The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

I felt as alive as I've felt in years

June 9, 2010

Listened to the show Saturday night and it was not bad. It's been raining a lot lately and the weekend was no different — little storms here and there not amounting to much at all. I'm waiting for a big humdinger of a storm to come through, but I'm not holding my breath. All in due time. What I do like about these brief showers is the way the air smells after — fresh and earthy and pungent and green. It's the natural scent of the planet. How the world is supposed to smell. And I like it.

I like the smell of summer in general. How heat smells — all thick and asphalty and hot. I like the smell of whatever is on the grill cooking, and lake water, and fireworks. And how children smell like beach sand, and the dog really smells like a dog, and something happens to Mr. Sundberg's skin in the sunshine; all summer he smells of lemons and sea salt.

The wind rose up through the trees this morning, and since the kids are still in school (two more days) I figured I'd get out there and take it all in, and that I did. Went and stood out in that wind with my arms raised up high, and breathed in the summer morning, and let every breath of it go to my head. I smelled grass and leaves and frog bellies and rotting logs. I smelled caterpillar poop and bird feathers and deer and charcoal. Smelled the sun on the driveway and the strawberries in the garden, and for the few minutes that wind blew, I felt as alive as I've felt in years.

That wind didn't last long. It was fleeting, as moments are. I took that feeling with me, though, and went in and got to work baking a pie. Rhubarb. With a dash of nutmeg for taste. Something for the kids to find in the air as they get off the bus. "What did you make?" they'll ask, as they come piling through the door. What does it smell like? I'll reply. Mmm. Pie.

SEAFOOD CASSEROLE
Everyone is hungry for fish and seafood this time of year, and this casserole is a perfect dish on these cool summer evenings.

Serve with salad and bread.

2 sticks butter

2 lg. onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, smashed

Saute above in butter until they are just crisp. Remove from skillet.

2 lbs. seafood (1 lb. shrimp and 1 lb. of lump crab meat)

Clean the seafood and chop and saute vegetables ahead of time.

1/4 c. flour

1/2 pt. half and half

1 lb. mild Mexican cheese (any brand works)

1 lb. fresh fettuccine noodles

Put shrimp into skillet and start sautéing — then add crab meat. After they turn pink — put vegetables back into skillet. Add 1/4 cup of flour and 1/2 pint of half and half. Let bubble a minute or two. Remove from heat. Stir in one pound of mild Mexican cheese. Cook fettuccine noodles (only a short time - maybe 3 minutes). Mix together with the other stuff. Put in casserole. Sprinkle with Romano or Parmesan cheese. Cook at 350 degrees about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

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