Monday, July 07, 2008

bittersweet tart

Ahhhhhh.........this bittersweet thing we call life. How do you deal with it sometimes?

Like today, let's have a little look see into the life of a Monkey Wrangler, on what is turning into one of those classic days in the stay at home repertoire to remember for a long time........

Big girl was watching an early morning program and was being unresponsive to me asking her something. Meanwhile, little dude was downstairs mangling something of hers, making enough noise to make it obvious. When I threatened Big girl that I'd turn off the TV if I didn't get a response, it was met with an unresponse. I turned it off and suggested we do something else. There was absolutely no protest and she stayed put staring off into who knows what. Within about 43 seconds, she was up and walking about the house and starting to grunt and whine a bit. Within another minute she was saying "Daddy.............I don't want to throw up!" over and over, while pacing figure eights around the two tables downstairs again and again. "Daddy, now I have to go poop!" she mutters and I think, oh crap, here we go..........

We make it upstairs and I assist her. As well as hold her hair out of the bowl she is clutching on her lap, should she need to hurl. The little bro' unit comes crawling in, then gets into a squat position and stands up. He takes a few steps at us near the toilet. Usually big sis' would be having a major conniption fit about him being anywhere near the bathroom while she's in it. Today though, nothing. She stares through him. He is like a fly in the room. Besides our being in the bathroom under such conditions, I know she's sick when she pays no mind to what her brother is about to get into and/or destroy of hers.

Ahhhh, the bittersweetness of parenting. I'm holding onto one kid who is shivering uncontrollably and dry heaving while the other is showing his newfound skill and making day two of being an upright homo sapien. I laugh at myself for a second, being in the midst of all this.
Then it hits me.
Shit.
This is only Monday.

Well, at least yesterday I got something done. I got to use some lemon quark in a new way for me, in a dessert I've been imagining for well over a year now. And I had the immense fortune that it incorporated a few of Carl's peaches. Making it was bittersweet though. The peaches were the rarest I'll have this year, for on Saturday the 5th when I saw Carl and he had a few peaches, he said "yeah, these are the only ones for the year..........today." I gasped, I was so excited. I bought half a dozen. (I would have bought more, but I wanted others to have a chance at the few boxes he had.) Then I came home and nearly cried thinking of the bittersweetness of it all. How these would be my only fresh peach this year from my favorite king of peaches.

Then again, if that is one of my big worries for the year, then I surely have it really, really good. Dry heaves, shivers, giggling while walking and all.

But, like, jeez, I do wish it were Tuesday already..........if you are having a similar day, make yourself one of these:

BITTERSWEET PEACH AND CHEESE TART

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 stick of damn good butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 pint lemon quark
2 large eggs
3 of the rarest peaches you can find, preferably one you will not have for at least another year. This is essential.

cut the butter into the flour after you have mixed the sugar into it. like, duh. pat this into a 9x9 pan or something oval and smallish. bake it at 350 for about ten minutes. when this is just showing a hint of golden, pull it out and cool for a bit. meanwhile, put the leftover 4th of July booze down and crack a few eggs into a bowl. slop in the quark and mix thoroughly. skin your peaches and cut into slices. if they are clingstone, place the pit in your mouth and suck the stubborn, hard to get stuff off. do not put this part with the slices. pour the egg and quark mixture over the crusty thing and place slices of peaches all over the top. put it into the oven, still at 350 for another 25 of so minutes. well, maybe 18, maybe 33, who knows, learn to pay attention........eat the whole thing yourself and try not to cry.

8 comments:

K and S said...

I've never heard of lemon quark, but this tart sounds like a nice way to cheer up a Monday...hang in there!

cookiecrumb said...

I felt kind of bad looking at your photo of the bowl with the stuff in it.
It wasn't upchuck, was it?

so much cake so little time said...

i heard about carl's peaches...so sad.

Monkey Wrangler said...

Kat: I don't imagine you would run into quark in Japan or Hawaii. It is a cultured low fat soft cheese much like cream cheese but a bit grainier like ricotta. Thanks for the "hang in there"......

Cookie: No upchuck, just puke.

No, kidding, it was really hurl.......

Damn, I'm bad. It was the baked tart all cheesey with peaches sticking out though the top. But now that you mention it, it does kinda look like spew.....

BATT: Yeah Carl.......but you know what? He had a big old smile on his face and was even selling some bamboo products to get by. All I know is I'll be buying anything I can from him this year, because no matter what it will be top notch!

Anonymous said...

Oh man!! Just when I started a diet, you have to do this??
Please come visit my site, you have an award coming to you.

meathenge said...

One of my recent favorites was when Tiny E (7 at the time) threw up in the bathroom, like one of those rainbird lawn sprinklers? Yeah, like that. The funny part was the next day when he reenacted his spew with rainbird accuracy, mouth open and spewing sounds. "Oh Papa! I threw up and it went like this! (add your own sounds here)"

Ah, good times.

Biggles

K and S said...

I've passed on a "yum yum" award to you, please check it out on my blog :)

Monkey Wrangler said...

Mimi: An award? For little 'ol me? (Blush)

Biggles: Rainbird huh? That is some good times. And that's funny, 'cause when I was a kid it was definitely that variety.

Kat: Sheesh, an award? Have I gone and won something? This can't possibly be the second award in a week!