A wish for you...........

Bread - that this house may never know hunger. Salt - that life may always have flavor. Wine - that joy and prosperity may reign forever. Wow, is that what wine means? Who know?! I never have really liked much wine but if that is what wine means I am drinking more of it! I want joy and prosperity to reign forever! This week my Meg and I went and saw "It's a Wonderful Life" on the big screen with some of Meg's in-laws. I always get something different from it even though I have seen it more times then I can count I always tear up, and laugh, and get moved at the thought of touching lives even in a small life. What a great film!! After that line I actually did go get a bottle of wine that I do like for me to have around the house to relax with :) And, I received a gift this week of some Boone's Farm (LOL) so I am allll set! To recap on Dallas she is doing ok. The incisions are healed. The stitches are out. She has very little use at this time. No feeling at all in most of the palm of her hand, the pinkie, and the ring finger. Her pointer has always had movement but it is not very fluid and very limited. We know there will be more surgery's and physical therapy but we do not have the details as of now. She is mostly worried about getting caught up with home work and finals! In considering the message of "The Secret", the Universe gave me a trip to Puerto Rico this week. So, I feel I must need it. I went on the Ellen DeGeneres show and received a new camera, set of luggage, a set of head phones, and a all expense trip to Puerto Rico for 2! I am taking Dallas. She can use a brake (excuse the pun) and I think it could be good for us to build good memories. We may have to pack granola bars in order to survive while there but how much do we really need while laying on the beach? I do not mean to sound ungrateful at all. I am writing Ellen a thank you note and I am listening to the Universe and going with it! In a closing thought I have an idea; I want to post a list of "Requests from the Universe" on here. I am hoping that you all will post a reply with your own list here too and as an experiment lets watch the Universe reply to us. Please join me!
My request is as follows:
I need a referral to a product liability lawyer
I would like an autographed book from Paula Dean
I want a book deal for my cookbook
I need an oil change,new brakes and a wiper on my van replaced
Dallas needs clothes. They must be loose on her arm but still cute because she is 15 and this is more important then you can imagine. I am hoping for a few jackets that are big and a few pairs of size 5 jeans that can be buttoned with 1 hand.

And on a side note, if anyone needs or gets a new cell phone from Sprint please type #733 and my cell phone number in 951.662.2786 and give me credit for the referral if no one has referred you and we both get $25.00 off our bill! Also for your home phone I have Vontage (951.247.7070) and love them. It is waaaayyyy cheaper then going through the regular phone company, the service sounds the same, you get everything for 1 price cheep!

And, as always here is another recipe. Enjoy!

Pasta Carbonara

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
1 head roasted garlic (roasted in a 325 foil pack with a dollop of olive oil and salt for an hour) smashed (or more to taste)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (no green can!) (yes, 1 whole cup)
8 large egg yolks room temperature
1/8 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt & fresh ground pepper
1 pound pasta
1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
In a large pot heat olive oil and fry pancetta until crisp. Under cook pasta per box directions by 1-2 minutes. To the pot add garlic, cream, cheese, nuts, on med-high heat. Temper egg yolks by adding a little of the warm cream in a bowl with the yolks and mixing well. Once heated and bubbling turn off and then add remaining ingredients, eggs last as not to scramble them. Stir and mix well and then add pasta. This is so good. And yes, I know the eggs are not fully cooked and I do not care and neither will you. You will want to take a bath in this and you will want to purpose to me but I will sadly have to say no.

Things change in a moment

This week has been a rough one. For those of you who might not know, Dallas was in a auto accident. She is alive and she has all her limbs. For this I am thankful. I am thinking of this like one of my favorite literary characters, TS Garp, would look at things and with the resolve of The Secret as well and will dare to say I am thankful for this accident. Now she has had her teen accident and survived. It's out of the way now. No more. She was the passenger in a car with a distracted teen driver who hit another car. Everyone but Dallas is OK. Both cars drove away from the seen. The air bags went off and caused the real damage to Dallas's arm. It was almost amputated. She suffered a double compound fracture in three places and broke her wrist as well. I was at the scene and her hand was dangling off. They where able to re-attach her hand. She has four permanent titanium plates holding the bones together. Her incisions looks like Frankenstein with just under 100 stitches. Two of the nerves where damaged. One of them was repaired but one could not be. She has no feeling or use of her pinkie and ring finger on her left hand. We are hopeful on a nerve graft at some point to bring some of that back. It will be a long road but I will skip down that road happily because she is alive. We always try and see humor in everything and this is no different. She has earned nick names like "speed bump", and "stumpy". We have made Ferris Bueller jokes all week saying "If Dallas dies she is going to leave her eyes to Stevie Wonder"! She is in a lot of pain and afraid to take pain meds. It is hard to watch but the choice must be hers. We had half of her high school visit her in the hospital. One of her friends made a sign for her door that said "Bad to the Bone",!! One of her friends went to the gift shop and got her a gift, a hat that read "It's a Boy". She is tough as nails and has hardly cried at all. She was lucid and clear and she was the one at the seen to get herself out of the car, wrap her arm and hold the hand on! She told everyone her allergies and that she does not accept blood products. She asked questions and stayed focused all the way until her surgery at which time she told me she really wanted chicken. This is funny because Dallas is a vegetarian. She has received many thoughtful gifts of flowers, and stuffed animals (including one that has a broken arm!), candy, and gift cards, PJ's and underclothes (because her where all cut off). We are all thankful for all the support. The calls, and well wishers. I am most thankful for my beloved Flynn and Anita who sat with me and fed me through the five plus hours of surgery and always are there for me and mine. They hide the bodies and ask questions later. I love you both more then cornflakes. There are many others who have shown support and given of themselves is special ways like Denise who when the going gets rough is always there. I could not help but to feel guilty when I thought about all of the days she spent in the hospital that I did not go. I am so sorry. I am also thankful for Beau who took care of the house and animals. For my dear sister in law Cindy who always is an inspiration to me. She is thoughtful and her attention to details is awe inspiring. I love you. I am thankful for my new friend Vanessa who sent Dallas flowers. I look forward to our friendship and what it will bring. I am also thankful for my Weston who keeps me grounded. When things seem larger then life the love in his calm voice brings things into perspective and although he is not here in body he is here in heart and gives me what I need. I am thankful for our connection.
In closing I will include a recipe for some great comfort food:

Perfect Mashed Potatoes
5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and cubed covered w/cold water
5 bullion cubes
1 stick of butter
1 head of garlic roasted in the oven for an hour in foil w/a dollop of EVOO then squeezed out and mashed
1/2 a block of cream cheese at room temp
1-2 pints of heavy cream
a generous amount of salt and pepper
Bring potatoes and bullion to a boil until tender. Drain well. Add butter (all of it!!!), garlic, cream cheese and half a pint of cream and mash. Add more cream as needed until you have desired consistency. I use it all most times. Salt and pepper to taste. Potatoes like salt. Add and taste. These are so good you will want to take a bath in them. This is enough for 1-2 people. :)
The left overs can be made into the best breakfast the next day by adding shredded cheese to taste and then forming into patties and rolling in flour and pan frying in a little butter. I look forward to this every time I make mashed potatoes. This is fatty and worth every bite. This is comfort food 2.0, new and improved, back w/ a vengeance!
Enjoy!

Thank you for being who you are.