This Saturday I am flying to Atlanta to pick up a new member of the hungry poodle family. She is a cream-colored standard poodle, and she just happens to be my Lulu’s great-niece.

Karen, her breeder and the one who attempted to take her picture for me (this was as successful as she was able to get) told me to warn Lulu that “a tornado is coming from Georgia”. Judging by her inability to sit still for even one photo, I’d say we’re all in for it!

I’m sure that after an initial meet-and-greet (nibble-and-sniff is probably more apt), Lulu and Isabel, who is blind, will be eager to share their hungry poodle adventures, if not their toys, with a little sister.

I see puppy obedience classes in my future. Lots of them.

When I was in high school I had a boyfriend, Jim, whose parents made him go to a psychiatrist because they thought he had serious anger issues. His parents were so unfair, I thought. They didn’t know him like I did.

But then one afternoon after school he came over to our house in his father’s car. With the engine idling, he pressed on both the brake and the gas pedals at the same time, and laughed at the screeching sound the car made as it struggled to simultaneously stop and go.

The message was loud and clear:  a.) his parents were right; and b.) I should seriously consider telling him that I was busy…uh…for the rest of my life.

Nutty people can teach us valuable life lessons, and I learned one from Jim. There he was, pressing on both pedals at once, in opposition to each other, and not getting anywhere in the process.

I see a lot of people struggle to lose weight only to regain it when they revert back to their old bad habits. It made me wonder: what is so damnably hard about the process? Is it the thought of never getting to eat Doritos again or huge bowls of ice cream at midnight? What makes them act like Jim and keep their feet floored on both the stop and go pedals?

And then a light bulb went off in my head: if you really, really want something, it shouldn’t be that hard.

Case in point: two Weight Watcher members, Samantha and Huey, who recently celebrated losing more than 50 pounds each. When asked what got them started, Samantha said, “I bought a scale and when I got on it, I started to cry. I told my husband I just had to do something. I wanted to be there for our children.”

Huey said to her, “Well, you’re not going to do it alone,” and together they joined Weight Watchers.

Here’s where the life-lesson comes in: once they made the decision to lose weight, there was no looking back. They had crossed the divide from a lifestyle that could eventually kill them to one that would almost certainly prolong their lives. Although each of them has another 50 pounds to lose, they are determined to go the distance. To do this they have decided that any junk food that stands in the way of their success is not only off limits, it’s not even worth considering.

This decision actually made it easier for them, because taking junk food off the table released them from the push/pull confrontation that most dieters struggle with and eventually cave into. There’s no gas-and-brake-pedal pushing here, no impossible white-knuckle struggle to resist Ding Dongs. They are simply not an option. Period. How easy is that?

OK, so perhaps I’m making it sound a tad bit easier than it really is, but you get the idea, don’t you?  One difference between people who succeed and those who don’t is this: successful people don’t fight with themselves. They make a decision, they set ground rules and then they follow them. There are no ifs, ands or buts.

When you cross that divide, when you stop fighting with yourself, you can actually get somewhere. You go a lot faster with your foot on just one pedal.

I gilded the lily and doubled up on the tomatoes and zucchini.

I thought I had eaten nearly every configuration of tomatoes possible, but this simple one, from the folks who founded Earthbound Farm (think all those organic salad bags at the supermarket) was new to me, at least in this pasta rendition.

Zucchini and tomatoes go together like cookies and milk (OK, how about celery and carrots?). The most classic combination is ratatouille, which includes both of the aforementioned plus eggplant and bell peppers. I guess I just hadn’t thought of preparing these two alone with pasta, which was so fresh and summery and delicious, we’re going to eat it as many times as we can before the good tomatoes disappear.

Biggest plus: weeknight fast. While you’re eating it, I bet you’ll keep saying something like, “This tastes like it came from a really good restaurant.”  If you don’t say that then you made it wrong, in which case I want you to email me for virtual cooking lessons.

2 to 3 fresh tomatoes (about 2 cups) cut into 1/2″ cubes (or halved grape tomatoes)
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced fresh basil (NOT optional)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (optional)
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional for you, mandatory at our place)
12 oz. spaghetti (I like linguine)
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper

Put tomatoes, 2 T. olive oil, basil, parsley and red pepper flakes into a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow to marinate for about an hour.

While pasta is cooking, heat remaining 1 T. olive oil in a nonstick skillet and add zucchini and garlic. Cook, shaking pan, until zucchini is crisp-tender and beginning to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season well with salt and black pepper.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add tomato and zucchini mixture and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

This can be served warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 4 generously
WW Points per serving: 7 (6 if you provide for leftovers, which we did)

Note: I halved this recipe and used 6 oz. of dry pasta.

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Whatever-is-in-the-fridge stir-fry

Late Saturday afternoon I pulled a mysterious looking zip-lock bag from the freezer in hopes of finding something to cook for dinner without having to go to the supermarket. I couldn’t make out what was in the bag until it had defrosted for a few minutes in a bowl of water: half of a flank steak, cut down the middle to look like a pork tenderloin.

It quickly became the impromptu stir-fry star of whatever I could find in the fridge. Broccoli? Yes. Red bell pepper? Ditto. Onion? Of course. Garlic? Always.

I looked up several beef stir-fry recipes and settled on the one for which I had the most ingredients. This is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Light and Healthy 2010 Cookbook.

If you don’t have dry sherry or hoisin sauce (although I highly recommend keeping a constant supply of this stuff in your pantry. There’s even an article about it here), just go with what you’ve got. It’ll still be delicious. How can you go wrong quickly sauteing fresh veggies and meat? Again, this is not rocket science, trust me.

Stir Fry Sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
1 t. toasted sesame oil

Stir-Fry

12 oz. flank steak, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
2 t. low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. dry sherry
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. grated fresh ginger
3 t. canola or peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4″ pieces
1 bunch broccoli, florets cut into 1″ pieces
1/2 cup water

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Toss beef with soy sauce and dry sherry. and let marinate for a few minutes.

Heat 1 t. oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir fry until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.

Add another 1 t. oil to skillet and add the bell pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl with beef.

Add broccoli and water to skillet, cover and steam 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates and broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes longer.

Make a well in the center of the skillet and stir the garlic and ginger into the broccoli. Return the beef/bell pepper mixture to the skillet. Whisk the sauce and add it, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve with brown rice.

Serves: 4 (Perfect dinner-for-two one night and leftovers for the next)

WW Points per serving: 6 (without the rice)

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The original recipe included fresh green beans, and I’ve made it that way once. Although I like green beans, I preferred eggplant in this dish (hence the ratatouille similarity) and substituted it. If you’re more of a green bean lover, use them instead.

Stews are almost-soups. If you want, you can eat it with a spoon in front of the TV. At last, a bowl of goodies that won’t go straight to your waistline. OK, so I may be stretching it with the “goodies” moniker. Couldn’t fool you ice cream pros, could I?

How about thinking of this as healthy comfort food that takes little more effort than dialing up the pizza delivery?

Serve with a whole wheat roll as an entree, or alongside grilled chicken or fish

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used Vidalia)
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
12 tiny whole Yukon Gold potatoes
1 lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into chunks (or 1 lb. green beans)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
3 fresh thyme or oregano sprigs
3 small zucchini, cut into 1″ chunks
1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 3 to 4 chopped fresh tomatoes) and their juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and cook slowly until soft, about 10 minutes. Arrange potatoes on top of onions, then add the eggplant and peppers. Lightly salt layers. Add thyme sprigs. Add the zucchini and top with the tomatoes. Cover pot tightly. If you don’t have a tight-fitting lid, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot and then add lid.

Cook over very low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked. Add water if there isn’t enough liquid. The vegetables should be “meltingly tender”.

Turn off heat and allow pot to cool slightly. Nancy says this dish is best just slightly warm, but I like it almost hot. Sprinkle with chopped basil and some grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

As with most stews, this is even better the next day. The eggplant and zucchini will begin to break apart, but that’s their nature. Go with the flow and smile. You’re doing a good thing for body and soul.

Serves: 6
WW Points per serving: 4

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Ground Zero Sacramento; Anne safe under desk

I was a student at St. Ignatius school in Sacramento, California during the Cold War in the early 1960’s. There were three major Air Force bases in the Sacramento vicinity, thus we were considered to be a primary target if nuclear war broke out between the US and the Soviet Union.

We practiced air raid drills regularly; the nuns stressed that we had to duck quickly beneath our desks in order to survive. Looking back, I wonder how on earth a small wooden school desk could protect a child from a direct nuclear hit. Who was kidding whom?

One day we were sent home with a note asking our parents for instructions in the case of a nuclear attack. There were two options: we could wait to be picked up by our parents in the school parking lot, or we could be evacuated on a bus with the nuns to the mountains near Lake Tahoe. Parking lot or nuns?

For some reason I have never fully understood, my mother chose for me to go on the bus with the nuns to the mountains. (She later said that she thought it would be better if I was quickly moved to safety in the event that she couldn’t get to the school herself.)

This completely unglued me.

I developed chronic stomach aches soon afterwards. Every time my mother dropped me off at school, I looked at her in the car for possibly the last time (why else was that note sent home?) and my stomach began churning.

In case of nuclear blast, take one and duck under desk

My mother took me to the pediatrician, who prescribed lemon drops, which I was to place in my mouth every time I began to feel sick. I took a doctor’s note to Sister Catherine stating that whenever Anne Corbett got a stomach ache she was to take a lemon drop out of her desk (the same desk that ostensibly was going to save my life during the big blast) and eat it during class.

It worked. I am embarrassed to say that I was stupid enough to fall for a placebo, the old lemon drop trick. By the way, for those of you who are emotional eaters, here’s a perfect example of how powerful and intoxicating food can be as a remedy for life’s difficulties.

My stomach problems didn’t go away altogether until I convinced my mother to change my status from going with the nuns to being left behind at school. I told her that I would rather die in the parking lot of St. Ignatius than go on a bus with Sister Catherine and her cronies to Lake Tahoe.

And kids today think they have it tough.

Today people balk when they hear about classrooms with more than 24 children in them.  At St. Ignatius there were 50 children in each class. Fifty kids, one nun, perfect discipline.

Here is why: one day my second grade teacher, Sister Catherine, displayed a large painting on the blackboard. It was a picture of people trapped in flames and screaming out in horrible pain. We all stared at their tortured, desperate faces as she spoke.

“Children,” she said, “this is purgatory. We go there to have our sins burned off so that we can join God in heaven with purified souls. Everyone goes to purgatory because we are all sinners, but the time you spend there will depend on how many sins you commit during your lifetime. The fewer your sins, the less time you will spend in purgatory.”

As I said, fifty kids, one nun, perfect discipline. What fool wouldn’t take Sister Catherine’s warning to heart? I resolved to be perfect from that moment on.

At the end of one school day she sent us home with a homework assignment to practice writing capital and small letters on a piece of special writing paper. With the countenance that only a nun can summon, she told us not to make any erasures with our pencils. And whatever we did, she said, don’t tear the paper.

That night I made a mistake as soon as I began writing and tore the paper when I attempted to erase it. My life passed before my eyes and I felt faint. I pleaded hysterically with my mother to drive me over to the school at 8 o’clock at night to get another piece of paper. That she did this without argument should indicate the gravity of the situation.

It was dark. I crouched in the back seat of our car and peeked over the front seat as my mother approached the convent and rang the bell. She was so brave, I thought to myself. Sister Catherine appeared with keys in her hand and escorted my mother over to our classroom. The lights went on, and a few moments later my mother returned with a stack of the special writing paper.

“This should get you through the whole year,” she said drolly. My mother was not only brave; she was a genius. She had singlehandedly forestalled any further penmanship disasters for the duration of second grade.

Despite frequent bouts of hypochondria during my eight years at St. Ignatius (that’s the subject of another story),  I am relieved to state that I abandoned the notion of being perfect about the time I entered high school. I’ve been screwing up ever since on the convenient premise that humans cannot learn without making mistakes.

I wonder whatever happened to Sister Catherine, but I figure we’ll be able to catch up at length when we run into each other in purgatory.

Chicken Caesar Salad has had a relatively speedy evolution: it first appeared on the menus of upscale restaurants and then quickly got demoted all the way down to the bottom of the fast food chain. You can now order one at the drive-thru, and what you get is this: limp romaine lettuce and salty processed chicken pieces bound together by fake-Caesar dressing and served in plastic. Do me a favor and don’t invite me to dinner that night.

In its most classic rendition, Chicken Caesar Salad can be downright delicious. Real Caesar dressing is a creamy combination of eggs, oil, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce and Parmesan cheese. The eggs and oil are what make it so creamy, and therein lies the challenge of lightening it up. How do you do creamy without fat?

Once again, the folks at Cooks Illustrated have come up with a solution. Their lower-fat Caesar dressing gets its creaminess from a combination of buttermilk and light mayonnaise. The buttermilk gives it a tang that completely tricks you into believing you’re eating something rich and fattening.

And yes, there are anchovies in the dressing. If you’ve ever had this salad in a restaurant you ate anchovies, so as my girlfriend Kaye’s mother Dottie says, “put on your big girl panties and get over it”.

I feel it necessary to issue a caveat here: while this is healthier than the original recipe, it is not a no-fat dressing. That is why it is so good. Better a moderate portion of this than a vat of the homogenized no-fat stuff. Life is only so long. Amen.

Dressing

1/4 cup buttermilk
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. light mayonnaise
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. Worcestershire Sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed (I bought anchovies in a tin and froze the extras in single portions wrapped in foil)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Puree all ingredients except the Parmesan in a blender or food processor (I used a small processor) until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan. This makes about one cup of dressing. You’ll need 1/2 cup dressing to serve four, so refrigerate the rest. It makes a great dip for crudites.

Salad for Four

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz. each), cooked and cut into 1/2″ pieces (I grilled my chicken)
2 large romaine lettuce hearts, washed and torn into 1/2″ pieces
Croutons (see recipe below)

Toss the romaine in a large bowl with all but 1 T. of the 1/2 cup dressing and divide evenly between four plates. Add the chicken to the empty bowl and toss with the remaining 1 T. dressing. Evenly place the chicken atop the lettuce. Sprinkle with the croutons.

Croutons

4 cups French bread cubes, cut into 1/2″ pieces (include crusts)
Olive oil spray
1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread cubes on a large baking sheet, generously spray with the olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through to promote even browning. Allow to cool before serving. These keep well in an airtight plastic bag.

Serves: 4

WW Points per serving: 7

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It took me back to the late 1950’s and the Saturday morning cartoons my brother Jon and I watched on our black-and-white TV. Our TV snack-of-choice was Wonder Bread, crusts removed and the soft, white fluff squished into tiny balls and devoured whole. Our mom must have thought that Wonder Bread was a health food. (TV commercials heralded it as helping to “build strong bodies 12 ways.”) I just remember that we were often constipated and I was chubby.

Notice that there’s not a MacDonalds to be seen here. Nor are there any Twinkies, 20-ounce Diet Cokes or even packets of instant oatmeal. How did they survive?

Woman and poodle after enjoying Nachos

Last night Champ and I met after work for dinner at Houlihan’s. It is our custom to sit the bar, with its less formal setting and a good view for people-watching. As I ordered my usual glass of white wine, I noticed a couple sitting across from us sharing an enormous platter of crispy brown food. I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but they were devouring it with gusto, interspersed by sips from enormous, quart-sized glasses.

The waitress remarked that it was Chipotle Chicken Nachos, and suggested that if we wanted to try it, we should probably share an order because of the generous size.

I responded that having just come from a Weight Watchers meeting, I didn’t think Nachos was an appropriate selection, and ordered a salad with dressing on the side instead.

I later looked up the nachos on Houlihan’s web site. Get this: one order of Chipotle Chicken Nachos serves up 2,285 calories and 146 grams of fat.

Now, take into consideration that the two people I saw were not only chowing down a veritable trough of fat and calories in the nachos, they were also drinking from pitcher-sized glasses, which substantially added to their calorie intake. In America, this kind of eating is considered normal.

It occurred to me that in Europe people don’t eat or drink like that. They don’t serve huge platters of food, they don’t super-size drinks of any kind (in fact, in France it’s just not chic to carry a big bottle around in one’s purse). Consequently, they aren’t as fat as we are, not by a long shot.

You may well retort that Europeans are gaining on us in the fat department. But this seems to be due more to the preponderance of processed foods flooding the world than to portion size. People everywhere are eating more junk, but in Europe they’re still eating smaller portions of it, hence we remain the biggest, fattest people on earth.

In France, Weight Watchers allows its members to eat all the fruit they want–fruit is free, so to speak. Why are they able to do that? Because in France people don’t think like Texans. More is not always better.

A new restaurant survey came out this week. The most popular restaurant in America? The Cheesecake Factory. If you’ve ever eaten there, you’ll know why. Big, bigger, biggest. Choose your entree size. While you’re at it, you’d better order up a new belt size to match.