I went to a wedding yesterday. My son Chris was
the best man-- the groom is one of five guys that used to "live" at my house
when they were growing up, even straight through their teen years. The
groom, A. J., was so used to being here he would come in and head straight for
the refrigerator to see what was good in there!! This is the last one
of my "boys" to get married. Next step I will be knitting baby blankets!!
The wedding was beautiful. The reception was fun,
the food was good and we danced the night away. Today my feet and hips
are reminding me that I am 58 years old, for goodness sake! How did that
happen?
I wonder myself where the years went, Karen. Your mention
about the groom "living" at your house and in your refrigerator reminded me of when
my kids were in their teens. We had a next-door neighbor with six kids ranging
from older to younger than mine. One girl, in her teens, was watching
her weight and didn't like to eat her mother's high-calorie cooking.
My own youngest daughter sometimes fled our house depending on what was being served
(herring omelet, lentil stew, pig's feet, tripe soup, things she was seriously allergic
to like seafood, pears, green peppers and lots more....). The girls had milk-crate
steps over the fence and whenever one or the other didn't like their mama's offerings,
over the fence and next door with them. Cathy ate about a quarter of her meals
over there, and Maria Jauregui about a quarter of her meals here. I can't
say that either Mama Jauregui nor I were overjoyed about it, but whatever kept the
girls happy and well-nourished, right?
Karen continues:
Fall is fast approaching and my garden is coming to
an end. The recipe I'm contributing today for
Penne with Shrimp
and Summer Vegetables is representative of most
of my garden vegetable recipes in my up and coming cookbook. You'll note
that I did open up a can of diced tomatoes. That was because I was in
a hurry the day I created this recipe and didn't want to take the time to peel
and dice tomatoes from my garden. When I do use my own in cooking, I like
to use the Roma plum tomatoes. They are meaty and contain less water and
seeds. I usually peel them although I know some sources say you don't
need to do that. It's true that leaving the skins on will give you more
fiber and nutrition. Let's just say it's a personal preference thing--
I don't care for the "mouth feel" of tomato skins in my sauce, as much like
I don't care for egg shells in my egg salad! I hope you enjoy this
summer's end recipe.
