Simplicity and Plums

It was a stunningly beautiful day yesterday out on the island and we had guests coming at noon to spend the day and stay thru dinner. I had worked the day before at the First Avenue shop instead of at the Market shop as usual, so I was not able to get flowers. I was thinking something would excite me at the grocery store on Saturday eve, but no luck. Something pulled from the ground or a pot would have to do the trick.

This is where ferns or herbs or whatever you have growing comes in mighty handy. A very simple table it would be. Our overflowing scented geraniums would once again come to our rescue.

A few snips and the poetic dance of the stem and the green of the leaf would be just the ticket. I ran clear drinking glasses down the middle, added the stems, and we were off and running. Simplicity.

I really wanted to try the plum and olive recipe again that I wrote about last week because it was so darn good. This time I made a few changes. We had rice instead of egg noodles which we liked better. The rice sops up that glorious sauce easier. I also used a variety of plums and we really liked the variety of colors and flavors each provided. This week I used chicken pieces with the skin on. Last week I had used skinless chicken. The skin provided a little extra fat added to the plums and the white wine as they reduced in the pan, creating a much thicker sauce. It is always fun to play around with recipes and tweak them a tad. End result, as yummy if not yummier (is that even a word?) than last week.

Happy Monday and start of the week everyone. From WestWard, Ted