Sunsets, Good Byes and Ragu

This picture is from my daughter

I meant to post this the day I left but with traveling and stepping right off the plane into Stubug's surgery, the best made plans got a little waylaid. My suitcases are still in the hall, too. Thank you for all your kind words and thoughts for Stu. He is tired but doing great. A couple of you asked what "mast cell tumors" are and in a word from Wikipedia (I had to Google it, too) NASTY. And so, here is the plan. I won't know for about 7-10 days if that is what it was, whatever it was is now gone and we have 7-10 days free and healthy...no worries xoxoxo.

I don't "hate" much. But...I used to strongly dislike good bye's. What moved them out of my minute "hate" category was that I figure I have to say "good-bye" in order for another "hello" to occur. That makes sense and I can live with that. Tuesday I said "good-bye" to my mom, my kiddos, Shelter Island and NYC. That's a lot for one gal and one day. I am tough but there are limits. Here are some parting images...

Mom (seated) and her Party Girls... 

"Aldo" with his magnificent hair and magnificent freshly roasted coffee...

"Mama" in her restaurant with a fresh batch of tortellini...

Last toehold in the sea...

When I got to New York, I had dinner both nights with my kiddos. All three are fabulous cooks as I mention every time I can. One night, Christian made a veggie ragu...an assortment of fresh fall veggies, simmered in their own juices along with a few herbs and seasonings. Simple, delicious and oh, so flavorful. He served it over a wonderful couscous that he buys in the bulk department of Whole Foods. We also thought it would be nice to add in a Parmesan cheese rind during the cooking process. Have a look...

Christian's Veggie Ragu

Gather up any fresh veggies you like. Clean out the 'fridge! What Christian used were 3 big, juicy tomatoes (heirloom are nice here because they are really juicy), an onion or shallot, some garlic, fresh carrots, zucchini, corn, little eggplants, fresh basil and whatever herbs you like. He used lavender.

In a soup pot, saute onion and garlic in some olive oil. Add in carrots to caramelize them a bit. Then toss in eggplant and let saute for a minute or two to heighten the flavor. Add in chopped tomatoes, herbs and seasonings of choice, Parmesan rind if you have it and let the whole thing simmer for about 30 minutes. Keep the heat low if you want it "soup-y" or increase heat to make drier. Serve as a soup or over couscous and garnish with more fresh herbs and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Veggie-licious!