown butter ice cream with peanut brittle.  It is funny something so old, so simple and so good is now cool and hip.  Our friend Dana wrote a great post which is worth the read.  While Bon Appetit has some great recipes that include brown butter, it doesn't go into the great detail on how to make it.

The recipe itself is very simple.  I did omit the peanut brittle with the idea of not distracting from the very simple but complex flavor of the butter.  Making the ice cream however is not quite so simple.  The problem lies in using a good ice cream maker.  I checked out the reviews on Cooks Illustrated and it looks like the newer version of our Krups Automatic Ice-Cream Maker is the best for the canister models and is only around $40.  The 'Cadillac' is the Musso Stainless Steel Lussino Ice Cream Maker and is a cool $700. 

So the question remains, do we really need an ice cream maker that expensive?  The Krups turned out a very soft batch which I had to put back in the freezer to harden.  I suppose the jury is still out however, an upgrade to the newer Krups model might be a more fiscally reasonable solution.

You're not too fat for fashion...

I had a really fat night last Thursday getting ready for the annual holiday party.  Poor Alex was beside himself.  What does a boyfriend do?  It is sort of shitty (even when it is completely sincere) for him to say, "honey, you're not fat."  To him, thankfully, I know I am beautiful.  But to me, it drives me C-R-A-Z-Y when my big outfit plans fall to pieces.  I ordered a dress online from Nordy's and it didn't arrive until the day before the party.  Because I am S-M-A-R-T I also picked up a beautiful long skirt from Ann Taylor just in case.  The only problem was, I never figured out what to do for a top.  The other problem was, I didn't have time to alter the skirt.  So, I spent what seemed like an hour (or ten hours if you are Alex), pouting and getting upset that nothing seemed to work.  I pulled out old dresses and even those were fitting like crap.  At one point, I just laid on the bed half dressed and announced I wasn't going.  For those that know me, these kind of antics are rare.  I am not high maintenance unless it is expected that I need to be.  Holiday parties, auctions, parties etc..  They stress me out.  In the end I pulled it together but it was painful!

Lately my wardrobe has been boring.  I have spent the last couple of weeks adding some "flare".  I love classic looks but then I also like messing with them by adding a bright accessory.  Maybe a chunky ring or perhaps some fun, colorful kicks.  For me, shopping is a challenge.  I am 5'3" (on a good day) and I have no waist.  My inseam is 26", my bra size is a 40C and I am size 14-16. Talk about fun.  It takes me time to put outfits together.  It also takes me shopping at a LOT of different stores to get the right combination.  It is a real challenge finding not only clothes that fit but clothes that don't make me look like my grandmother.  I found this blog while browsing and I thought it was great.  I love, love, love seeing beautiful full figured women strutting their stuff in designer gear.  I also thought I would put together a little list of some of the places I go to find things that work for my really complicated body.

1. J Crew - Stores are starting to carry more XL and you can find size 16 online.  They also started a personal shopping service and so far it has been very helpful for me.

2. Anthropologie - Lots of great things in the store.  A lot of the designers come in XL in the store and you can find pants online in size 16 as well.  You also cannot beat their return policies.

3. Nordstrom - Use their personal shoppers people!  The service is free and most consultants are happy to work with you.  They like challenges.  While they are commissioned, I haven't heard of any case where they are too pushy.  For work, I shop a lot in in their Individualist department.  Vallette is an incredible new label exclusive to Nordstrom and designed by Marcus Brown that is worth checking out.

4. Barneys - The Co-Op usually has great knits in size Large that work.  You can never go wrong with make-up and accessories here either ;)

5. Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft - Some stores carry up to size 16 in the store.  Great place for dress pants.  They have a number of different fits for different body shapes.

6. Chantelle, Le Mystere, Felina and Natori - All great lingerie brands that don't look like your grandmothers bra. 

Eloping

e·lope [ i lṓp ] (past and past participle e·loped, present participle e·lop·ing, 3rd person present singular e·lopes)

Definition:  leave secretly to get married (or buy replacement Zune): to go away suddenly (or buy replacement Zune) without telling anyone

My purse was stolen a couple months back.  Inside my purse was my Zune, 2 pair of Prada sunglasses, my BlackBerry 8800 and wallet among other small ticket items.  Luckily I still had my renters insurance and was able to make a claim.  Unfortunately, my check was less the $500 deductible and depreciation.  That is right, the insurance company depreciated my sunglasses.  The ironic thing is that they are worth more now then they were when purchased a few years ago.  Don't they know Prada? The only fortuitous outcome of this entire ordeal was the second release of the Zune.  I was so excited to see they finally figured out how to make a smaller flash version.  I was also excited to see I could customize mine through the Zune Originals site.  Same price and free shipping plus an array of cool art.  I added my tag KatFood to the top.  I did that because I assume the next time my purse is stolen, I may notice that the person sitting on the bus next to me is carrying my Zune.  Then I can kick their ass and get my Zune back.  Stranger things have happened... My first impression is WOW.  The device itself is super sexy.  The out of box experience was great.  They even customized the packaging for the Originals - I am a total sucker for thoughtful and hip marketing.  The software update is pretty good.  There are a bunch of things I would do to make it better but it is a definite improvement.  I am also a huge fan of the subscription service.  Still not as many artists as iTunes but it is improving and it is cool that they have opened up the addition of podcasts and video.  After a few tries, I was able to get the wireless sync to work and it is pretty cool especially since I keep my charger at work.  The new touch pad is cool and I like it better than the wheel on the iPod. The biggest complaint I have is the thing keeps crashing.  I don't understand.  I really want to love this thing.  I was excited to elope and the honeymoon has been good except for this one sort of big thing.  I cannot figure it out and am just hoping there is an update SOON. Conclusion: V3 might not suck

The recipes that worked

This Thanksgiving we did the usual get together with all of our friends and family.  This year Michael and Anh were gracious enough to host in their beautiful new home with one of the best views in the city.  In the past it seems that some folks have been stuck on trying to find ways to screw with tradition.  One year it was turkey dinner deconstructed.  We served everything tasting menu style.  It was exhausting.  To make things even more interesting, we did it at our friends house in their Kosher kitchen.  I can't tell you how many times Hillel would say, "no stop!  That is the milk board".  The year before that, Alex made Turduckin.  That was a ridiculous amount of work.  This year, we kept it simple.  I was so happy.  I ended up making one of the stuffings and three desserts. 

Pear and Macadamia Nut Stuffing

1 lbs European Butter, 1 Cup Onion (coarsely chopped), 1/4 Cup Shallots (finely chopped), 1/2 to 1 Whole Bulb Garlic (finely chopped), 1 Cup Carrots (coarsely chopped), 1 Cup Celery (coarsely chopped), 1 Tbs Rosemary, 1 Tbs Thyme, 1Tbs Sage (all fresh and finely chopped), 3/4 Cup Macadamia Nuts (coarsely chopped), 3 Hard Bosc Pears (cored and coarsely chopped), 2 Loaves Artisan Bread (cut or torn into 1 inch squares), 2-3 Cups Chicken Broth, 2-3 Tsp Kosher salt

Melt butter in large stock pot over medium heat.  Add onions, shallots, rosemary, thyme, sage, carrots, celery and garlic.  Stir until onions are translucent.  Add pears, macadamia nuts and bread.  Add stock 1 cup at a time until bread is wet but not too soggy. 

This can be prepared one day in advance.  I usually prep everything and use zip-lock bags a couple nights before and then prepare a day ahead.  Place stuffing in a large casserole pan and bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or until warm all the way through. 

Desserts in order of yum:

Pumpkin Plum Tart

 

Ricotta Tart with Dried Fruit Compote

Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie