Monday
Apr122010
Just Do It
It's a bit of a rocky road, but worth it in the end:
- Feel sick over the weekend (or face some major failure or disappointment). You'll have ample reason to feel sorry for yourself.
- Drag yourself to Safeway with your two young children and let your seven-year-old talk you into buying artichokes.
- Will these artichokes to be the tightest, biggest, most gorgeous specimens you've seen in a long while. Especially for your neighborhood Safeway, which usually resembles a 7-Eleven.
- Drag your two young children up to Urgent Care to get a different prescription and spend a long time on the phone with the consulting nurse after being told the wait to see a doctor is FOUR HOURS.
- Come home and put the giant artichokes in the steamer. Let your children watch a ridiculous movie on Netflix while you fold six loads of laundry.
- For the dipping sauce, melt an entire cube of butter, add one minced garlic clove and the juice of one small lemon. Embrace such falsehoods as "I'll use the extra butter for tomorrow's dinner!," or "The children are really eating a lot these days!"
- Witness with wonder how you and the kids rip into those artichokes--the dipping, licking, sucking, grabbing glory of it all.
- Stop feeling sorry for yourself and love this moment at the end of the day--in sickness or in health, for butter or for worse, at the table together.
It's artichoke season. Go find a few and feast.
April 12, 2010
Reader Comments (14)
MMMMM. I love artichokes. They (and asparagus) are on my "specialty" veggie list because they are so expensive. I eye them in the store and can't bring myself to spend $2 each.Those look SO great!
What a great reminder of the wonder of artichokes! I love mine with mayo for dipping, I'm going to the new Fresh and Easy store that is right on my way home and checking out the produce!
Hmm.... this all sounds way too familiar. Even the artichoke part.
Just watched Martha Stewart and her guest chef trim artichokes, as easily as peeling an apple.
I love them, but am afraid that I will f... them up! I order them every time I am out during the spring season!
Ok Ok! You talked me into it! I will go buy some artichokes right now!
You productively loved me this weekend.
ooooo. I saw artichokes at the store today and did not buy, but now I am really wishing I had. Good to run into you at the library the other day!
ok, so I don't wander the aisles of the grocery store and hear children begging their mothers for artichokes. this would only be YOUR child - and a lucky little bugger he is.
OK I think I will , just do it! What's the worse thing that could happen to me huh?
Yum. Can't remember the last time I had an artichoke. Love the "embrace such falsehoods" part. You are funny.
for butter or for worse! HA!!!
i just said to mom, who is obviously visiting..."before you leave we MUST make preserved lemons!" came to your site and the title, "just do it" was perfect (because i've been talking about recreating those easy scrumptious morsels for a while). and then we proceeded to laugh (and of course feel deep compassion) through your entire post. i just love having these moments with ya dear girl.
here's to butter and beyond!
xoxo
I found "frost-tipped" artichokes for $1 apiece this morning at my local produce place this morning. Yeah! I make a lovely creamed artichoke soup but only when I can get the 5 artichokes I need at $1 apiece. I usually get about 4 batches made during the short season when I can get them at that price. Friends and family line up!
OK, so what was the ridiculous movie? I let my kids watch that stupid Alvin & the Chipmunks thing the other day. If I could take back any 90 minutes of their young lives, it would be those 90 minutes. Why do the girl chipmunks have to be sexy? If that's possible.
Hope you're feeling better.
In my family, we stuff them with breadcrumbs, garlic and cheese. So yummy! Thanks for the reminder that they are in season!
You go, girl. Works like this in my home, too. I love artichokes with abandon, but can't handle the mess. It's my 5 y.o. who always talks me into buying them. And I love him dearly for it.