Um, help?

Again, no paragraph breaks? Maybe this is an issue with my new Mac, rather than blogspot? Must sort this out...it's terribly difficult to follow a recipe written this way, I realize.

Decadent Lemon-Dill Salmon

2 6-ounce salmon filets aluminum foil onion powder salt 2 small lemons, sliced into circles dried dill weed unsalted butter, sliced thin One thing I am not ambivalent about is salmon--that is, when prepared with the utmost love and attention. First, it is imperative to buy salmon with no skin, not even underneath; any sort of skin contributes to that fishy smell that most of us find offensive. Further, before laying the filets in the pan, I always rinse them thoroughly with cold water; after setting in that seafood case, even the least offensive smelling fish acquires a variety of pungent odors. Also, to spare yourself the agony of post-dinner scrubbing, line your pan with aluminum foil. If you like, spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray. So, you've lined your pan, you've rinsed the fish; now you can lay the fish in the pan, atop the foil. Next, grab a canister of onion powder--powder, not salt--and sprinkle it generously over all top surface areas of the salmon. If you are using true onion powder, it is difficult to use too much, so really be generous, since this is another way to ward off the fishy smell while adding flavor. Then, sprinkle some salt--the amount depending on your taste and/or health concerns--over the layer of onion powder. Rinse and slice lemons, saving the middle sections to lay atop the salmon and the end pieces to squeeze over the salmon. Squeeze a small amount of lemon juice onto the fish--just enough that the liquid settles on top, because too much will cause the salt and onion powder to run off into the bottom of the pan. Now, sprinkle a generous amount of dried dill on top of the fish. Then, grab a stick of unsalted butter. With a sharp knife, create thin slices or pats of butter and place them in a layer on top of the salmon. Finally, align the lemon slices on top for flavor and decoration. For two 6-ounce filets, bake at 400 degrees, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. It is hard to overcook salmon. Some people suggest less time. For me, I like to ensure doneness, so I tend to leave it in for the full 20 minutes. Serve with herbed rice or baked potatoes. You could also add one of my favorite Persian condiments: plain yogurt with several cloves of fresh, crushed garlic mixed in, served on your plate, alongside the rest of your food, to savor with each bite. If you go the garlic route, you might want to have a box of Altoids handy for tomorrow morning's meeting. Nooshe jan!

Lazy Day Siesta Soup

While walking on a chilly afternoon, I found myself craving warm, spicy soup. I wanted it fast, and wanted to use ingredients that were already at home. This is what my kitchen allowed me to do on such short notice. Applauded by one of Playa Del Rey's finest taste-testers, this soup is a sure thing, devoid of all ambivalence.

8-10 cups water
1 T. olive oil
dash salt
2-3 tsp. chicken bouillon powder
2-3 tsp. cumin
1 red onion, diced
12 green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped, discard most stems
1 T. fresh minced garlic
3 extra large plum tomatoes (about 6 cups chopped)
3 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Salsa (more if you like spicy)
1-16 oz. can Rosarita's No Fat Traditional Refried Beans

In a large pot, combine first nine ingredients, using more water if you like a brothy soup. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until onions become soft. Add tomatoes and lemon juice. Boil 5 more minutes, uncovered. Add salsa and beans. Mix until beans blend with soup. Simmer 10 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Starbucks Iced Lemon Pound Cake Contains more Saturated Fat than Big Mac

Many of us have grown accustomed to the latest reports about high-calorie, high-fat coffee drinks. But what about the food for sale in those pretty glass cases at our favorite cafes? Do you know anyone who opts for a Starbucks pastry every now and then, while adamantly swearing off fat-laden fast food joints? If so, you might want to encourage them to look at the facts.

Someone very near and dear to me does just that: enjoys a slice of Starbucks Iced Lemon Pound Cake and a zucchini muffin several times a week for lunch. This person has not visited a McDonald’s or Burger King in over a decade, and feels confident that Starbucks is a better choice. Being the Google aficionado that I am, and concerned about my friend’s health, I decided to research the subject. Even though I rarely eat away from home, my findings still frightened me.

Are you ready for the sordid details? Here they are:

A Big Mac contains 540 calories, compared to 490 in one slice of Iced Lemon Pound Cake. Not too bad for a “meal,” if we can call it that. But, if we break that down, the Big Mac contains 29 grams of fat, ten of which are saturated fat grams. The pound cake, on the other hand, contains 23 grams of fat, thirteen of which are saturated fat grams. That’s easy math: three more grams of saturated fat than the Big Mac. Further, the pound cake has 130 milligrams of cholesterol and 370 milligrams of sodium. This is three times the amount of cholesterol and sodium (salt) in an average serving of potato chips, and we’re talking pound cake—that’s a lot of salt for cake (I bake for pleasure, so I know a thing or two about cake). By comparison, the Big Mac has only 75 milligrams of cholesterol, but 1,040 milligrams of sodium. The pound cake topples the Big Mac with both its saturated fat and cholesterol. It looks like the only thing worse so far about the Big Mac versus the Iced Lemon Pound Cake is its salt content.

Many medical sources will agree that the two ingredients that most negatively affect heart health are fat and sugar. Fat clogs the arteries, while sugar hardens the artery walls, making it possible for pieces of plaque to break off and become lodged in an artery (this can cause the type of blockage that may lead to a heart attack or stroke). In terms of fat content, we already established that neither the Big Mac nor Starbucks pound cake is what cardiologists would call a healthy choice. And while high amounts of sodium in the diet can elevate blood pressure, sugar is what ultimately destroys arteries. How much sugar is in the Iced Lemon Pound Cake? I’m glad you asked. The answer is 46 grams. That equals 11-1/2 teaspoons, or a half teaspoon short of a quarter cup of table sugar.

Let’s not forget to mention protein, my favorite source of calories. The Big Mac contains 25 grams, which arguably may not be the best quality protein, but compared to the pound cake’s five grams, the Big Mac will at least give you a feeling of satiety, whereas the pound cake’s sugar will likely leave you feeling dissatisfied and hungry, soon after you’ve swallowed your last sweet bite.

So, who’s coming to my place for a hearty bowl of lentil soup? Bon appétit, mis amigos.

If you like this blog post and would like to see more comparisons of popular food items, please leave your comments here or share us on Facebook.

Half-Life

On Sunday night, while the intact, healthy families are preparing for another routine week, I am busy being extra cheerful for my daughter’s sake, hoping she has a pleasant night in my home, and pleasant memories of our weekend together, before she goes to her father’s place tomorrow night. She tells me how much she is going to miss me, as tears well up in her eyes. She says she doesn’t want to go to school. And I think of all the things the schools don’t consider. They don’t give the 50/50 kids extra space for the extra bag they would like to cart around—favorite clothes, pajamas, toys, stuffed animals—that they want to have with them at all times, at both homes. They don’t give two copies of important handouts—one for the mother’s house, and one for dad’s. And when the teachers assign an extra project or writing task, or remind the kids that their monthly reading logs are soon due, they don’t consider the fact that the 50/50 kids want special time with their 50/50 parents, to do fun things, to simply cuddle and talk about their day, because after all, they only see each other half as much in this half-life we live, and we scramble for time together more than anyone in this world scrambles for time. It is hard, this half-life. And the kids tell us so. Divorce is hard, they say. And yes, it is hard for us all, but at the end of the day, it is mostly hard on them, splitting their lives between two homes, living out of bags more often than not, never quite feeling settled and when they do, it’s time to uproot themselves again, make the transition, with new faces and separate rules and different dinners. There are different toys and different beds and different curtains and different songs and different books and different sheets and different night lights and different blankets and different hair brushes and different toothpaste and different bath tubs and different towels and different alarm clocks and different plans and different sounds in the night. And through all this, the kids are expected to go with the flow, to obey, to not complain, to do their homework, to not forget anything important, and get to school before the bell rings.

Separation Anxiety

I really don't want a near-death experience any time soon, or at all, but I am beginning to wonder what else might force me to start enjoying my life more. Lately, every decision and every situation feels like a tug of war to some degree--physically, emotionally, mentally, or all of the above. Just tonight, my daughter embarked on her first sleepover. She was going to a home that is practically our second home, where the friends treat us more like family. I have, several times, slept there with her. But begrudgingly, as I am not entirely fond of sleepovers (I really don't see the point, since not much sleep actually happens, and in my experience, the kids are nothing but ornery the following day, and the adults are left to deal with this temperament--but that is a subject for another blog entry--or maybe not). This time, when the mother and son invited my daughter, I said, firmly and without hesitation, "No sleepover. You can have dinner, watch a movie, but no sleepover." Then the begging ensued, to which I replied, "Okay, but I'm not staying. If you want a sleepover, you go by yourself." She agreed. And I was shocked. Which is why I sit on my couch at this very moment, watching the clock, checking my phone, awaiting a call, beckoning me to the home to pick up my daughter and bring her back to her own bed, where she will sleep. It is now 12:09. And I worry if she is sleeping yet, and how many hours she will sleep, and did she eat enough? What time should I pick her up in the morning? This is a new concept: Pick her up in the morning. She is seven, and I ask, what value is there to a sleepover at age seven? Maybe, if I don't get a phone call, the payoff is bigger than I thought: One tiny step closer to independence. But, I wonder, whose independence? Hers or mine? Because you see, as much as I wanted some free time, some time to myself, a "break" from motherhood, at the end of the day, I am the one who is most unwilling to let go.