We Salute You

I was in a South Carolina airport, checking my bags and getting ready to fly to another performance, when I saw people pouring out of the main terminal. A large group was dressed in vintage costumes, Rolling Thunder bikers were everywhere, there seemed to be a dozen color gaurds and a brass band was playing. There were hundreds of people, young and old, gathered together to welcome the returning soldiers. I told Yoni we needed to get more gigs in South Carolina. There was a group of WWII  veterans back from a trip to Washington DC. It was beautiful and wonderful and fun. I was overwhelmed with the commitment the community had to honoring people who protect us every day. When I asked if they did the same thing for veterans returning from current tours of duty, they explained they didn't. It just made me think for a while.

We have men and women who have served 2, 3 4,7 or 10 tours of duty. We have a much smaller force doing a lot more time on the battle field. I have close friends who serve in all branches of the military. Shiloh discovered one of his friends, Orrin Williams died this past week after many tours of duty when a roadside bomb detonated and killed him. Today, much of the work traditionally done by service men and women is done by contractors being paid 4, 5, or 10 times as much as our men and women in uniform. When I realized this glorious display in South Carolina was only something that was done for veterans of previous wars, I was concerned. Whether or not a military engagement is popular, we owe our lives and our country's freedom to the women and men who leave their loved ones and families at very low pay to protect you and me. When they return, there aren't big celebrations. There are few parades and little public fanfare. Veterans' mental health needs are frequently unmet, their healthcare is often deficient, many soldiers families have needed to subsidize their income with welfare while others are going to the war zone to get rich. I have nothing against making money. But let's consider who we're rewarding and for what. My continuous prayers are with our men and women in uniform and the families who patiently wait for them. Here's to peace and prosperity and the people who make it possible. We salute you.

A Jolly Holiday

Here it is, people, The (belated) Halloween Money Shot(s):

Mary Poppins, Bert, and a wee waddling penguin

Aren't they too much? I die. Also, these go on file under easiest costumes ever. The whole communal ensemble was shopped from their closets. Willa's penguin hat was a very thoughtful gift from Momo, saving me from at least 10 minutes of hot glue gun frustration. Phinny's penguin hat was also a gift from Momo -- she brought it back from Japan a couple years ago, and it is officially my favorite souvenir ever.

On a related note, have you watched Mary Poppins lately? We've (obviously) been on a little kick. And I have to say re-watching it after 20 years totally blew my mind. I'd forgotten -- or more likely, never appreciated -- how beautiful and profound the story really is. When Mr. Banks finally breaks, and realizes what a treasure his children are, I just burst into tears. It reminds me what an unbelievable privilege it is to have this time with my sweet little people, and how incredibly fortunate we are that their daddy is first and foremost a lover of munchkins, magic, and monsters - and a super-serious, hard-nosed banker-lawyer-man mostly only during business hours (mostly). We're the luckiest. Go watch Mary Poppins. It will make you smile.

Some Important Safety Reminders for Holiday Travel

I'm usually guilty of ignoring the pre-flight safety brief, but I could watch this one over and over again.

Crying, people who cry and one of the best things ever to come from crying.

I ascended the kitchen stairs and my eyes began to sting. When I arrived at the half door, I saw my mother standing above the cutting board with tears streaming down her face. This could only mean one thing and it was oh so wonderful. Mom was making her French Onion Soup. There are two things my mother cooks better than anyone else: French Onion Soup and moussaka. If you can get a dinner invitation when she makes either of these, someone in the Universe must be happy with you. Over the years, I have tried to no avail to recreate my mother's soup. So this spring when my friend Julie had a baby, I wanted to make her french onion soup. But when I realized I didn't have enough of the spicy, sharp bulbs, I tried something else. The result was quite remarkable. A soup with a completely different flavor profile than French Onion Soup (capitalized out of reverence for the dish). I started with the long-sauteed onions that are the base of the onion soup. From there, the paths of these two recipes diverge. 

Recipe continues in more detail after the jump

Charity's American Onion Cauliflower Kale Soup

If you want a slightly different texture and a sweeter flavor, place cauliflower florets in a roasting pan before you begin cooking with some olive oil, thyme, sugar, salt and garlic. Bake until browned and add to soup before serving.

6 medium onions

6 stalks kale

6 large cauliflower curds, broken up into medium pieces

3 cloves garlic

1 large can pale ale*

equal amount apple juice

equal amount vegetable or chicken broth

4 thick pieces crusty, whole wheat bread -- it's best if it's a little stale

2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 stick butter

Thyme, Molasses, Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter. Add a dash of salt. Sautee onions on medium heat until caramelized -- this will probably take 15 to 20 minutes.

Add equal parts pale ale, apple juice and broth. Let simmer for 35 minutes. Cut kale and cauliflower into slightly bigger than bite sized pieces. Place kale and cauliflower into soup and simmer for 15 more minutes (lid on). 

Meanwhile, grate cheddar cheese and turn on broiler (you can also do this part in a toaster oven). Cut up bread into large crouton sized pieces and cover in grated cheese. Put bread with cheese under broiler. Leave til bubbly and slightly brown -- between 45 seconds and two minutes, depending on how strong your broiler is. Remove from oven. Serve into large bowls.

 Place four or five croutons in each bowl. Should serve four people.

Excellent with hungry husbands or other famished guests.

Serves 4 entree soups and 8 starter soups.

Uncostumed? Ask 5.

We got a note from the folks over at Paul Fredrick asking us for some low-stress/high-reward Halloween costume ideas. But they already had some pretty good ideas, which made us think their email was just a backhanded way of rubbing their dumb creativity in our faces. This naturally made us feel super jelly and, consequently, hyper competitive. And that's why we wrote this post. If any of you guys haven't already devoted hours of careful concept development, stringent dress rehearsing, and tender sequin application to your All Hallow's Eve getup this year, seriously reconsider your priorities. Also, enjoy these last minute ideas for some last minute Halloween costumes from your favorite procrastinators (and if you end up wearing any of them, send us pictures at fivetdsisters@gmail.com)!

Kimber: "Future Wes Anderson character." Look in closet for any and all monochromatic clothing. Add contrasting (or coordinating) head gear, simple yet intense eye makeup, and severe hair. Name your character (good options included: Nan, Flossie, Mrs. Greoter, Dimple), and tell people it's a character from Wes Anderson's new movie. Not this one. People will either a) think you're in the know, or b) think you are quite clever. 

Charity: I always have grand plans for Halloween, but they typically don't work out. My friend Sarah Ward is a master of costuming and I recommend you check out some of her ideas. But here are a few thoughts from yours truly.

A pumpkin head. Cut a pathetic hole in the bottom of a large pumpkin along with eye holes (optional). Clean out pumpkin. Place on your head. Dress in black or jeans and flannel.

A dog. Tube socks make perfect ears when attached to a headband. Put on white, grey or black sweats, attach another tube sock to your fanny for a tail. Give your nose some attention from your eyeliner and make the tip a little black triangle, put on some freckles and Voila. You're a dog.

Fall down a hill in SF, scrape up your knee and wrap it up in gauze and surgical tape. Wait. Don't to that. I did that. It's not a good costume

Liberty: (1) Dress up like a panda* (for me this means black pants and sweatshirt, the fuzzy white faux-fur vest Momo got me last year, two buns for ears and HEAVY eyeliner).
(2) Cover panda costume with a large black sack.
(3) Pin a sign to the sack reading "Due to the shutdown of the federal government the Smithsonian National Zoo's Panda Cam will be offline until further notice."
*actual panda costume optional.

Mercina: We couldn't get in touch with Mercina in time for her to contribute to this post, but we're pretty sure we know what she would have suggested.


Glorianna: A famous person running errands. Wear what you always wear, but say that you're dressed as [insert name-of-that-one-celebrity-you've-always-kind-of-thought-you-look-sort-of-like here] when they're at the the grocery store or renewing their driver's license. People won't be able to help but say "Oh! Wow! I definitely see where you're getting that from. You guys have the exact same [smile / build / eyes / eyebrows / nostrils / hat / number of fingers]." Abracadabra: you spend the night feeling Hollywood handsome (it's cool, girls can be handsome too) after putting no extra effort into your appearance. Double success.

Have a question? Ask 5. You'll have a 1 in 5 chance that 

someone will see it your way!

Just send your questions to:

fivetdsisters@gmail.com

Opium Pie

Sunday evening, the entire DC TD clan gathered at Mimo's house for a massive potluck. A missionary serving in another local congregation grew up in the same Hungarian village as our great-grandfather, so we decided to muster our collective culinary bravado to help him feel at home. Momo was in town, and she turns every gathering into a party. But, even by our spoiled standards, this particular night had a magic alchemy -- sour cream flowed like the Danube, the seven little cousins performed a mini concert, and we all sang Hungarian hymns. And then we sang a few bawdy folk songs. We laughed until we cried trying to decipher polyglottal puns and remembering happy times, people we love and endless fields of Carpathian sunflowers.

For the occasion, I made my take on classic mákos pite. A friend of my grandmother's once called this rich poppy seed cake "opium pie," and the name stuck. I twisted the traditional recipe a bit, adding cream cheese to the shortbread and abandoning the egg wash for a crumblier top. The results are pretty sophisticated -- my kids aren't quite sure yet whether they love it. But it was a home run with everyone over the age of seven. Which actually works out pretty well. 

For the shortbread crust:

1 stick butter  
2/3 c. sugar
1 block cream cheese

2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. Kosher salt

Cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Mix in the flour until it's just combined into a soft dough. Split your dough into two uneven discs, roughly 70/30, cover them with plastic and pop them in the fridge while you make the filling. This is probably also a good time to preheat your oven to 350*.

For the filling:

1 1/2 c. poppy seeds
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. cream

2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/3 c. dried fruit (I used a mix of Craisins and apricots)

Since Hungarian sweets use poppy seeds in such massive quantities, it's really important to grind them. I used my BlendTec, and it did a great job. If your blender happens to be less powerful than a lawnmower, I think you could probably use a wheat or coffee grinder, or maybe a food processor with a steel blade. Whatever your weapon of choice, give the poppy seeds and the sugar a whirl until it is ground medium-fine (you should see it change color to a lighter, dustier purple). Put this in a medium saucepan, add everything else except the fruit, and turn your burner to low. While that heats up, give the fruit a quick spin in the blender, then add it to your concoction on the stove. Turn up the heat to medium, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly until you get a rich, black jam-like mess. If it doesn't taste awesome, tweak your mixture with more sugar, lemon, cream or something else delicious...

While the poppy seeds cool a bit, press your larger lump of dough into the bottom of a well-greased 8"x8" baking pan. Spread the poppy filling in a nice, thick layer on top, leaving a 1/4 border around the edge. Crumble the remaining dough, and smush in an additional 2 Tbs. soft butter, and 1/4 c. sugar, so every morsel has some sparkle. Scatter these frosty bits over the top, and pop that baby in the oven. Check them after 30 minutes or so -- you want the top to be slightly browned, but the bottom crust as pale as possible. I ended up lightly broiling mine for a couple minutes, because I was worried the bottom would burn. Let it cool, then slice into squares. For maximum enjoyment, you should do this between bites.

The Book Barn

This morning I went on a delightful little birthday outing with a few delightful friends. We ventured out from the familiar (if not exactly safe) embrace of New Haven up to The Book Barn in Niantic. It was like a happy dream -- thousands of old books organized into different little stalls and carts across a block or so of property (crime novels in this shanty, classics across the way on that wagon, etc.), interspersed with benches for reading and cats for petting. Can you imagine anything better?

(If you can, then maybe we can't be really good friends.)

I picked up quite a few dollar tomes I've been meaning to read but haven't had on hand, as well as some other books I hadn't known I'd been meaning to read but now realize I definitely had to have been. If you find yourself in the proximate neighborhood of the Connecticut coast, I can't recommend this little bibliophile's paradise highly enough. To fully optimize your experience, I would suggest going on a crisp yet sunny autumn afternoon while wearing a scratchy wool sweater and sipping from a thermos full of hot cider.