Parsley languishing in refrigerator? Dry it!

Quick tip for surplus fresh parsley/cilantro:
Spread leaves (about half cup at a time) on paper towel. Season with salt, pepper or to your taste. I sprinkled  about a 1/4 teaspoon of zaatar (tasty mixture of sesame seeds, dried sumac,oregano, cumin, marjoram and salt over the fresh leaves. Placed it in the microwave on High for 3 minutes. Voila! Great crumbly topping for whatever: potatoes. pasta, omelets - or just snacking.  

Forget democracy - now it's kleptocracy and nepotism

So - you thought we live in a democracy? Forgeddaboutit.
How about a commander-in-chief who resembles a kleptocrat?
(Just in case you were unfamiliar with this lovely word of Greek origin, kleptocracy refers to a government run by thieves, corrupt leaders, (read dictators) interested in lining their pockets at the expense of the people. Kleptocrat is the guy in charge.)
No divesting any businesses for this guy - just keep racking up the profits worldwide; send sons off to far away places (at our expense) to check up on the family's  multi-business empire - exemplifying nepotism fever in Washington DC.
(Nepotism comes from an Italian word meaning "nephew". In the 1600's popes gave church jobs to their nephews - keeping it all in the family. )
These days it includes daughters. Let's not forget  Princess Ivanka - the proponent of women's rights? When's the last time she stood up for women's rights? Squabbling with her brothers when she was a toddler?

Okay - got that off my chest.

How about United? Just when I was saying nice things about CEO Munoz, along come some stupid underlings who obviously don't know a thing about PR and will probably cost the airline big bucks in lawsuits. Dr. or not -  if the price for compensation was high enough - somebody would have "volunteered" to get off the plane. (Is it possible that the police who dragged him off were emboldened by the new Trumpian ethos?)

Passover and matzos finish up just in time to celebrate Easter Sunday. Happy happy days to all.

Reading real newspaper - Washington Post

Visiting daughter Joan and family in MD. where breakfast is served with the print edition of the Washington Post. What a delightful way to start the day! Love turning real newspaper pages; makes reading about local and world troubles easier to digest (almost).
Granddaughter Miriam said I needed instagram if I wanted more people to read my blog. Helped me install it today. Hope I remember  everything she taught me!    
She'll make a "techie" out of me with her patient attitude. Can you believe I have friends (of a certain age) who don't own a computer and use phones just to call for medical/dental appointments?

Tomorrow is the first Passover seder and we'll be sharing it with Joan and assorted cousins.  I'm not a religious person but it's really nice to enjoy traditions with family - especially since Joan is a great cook.
To all my friends - enjoy Passover and Easter; matzo balls and chocolate bunnies make a great combination.

Trump's Great Wall - "Cual Muro?" - and Beto for Senate!

My daughter returned from a Mexico City visit with a T-shirt asking : Cual Muro".....as if walls could solve so-called problems.
It always amazes me to discover how little residents of our country know about living on the border ((Do they still teach geography in public schools?) Too many people, think Texas means Houston and Dallas (about 800 miles east of El Paso); others think San Antonio is a border city (150 miles from Mexico) There are no twangs/accents in El Paso -  "you-all"  didn't make the trip west! El Paso is a 5 minute walk (crossing a bridge over the Rio Grande) to Mexico's Ciudad Juarez.

We retired here in 1990 (we had lived here previously for five years in 1958) and continue to thrive and enjoy our city. Many changes since the 1950's - El Paso's population grew, national highway I10 now winds around the city but one thing remained constant: the amazing friendliness/goodwill of residents who live here. (Of course it helps to have more than 300 days of sunshine each year!) And, despite long waits for crossing bridges, hundreds of cars, and pedestrians cross from Juarez to El Paso every day - shopping, working, visiting relatives, attending schools on BOTH sides. Residents usually speak  English, Spanish and Spanglish - but no matter what - we understand each other.
And - El Paso has had the lowest crime rates in the United States for several years!!! Without a wall!!
Walls don't solve problems. Talk, understanding/tolerance for other cultural traditions, and discussions solve problems. We need Mexico and Mexico needs us.

Which leads me to Beto O'Rourke - El Paso's congressman (Democratic) - who has just thrown his hat into the ring for the next  senate race - against Ted Cruz. Keep your eye on Beto - smart, engaging, intelligent and, most important,  the ability to work with individuals who may not agree with him. Go Beto!!!

Pecans for Passover!

This Passover pecan meringue recipe is an easy way to create a sweet ending to the Seder (Passover holiday dinner).

Preheat oven to 275 F. degrees. (This is in El Paso - 3400 feet high.)
Ingredients for 40+ cookies, depending on size
2 large egg whites
generous 1/2 cup brown sugar  - light or dark
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon McComick's Gingerbread Spice
1 and 1/4 cups pecans - finely chopped
30-40 pecan halves for topping cookies
Beat egg whites, gradually adding sugar, salt, spice until whites are stiff and shiny.
Gently fold in finely chopped pecans.
Place teaspoonfuls of meringue on non-stick cookie sheet (options: use a non-stick silicone
mat or parchment paper)
Lightly press pecan half on top of each meringue.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Meringues should be firm, dry on top.
Remove gently with cookie spatula.
Enjoy!!!

Bye bye El Paso Times; hello El Paso Inc.

After 26 years of free lancing for my local newspaper, the El Paso Times announced they are no longer interested in "local" food writers. "We'll cook from wire services, thank you."
OK with me - just a bit of a chore answering former fans/readers: sorry, I can't help with new ideas for Passover, or a sauerkraut recipe (reader loved my non-vinegar pickles and is ready to tackle cabbage!)
But - the next issue of El Paso Inc Magazine (summer) will have a food column with my best microwave fish recipe - plus a travel column comparing suite class on Carnival and Costa. Yeah!

Politics? Waiting for Donald's implosion. Soon.
And waiting for some Republicans (other than McCain) with enough gumption to get this Russian stuff out and over!

I turned 88 in December but my best friend and feinschmecker, otherwise known as husband Ben, celebrated his 90th b-day on March 17, 2017. A few extra aches/pains, balance problems and occasionally forgetting  where he put his phone (that starts at age 25) are not enough to keep us down. We're off on a repositioning cruise across the pond - from Miami, FL to Italy. And then we'll fly home! Keep in touch and I'll tell you all about it when we return.