Trouble is no trouble...

Our kitty Trouble has been very ill.  It turns out she had a mass cell tumor on her spleen and we had it removed.  We have all been busy here tending to her care and feeding.  After her surgery she came home to us with this strange feeding tube that protrudes from her neck and allows us to feed her while she recovers.  We put her special high calorie food into the blender with water and basically make a chicken milkshake and use large syringes to push her meal through the tube and into her tummy.  We are doing this 4 times a day right now and it is a lot like having a new baby around with the scheduled feedings.

It is amazing how much love we pour into our pets.  I found it tragic when presented with the choice of whether to operate or simply put her to sleep.  We really could not afford this type of expense right now.  On the day I had decided that we should put her to sleep she seemed to totally rebound.  She was perky and full of her usual sense of humor.  Playing on the computer, talking (well - you know) and running up and down the stairs.  I just thought that no one in their right mind would put a pet down that was acting like this.  So off I went to the vet and I charged it.  I had just met my goal of paying off my credit cards and I went and charged this surgery without even really being sure of what was ailing her.  It was not cheap.  But it is done and all we can do now is nurse her back to health and the doctor feels encouraged that because all of the spleen was removed and that other tissue samples did not show immediate signs of cancer that she should recover nicely.  I hope so.  After all of this I love her even more.  Trouble is no trouble...she is expensive, but no trouble at all.

My thoughts today,

Abgusht Party for a New Year!

Happy New Year to all!!!!

We decided to celebrate this New Year with an Abgusht party.  Ab is Farsi and translates to water (in this case broth) gusht translates to meat.  Abgusht is a traditional working man’s type of meal, the type of thing we would think of as a farmers meal – heavy, carb and protein loaded, fuel up type of meal that might be served at mid-day.  For my husband’s family of first generation Iranians that came to this country about 30 years ago this has become a delicacy evoking a lot of memories of home. Over the years Abgusht parties have been a “Drop everything, come as you are we’re making Abgusht so get over here now!” type of thing.  Our party was a planned New Year Day event but in the past I have seen people leave weddings, their Saturday chores, pool parties you name it to show up and have Abgusht. 

This meal is cooked in a huge pot filled with 6 or 7 lamb shanks, tomatoes, potatoes, 2 or 3 different types of beans lots of onion and garlic.  We simmer the pot for about 4 hours the night before and then simmer it again the next day.  When all the meat is tender and falls off the bones everything is separated from the broth.  The meat potato and beans mixture gets mashed and becomes something like mashed potatoes.  This “gusht” or paste mixture is served along side lavash, pita or other types of bread with a pile of sabzi (mixture of fresh herbs) and a variety of pickles or torshi.  The broth is served in a separate bowl and the whole taste sensation is amazing!  Our guys like to pile on pickled garlic and onions – this always means there will be little kissing later and for sure Matt sleeps in the spare bedroom! 

For me the best part of the Abgusht party is the mashing.  Such a large pot means that this activity is best done on the kitchen floor, so we spread out towels and set the pot down.  Of course everyone is very opinionated and feels that theirs is the perfect mashing technique that is called for in this situation and so it always attracts the whole group, there is lots of laughter and with the added cocktails, it makes for a great time and it gets everyone involved.

I have a recipe below that serves 6; we make a much larger pot as we end up having between 15 and 20 people at these events.  This is a great rainy Saturday evening type of dinner that is good to cook when you are home and can let it stew for a good long time.  Have fun and give this a try.

Abgusht (Persian Lamb Shank Stew with Meat Paste)

2 pounds lamb shank and 1-pound lamb breast

2 large onions quartered

6 cups water

1 can white canellie beans

1 can chick peas or garbonzo beans

1-teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut in half

4 peeled tomatoes, cut in half

2 tablespoon tomato paste

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 whole Limou-omanie* pierced or ¼ cup lemon juice

In a large pot, place the meat onion and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, add the turmeric, salt & Pepper – cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours over a low heat. 

Add the potatoes, all the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon and the lemon juice and let simmer for another 30 minutes over low heat.

Remove all of the stew ingredients from the pot using a slotted spoon.  Reserve the broth on the side. Remove all the meat from the bones.  Mash the meat and the veggie - potato mixture to make a paste that has the consistency of mashed potatoes. Season this to taste with salt & pepper and serve on a platter.

Serve the broth in a bowl along side of the gusht. Set your table with a mixture of Sabzi – fresh herbs: mint, watercress, scallions, tarragon, raddishes and basil – I also add cilantro.  I’ll have to do a post on Sabzi soon to properly introduce you.  You could just serve it with fresh greens such as a good head of lettuce and lots of pickles.  Enjoy this and be proud of yourself that you tried something new!

*Limou-omani are dried limes that you can find in a Persian market but if you have no Persian or International market near you, you can use fresh lemon juice, that works just as well.

 Happy New Year to you all!

The Lipstick Chronicles

The Lipstick Chronicles is part of a new path for me.  In this blog I am not selling anything and I like that.  I like the freedom of blogging without the pressures of promoting a product on a deadline and I like the freedom of being able to write about what I want without the worries that my customers may not like it.  Sorry girls, but it may not always be pretty and pink here.  I think that blogging is sort of an egotistical practice but I do find a purpose in sharing people, places and experiences, I'll try not to get too egotistical here, feel free to tell me if I do!  I have pulled some of my archived personal posts from the Soul of the Rose blog and copied them here to this blog - I had to hang on to a few of those and it gives me some history and foundation here.

I am crazy about movies, music and wonderful art that takes your breath away.  I like good food and wine...oh yes the wine... I am no culinary connoisseur though, I just know what I like, perhaps we will discover something new.  I am hoping to travel more, both near and far. I love shopping in fun little hide-away places and like to promote small business so we'll see what I find out there.  I'll chronicle all of this while on my continuous spiritual pathway of unfoldment and enlightenment...I hope.

Building my Flickr favorites

I have been a member of Flickr for a few years but I've not really participated much. I am not a very good photographer I am better than my husband though, which is not saying much since he mostly captures blurry images of peoples backs and feet...really it is shocking how funky of a photographer he is. After spending an evening with Nina going through her Flickr favs - she has thousands of images that she has favorited - I got inspired and decided I need to participate more on Flickr. I thought the least I could do is pull a good favorite list together and spend a little time with these artists perusing their photostreams. Wow - talk about fun! Creating my favorites has been an artistic experience in itself. I liken it to buying for the shop - you get to pull together random things that in the end tell a story and set a mood. So check out my favorites on Flickr, it is just a beginning though, only a start.

My very favorite artist I stumbled upon was Tom Palumbo, one of the gifted photographers of Bazaar and Vogue during the 50's and the 60's. After viewing his Paris 1962 set I felt as though I had spent wee into the morning hours partying with the posh fashionables during the heyday of Yves St Laurent. You can almost hear the glass clinking and the wine pouring! To say that I respect this man's art is just not enough. Really, beautiful work...still not enough...


I also found Such Pretty Things and that is an understatement as you browse her collection of glorious images of the prettiest of the pretty! Everything sparkles and shines in a soft delicate way.

For the ultimate in food porn...and I mean that in the very best and most respectful way! You must check out Cannelle-Vanille an incomparable food photographer and stylist, seriously you will not see anything this beautiful and mouthwatering anywhere!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the collection on My Vintage Vogue. Here is a real passion of mine the sophisticated retro chic that depicts the beauty of an era that is gone but so beautifully documented.

Along the way I found snap shots of other images that speak to my heart, glowing Chinese lanterns, English country cottages, vintage baby portraiture, Paris apartments, sweet birds and pink trees! What a soulful collection and I get to keep adding to it!!! (Note, the photos listed in this post are not the photos of these artists, copy rights you know...so you have to click on the links and go check them out to see their fabulousness your self!)

Took a little trip to Vegas

Matt and I did a long weekend in Vegas last week to celebrate our anniversary. We mixed a little business with pleasure and met with an import sales rep and I can tell you we will be adding some Asian culture to Soul of the Rose soon. I think what made our trip special was where we stayed –City Center. We didn’t actually set out to celebrate our anniversary in Vegas – this was the big 25th anniversary so we would have preferred Europe…Paris to be exact. With the economic turmoil of the last two years we just were not feeling the love of taking another European jaunt at this time. I’ve got family overseas so Europe will still be there for us. We were really looking forward to some time together and a little relaxation. We actually wanted something quieter than Vegas and when I checked out the new hotels I was surprised to learn about Vdara at City Center. City Center is a collection of hotels and a new mall smack dab in the center of the strip but with a whole new attitude.



If you’re looking for the new hip place to stay this is it. Our room had a panoramic view of the Bellagio fountains and a nice view of the Paris Eiffel tower…romantic! The Vdara is a quiet hotel, hip, non-smoking, non-casino with a slight Asian overtone.



It is connected to Bellagio so if you get a hankering for the poker tables or the slots you just cross a walkway and you’re in. If you need more hipness you can cross the outdoor walk way and go to the Aria. The Aria is the new Vegas elite, all of the swank with little or no garishness. Here is where you find the casino, shows, night clubs and outrageous shopping in a brand new mall called Crystals.

In addition to all this goodness both hotels pump these fantastic fragrances throughout – and I mean wonderful to die for smells!! Think of a cross between vanilla and sandalwood with a bit of citrus. I put my name on the waiting list of 2500 people in line to buy it when it comes out! They still don’t have it completed and they are not sure if it will be a candle or perfume or both. Whatever form IT will take I will take it! So if you are looking for a totally different Vegas experience you should check out the Vdara…and the rates are amazing since they are so new.

Getting detached from the things I think are so important...

I have been working with the idea of detachment lately and I came across something that Wayne Dyer said that really resonated with me regarding the idea of detachment. Think of water and a rock, of the two which is stronger? Water is always going to wear away the rock. If you think you need to harness the water, the more you try to squeeze and hold on to it the less you end up having. It is only when you relax and lay down in the water…float, that there is such an abundance of water, more than you actually need really. I guess that is the true meaning of “Going with the Flow”.

My favorite birthday card

Perhaps only a parent can know you so well. This is a scan of a birthday card I received from my father some 25 years ago. It says so much about who I am and why I am here. I was so struck that he found this poster and thought of me and kept it to give to me on my birthday. There are six kids in our family so I am impressed that with such a crowd my Dad had the insight to get me so well. Here is what he wrote on the back:

Happy Birthday Kim -
This poster reminded me of you. You are such a strong individual person, but you are constantly caught up in the machine. Keep fighting it, Kim you will eventually do what you want to do. And remember, like this poster, the finger print (you) has a beautiful variation of line, it has color, texture and rhythm - just the opposite of the computer code, which is straight, static, lifeless, colorless and predictable.

I love you Kim,

Dad

Yes, that says it all for me.
Thank you Dad for knowing me so well and loving me so much.