Watch your teeth!

I just had the most fabulous weekend in the Hamptons with my dear friend Lisa. I was a houseguest of the most gracious hostess on the planet, Senie. Her son and his four friends were there, too. They are college seniors, 21, and just adorable. On Saturday, we had a barbeque (and Senie made really delicious Crab Imperial - see recipie below) and then the boys invited Lisa and I out.

Jeez, I am 33 and Lisa is 42. Compared to them, we're fossils.

Since I can't resist a good time (and neither can Lisa), we indulged them and went out. We had a great time at an East Hampton hot spot. On the way home, we came accross a stray shopping cart and they gave us a ride! The only thing I can remember as we were cart racing was Lisa screaming 'watch your teeth!'

Thanks, guys, for showing us fossils a good time.

Here's the Crab Imperial recipie:

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat (nothing else will do)
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cup Saltine cracker crumbs, divided
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a round pie plate with butter. In a bowl, pick through the crab meat to make sure there aren't any shells. In another bowl, beat the egg and the egg yolk. Add the mustard, Old Bay, salt, pepper and mayo and blend well. Add mayo mixture to the crab and then add 1 cup of the cracker crumbs. Mix well and pour into greased pie plate. Sprinkle with the additional 1/4 cup cracker crumbs and bake for 30.

Groovy Grains

I just realized that I didn't eat much today. I was super busy with the launch of THE FAMILY GROOVE's July issue - it's so fabulous that my phone was literally ringing off the hook. Check it out at www.thefamilygroove.com.

Although it's almost 10:30 at night, I am going to make a big ol' bow of Groovy Grains. In my kitchen, there's a HUGE jar filled with organic brown rice, millet, barley and farro (an Italian whole grain). I buy it in bulk at the Whole Foods, equal quantities, and it is delicious, cheap, and very versatile.

Mix all of your grains in the jar and when you're in the mood, grab a measuring cup and use 1 cup grains to every 2 cups liquid. Put it on the stove, bring it to a boil and then simmer until done.

For lunch or dinner I use chicken or vegetable broth and it yields a wonderful side dish to go with fish or chicken (I am sure it goes well with beef and pork, but I rarely eat either).

For breakfast, I use water and then add some chopped dried fruits like prunes, raisins and apricots with a little cinnamon. My little guy likes it with chopped apple and toasted almonds. YUM!

Eat Groovy Grains and you will have more energy than you know what to do with!

Meatballs

Not to brag, but I make the best turkey meatballs on the planet. Whenever one of my friends is infirmed or got dumped, I show up with a cauldron of turkey meatballs and spaghetti sauce.

Here's the recipie:

1 package ground turkey (93% lean)
1 cup Italian-flavored breadcrumbs
1 cup grated cheese (IMPORTANT! It must be very good cheese - this makes all the difference. I use a combination of grated parmaggiano-reggiano and romano cheese that I get freshly grated at the Italian market. You can store it, in a bag, in the freezer and use as needed)
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
Parsley (optional)
1/2 - 3/4 cup water (This is the secret! Don't you just hate hard meatballs?)

Mix all ingredients together very well. Heck, let the kids help (I do!) - just no bowl licking. Form into meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add to cooked spaghetti sauce.

Variation: You can make turkey meatloaf - just put the mixture in a loaf pan (spray it with Pam) and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

Responsibility

Yesterday I finally caved into my boys: we got two pet birds.

They are the cutest baby parakeets. Joseph's is named Bumble Bee and Brendan's is named Sweet Bird. The birds are getting adjusted to their new home and it was the most delightful sound this morning (albeit it was at 5am) to hear them greet us with their melodic chirping.

I hope these two creatures will teach the boys to care for something other than themselves and that they'll learn some responsibility. It was wonderful this morning to show them how to change the birds' water and clean their cages. They eagerly wanted to help care for their new pets.

Ultimately, I think this is a new tier of responsibility for me as a parent: to give the boys the chance to be responsible themselves. My promise to them is not to let their enthusiasm fade away.

Magnum

A few weeks ago I was out with my friends in Manhattan. After dinner at the Budda Bar, my friends and I went to the Hotel Gansevoort. The line to get in was huge. My friend, Lisa, went right up to the bouncer and said, "We don't wait in lines. What do we have to do to go right up?"

The bouncer told her that we had to buy a bottle so Cathy whipped out her AMEX and up we went.

Yes, it was crazy expensive, but the time I spent with my four great friends over a magnum of Veuve was one of the greatest nights of my life. Even though it was only last month, we have rehashed the experience over and over. Cathy came down last week and we had brunch together at the beach. We literally laughed for hours talking about that night.

What exactly happened?

It doesn't matter.

This is our 'back in the day' summer, girlfriends!

Love you!