Anecdotes and More

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Semi-Takeout for Dinner

I prefer to serve home-cooked meals to my family, as opposed to take-out.  It’s generally healthier and it tastes better.  It’s also a huge money-saver.  Buying prepared foods on a regular basis will eat into your budget (no pun intended).

But—come on—no working parent has time to cook a balanced meal every night!  This is especially true when you know that you will walk in the door to the sights and sounds of hangry children.  That always turns cooking dinner into an episode of Chopped: “5 minutes remaining on the clock” . . . until the toddler melts down, which is much worse than taking a drubbing from top-rated chefs.

So, some evenings, I compromise and get semi-takeout. You can cook the protein at home and get take-out for the veggies and carbs.  This works especially well with Chinese food.  I’ll stop by my local Chinese take-out restaurant and order a large rice for $2.00 and a veggie side-dish.  Then all I need to do at home is make the main dish, and I don’t have to clean the rice cooker—another huge time-saver.

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Chicken Satay

I made this dish in Seattle for our picnic on Lake Washington.  It’s easy to prepare in advance, and it tastes good either warm or cold.  It’s also a good go-to recipe for school pot-lucks or picnics.

Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds chicken breast tenders (you can also cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2½ tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  • Juice from 1 large lime (or 2 small limes)
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Bamboo skewers are optional
  1. Combine all ingredients except the chicken in a plastic Ziploc bag and give it a good shake to mix everything up.
  2. Add the chicken, shake it again, and let it marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I seal the bag and put it in a rimmed baking sheet in the fridge so the marinade is evenly distributed, and just in case the bag starts to leak.
  3. If you are putting the chicken on bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water for at least 20 minutes. Then put the chicken strips onto the skewers.
  4. Preheat your broiler and broil the chicken until it is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (approximately 7-10 minutes). Alternatively, you can cook these on the grill.

 

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Sea-less in Seattle

My high school best friend lives in Seattle, and every few years I fly out for a visit.  We fall back into the same old routines, jokes, and escapades, despite time and distance.  I’m fortunate to have old friends like Debs, and this summer, in particular, I welcomed a much-needed (albeit brief) respite from all the drama and uncertainty back home.

This time, I introduced Debs to my new-found love of boating.  I reserved a boat out of Carefree Boat Club’s Fishermen’s Terminal dock, and we headed east through Lake Union to Lake Washington.

It was my first time boating in freshwater.  Boating on Lake Washington was very different because lakes don’t have tides, and the currents were much weaker than I’m accustomed to. I checked out our anchor and it looked as if it had never been used. Then, when we stopped for lunch on the water by Seward Park, I realized why.  We turned off the engine, and the boat stayed put!  I also found that I could go much faster on the lake than on the ocean, which was awesome.  (Debs will vouch for me having a lead foot from the day I began driving).

We watched seaplanes land on Lake Union and checked out the houseboats.  On Lake Washington, we did a loop around Mercer Island and saw the Boeing Factory.  Heading back, we caught a great view of the Seattle skyline, and I had another new first: filling up the tank.

I still prefer the ocean to lake boating- there’s just something about that ocean air, but it was so fun to try something different and to explore Seattle with Debs from a brand new vantage point.

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Business Boatertainment

It all began when Kathleen Turner wanted to try my apple pie. When the star of Serial Mom asks for a slice of your pie, you oblige.  Ms. Turner was in New Haven for Long Wharf Theatre’s 2012 production of The Killing of Sister George, and my husband and I invited the entire cast, stage management team, and director over for a home-cooked meal.

Thus began a tradition of welcoming Long Wharf’s visiting artists to New Haven with meals in our home.  We also host the staff and board of directors for an annual season kickoff party, and we donate an invitation to one of the cast dinners to Long Wharf as a gala auction item. 

This year, we decided to mix it up and donated a boat ride. We served dinner on the water, and our guests sipped wine and enjoyed the views.  It was one of the most successful auction items at the gala (which was good for the theater), and we got to drive a boat (which was fun for us).

Of course, we always go the extra mile- nautical or otherwise-for Long Wharf.  My husband has devoted 11 years of his career to the theater and, when we first moved to Connecticut, I was a member of the production staff—those are the folks who work behind the scenes to make all the magic happen.  I left Long Wharf Theatre during the difficult, uncertain times following Doug Hughes’s sudden and unexpected departure.  I eventually went to law school, but our family still has a deep connection and devotion to Long Wharf and its mission.

Businesspeople entertain clients at country clubs, social clubs, and sporting events- why not use your boat club membership for business entertaining?  In my humble opinion, it’s much more fun.

Special thanks to Carefree Boat Club for helping us make this year’s Long Wharf Theatre auction item a success.

 

 

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What the Dock?

I’ve developed a new appreciation for this.  I’ve parallel parked a SUV in Manhattan with one foot to spare on either end and a parade of angry cab drivers behind me.  How difficult could it be to get a boat into a slip?

As I learned this summer, it’s the hardest part.  Unlike cars, boats are not firmly attached to the ground- you point the bow one way to dock, but the boat doesn’t necessarily stay headed in that direction, and boats don’t stop immediately when you want them to—a function of floating in water/lacking brakes.

On one particularly windy day, I spun 360 degrees in the channel as I was leaving the harbor before I got us heading in the correct direction.  Luckily, the few approaching boaters gave us a wide berth.  They also graciously waited to point and laugh until I was out of earshot.  And then there was the phase when I’d get nervous, push too hard on the throttle, and gun the engine.

Practice makes . . . better.  I’m still far from perfect.  I started to practice putting the engine into forward and reverse before heading back into the marina (for those of you who drive stick shift, it’s equivalent to getting a feel for where the clutch engages).  No more gunning the engine.   I also took Carefree’s advanced docking class and learned how to back a boat into a slip, as well as other useful docking skills. I’ll get there eventually—if parallel parking in Manhattan can become second nature, so can docking a boat.

And many thanks to the Carefree dock staff (especially Lou, Cliff, and Paul) for your patience and maintaining a calm façade, even during my gunning the engine phase (and, also, for saving me from a couple of near misses).  If you were thinking “What the dock!” it didn’t show.

Photo #1 was taken on the Tom Sawyer, a St. Louis, MO, riverboat.

Photo # 2 is my recent successful docking at Knapp’s Landing in Stratford, CT.

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Time Saver: It’s Kind of, Sort of, a Business

My husband and I joke that running our household is a second job.  But it really is, and we run our home like a business.  We keep a calendar with all the family events and nights when one of us needs to work late.  We send each other Outlook appointments.  We try to sit down and plan for the following week each weekend—each night’s meals, who is picking up the kids after work, what we need to buy for the following week.

We function as co-CEOs (although my husband would claim otherwise).  He is the family CFO, as his real job involves budgeting and working with numbers.  We both handle HR, which mostly entails dealing with cranky, disgruntled children (“Mom, why can’t I have the last Klondike Bar”). I handle procurement, and I also serve as the family’s General Counsel—that role is not always necessary, but it’s good to have one on board, just in case.

It sounds silly, but by dividing up tasks and areas of responsibility between us and doing a little advance planning, things run much more smoothly, which saves both time and money in the end.

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Relax and Wave to Each Other

I’ve noticed that folks from all walks of life are drawn to the water.  In the harbor, I see fishermen, families with kids, and retired couples.  I see paddle boarders, kayakers, and thrill-seeking jet-skiers.  To date, I haven’t seen any other 5’ tall female power boaters out there . . . at least not yet.   The boats range from mega- yachts and hand-crafted wooden sailboats to dinghies, and on a beautiful summer day, everyone is outdoors, smiling, relaxed, and happy.

I’m willing to bet that boaters represent many walks of life and political views, yet most boaters wave to each other going in and out of the harbor.  Boaters also tend to help each other out.  We’ve had total strangers help us dock.  And, during a July trip to Port Jefferson, we saw this from a distance on our way home.  Rumors of an explosion circulated on the radio.  That evening, I read that a 33’ Sea Ray had caught fire in Port Jefferson harbor and was quickly engulfed in flames.  Thankfully, the four people on board escaped by jumping overboard, and a jet skier who was in the vicinity ferried them away from the burning boat.  Sadly, I’ve wondered whether people would still help each other out on land.  We certainly don’t wave to each other anymore.

Remember to be kind and courteous no matter where you are or how stressed-out or discouraged you get. Once you behave like a jerk, it’s difficult to take it back, particularly if someone captured it on camera and put it on Facebook.  It also wouldn’t hurt to talk to each other, think for a minute or two, engage in a civil discourse, and forge reasonable compromises.  Knee-jerk reactions are dangerous, and life is not a zero-sum game with winners, losers and nothing in between.  Intelligent people understand that there are always gray areas, and most problems can be solved if you think about them long enough, work together as a team, and dare to be creative—especially after the deadweight has been jettisoned.

We’re happier, healthier, and stronger united.  We’re dead in the water divided.

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Swimming and Szechuan Food in Milford

Recently, we cruised out of Carefree Boat Club’s Milford dock and headed northeast on a picture-perfect afternoon.  After anchoring off the coast near one of the Milford beaches and enjoying a swim, we meandered back toward the harbor and watched sailboats catching the sea breeze and late afternoon sun.

We ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.  Believe it or not, you can get authentic Chinese food just a few miles away from Port Milford Marina.  Lao Sze Chuan (1585 Boston Post Road, Milford) has the real-deal New York City Chinatown fare I ate as a kid with my grandmother.   It doesn’t look like much.  It’s in a strip mall next to a billiards hall, and the décor is bare bones, but the food is authentic and delicious, and the price is right.

If you’re looking for seafood after spending time on the water, I recommend the steamed whole sea bass, which is prepared in a ginger and scallion sauce, as well as the squid with pepper spiced salt.  If you enjoy spicy food, try the twice cooked sliced pork with Szechuan Jalapeno and chives or the prawns with garlic sauce.

Be forewarned that spicy means spicy, and the whole fish and shrimp arrive whole with heads, tails, and all.  You’ll also find some truly out-there dishes on the menu, including jellyfish, tripe, and sea cucumber (sea cucumber is an acquired taste- I tried it once as a kid, and that was enough).

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Time Saver: Outsource the Upkeep (Part 2)

Most two-career families can’t pay someone else to do everything for them.  We’d go broke.  I try to outsource strategically.  Shopping online for kids’ clothes, kitchen equipment, and gifts, instead of wasting a Saturday or Sunday running from store to store, is usually free. During the week, when I realize we need something, I note it in my iPhone.  Every so often, I order it all on Amazon instead of spending my weekend running to three different stores with a toddler in tow.

When deciding what to outsource, I do a quick time/cost/aggravation analysis.  We enjoy cooking so we don’t spend a lot of money eating out.   When I garden, however, I invariably contract poison ivy . . .   And cleaning the house?  A friend once said, “I could pay for marriage counseling, or I could pay for a housecleaner; I’d rather have a clean house.”  I’d have to agree on that one.

In any event, find out what works best for you, and don’t try to do everything yourself.

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Island Girl

I was born and raised on an island–well, technically, at least.  Manhattan is surrounded by water, but you can easily forget that.

Today, I am a true “island girl.”  Every summer, we look forward to vacationing with 
friends on Martha’s Vineyard.  We split a rental house with another couple to keep it affordable, and we truck in as many groceries as possible in car trunks and coolers, including BJ’s-sized  cartons of blueberries, grapes, and cherries, as well as parmesan cheese, spices, and sauces.  Groceries that are expensive on the mainland are astronomical on the island.  Our
friend, who is a year-round islander, supplies whatever we forget.  Most nights, we sip wine and cook dinner as a team, and each couple watches the other couple’s kids for a “date night” at one of the high-end restaurants.

We love the Vineyard because it is one of the few remaining places where life slows down.  Cell reception is spotty so you can’t check your work e-mail at the beach, and the kids are forced to unplug and enjoy the outdoors.  The island has only a handful of chain stores or restaurants.  Because island access is controlled and the Vineyard has miles of beaches, they tend to stay pristine and uncrowded, even during peak months.

No trip to the Vineyard would be complete without a visit to Larsen’s Fish Market in Chilmark.  Larsen’s makes some of the best clam chowder I’ve ever had.  I also recommend the fresh oysters and steamed mussels and clams.  Larsen’s is rustic-
you eat on benches and crates right next to the dock, but it’s difficult to find fresher seafood.  The fishermen pull up right behind the market to unload the morning catch.

Just watch out for opportunistic seagulls.  I had to stare this guy down—a useful skill I learned dodging cab drivers on that other island of mine.