More notes from a (Pot) Lucky Gal

On December 29th I turned 60. Probably in response to my persistent whining about this weird phenomenon, my family and friends  made it a wonderful  celebration.

A few dear women friends made a pot luck dinner in my honor at my friend Carrie's lovely and cozy abode. We gathered in front of the huge stone fireplace glowing with a roaring fire, to talk, drink, eat and laugh. (Now that I think of it, the book "Eat Pray Love" probably would have turned out much less corny if it had been called, "Eat Pray Laugh", instead of its (ahem) best selling title.)

No matter how you slice it, 60 is a big freakin number. It doesn't sound at all like the youthful lighthearted frolic that may describe a twenty something. And "60" certainly doesn't evoke the image of someone in the prime of life. It sounds kind of old, achy, creaky, just like I feel some days. "Sixty"  clashes terribly with my eternally cool and terminally adolescent self image. It's no comfort at all that Mick Jagger, Joni Mitchell, Bob  Dylan, are nearing 70!

And it occurred to me that all of us "children of the sixties" are now a part of one "genarian" group or other. We've all heard of septagenerian, octogenarian. I am now apparantly a "Sexagenerian"!  I love the prefix! Makes it sound like the sixties are gonna be a fun ride, N'est pas? Voulez vous couche avec moi?

So what to do? Shed my jeggings in favor of "mom jeans"? Trade in my hanky pankys for those 3 in a pack, oversized "cottonelle" briefs in pastel shades?  Will I wake up one morning to find that the least practical of my shoes have been replaced by a collection of Merrill clogs, Naturalizers and  White New Balance walkers? Will I find, upon glancing in the mirror, that my hair has been carefully shorn, coifed, and swept up and away from my face in a futile attempt to conteract the downward pull of gravity that supposedly plagues "the older woman" with long hair?

The answer to all of these questions is No, No No and NOOOOO....I will  don my hanky pankys, shop in stores with names like "Dig", wear cool high heeled shoes that may be hard to walk in, wear my hair long and wild, do yoga  every day and stalk up hills as fast as I can.  Most importantly, I will continue  to surround myself with great friends who are strong, creative, passionate, inspired and inspiring. And I will be as creative as possible, transforming my passion, angst, fear and joie de vivre into beautiful stuff, whether that is food or writing, or writing about food, or other creative endeavors, yet to be discovered.

As often happens at pot luck dinners, the elements of this dinner went together perfectly. This array of delicious dishes provides a perfect example of how a totally Vegan dinner can be completely satisfying and nutritious. I don't think anyone eating this luscious food would feel that they were missing something due to a lack of meat or cheese. I will list the menu here and post the recipes soon.

Whole wheat pasta W/Harissa, Kale and Pine Nuts
Root Vegetable Enchilada Wedge with Cashew Cream Sauce
Piquant Red Cabbage Salad
Green Salad

Chocolte Fudge Rose Cupcakes w/Chocolate Icing Lots of Wine :) (or not)

Thank you, all my dear, sweet friends and family. I love and treasure you. R