"Hold your breath,
Make a wish,
Count to three.
It's a Golden Day!"
Willy Wonka
30 on the 30th
By definition, a Golden Birthday is one in which the date of your birth matches your age. Our son Luke will be celebrating his Golden Birthday this Friday, June 30th. And so we celebrate with him on this "birthday-of-all-birthdays" as he has been one of the greatest joys of our life these past 30 years!
The month of June, 1987, was particularly long and drawn-out for me as I was nearing the end of my third pregnancy. My midwife calculated a mid-June delivery; the 15th came-and-went, and the week after, and then another week. But on the morning of the 30th, I woke to what was unmistakably labor. So we rustled-up Jake & Kate, dropped them off at Grandma Pat's, then headed to Hinsdale Hospital. At 8:05 am an adorable, 8 lb. 7oz. little boy was born. We named him Lucas Henry . . . Luke for short.
What a handsome little tike he was with that wavy hair and deep brown eyes! Today he stands tall at 6'-4" with an amazing tousle of hair that he, sadly, hides under a cap. Luke is challenged by his curly hair and has gone to great lengths to tame it. The most extreme was the "Mohawk" he sported during his mid-20's that spiked-up about 5 inches at the center of his scalp, complete with a "Thunderbird" shaved on either side!
Ever the artist, Luke is really quite talented and resourceful. He can draw and paint anything that he puts his hand to. Give him a few objects and he'll make something out of it. These days he is in the building trade and gets to be creative and get paid for it!
What a handsome little tike he was with that wavy hair and deep brown eyes! Today he stands tall at 6'-4" with an amazing tousle of hair that he, sadly, hides under a cap. Luke is challenged by his curly hair and has gone to great lengths to tame it. The most extreme was the "Mohawk" he sported during his mid-20's that spiked-up about 5 inches at the center of his scalp, complete with a "Thunderbird" shaved on either side!
Ever the artist, Luke is really quite talented and resourceful. He can draw and paint anything that he puts his hand to. Give him a few objects and he'll make something out of it. These days he is in the building trade and gets to be creative and get paid for it!
Cold weather sports are his favorite: skiing, snowboarding & hockey. At just 5 years old, Luke skied over the bunny-hills of Michigan with a mini-pair of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" skis. And by 10 years old, he was snowboarding down the black-diamond's of Big Sky, Montana. Over the years I have watched him play hockey; both ice and in-line. He loved to play and was quite good at it. But now, he keeps his interest in the sport through the Chicago Blackhawks . . . a die-hard fan, despite the distance, as he watches them from afar in Scottsdale, AZ.
So Happy Birthday Luke! Dad & I are so proud of the man you have become. You have made your way in the world off-the-beaten-path and may you always find joy in your journey;)
"Train up a child in the way that he should go
and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Rigatoni with Bolognese Sauce (adapted from Wolfgang Puck)
This dish takes quite a bit of time but is well-worth the effort. I clipped it from the Chicago Tribune many years ago. It is Luke's favorite;)
1 tablespoon, plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1/2 cup red wine
3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 sprigs parsley
2 each: rosemary & basil sprigs, bay leaves
1 sprig oregano
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 each, finely diced: onion, carrot, celery rib
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
To finish:
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
2 pound rigatoni
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add beef and cook until browned. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic & shallot; cook about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, sugar and tomato paste. Tie herbs and peppercorns inside a square of cheesecloth, securing it with kitchen string; add to pan. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring often, 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion and carrot. Cook 1 minute; stir in celery. Cook until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Remove the seasoning sachet from the sauce; stir in the onion mixture and broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes.
4.To finish, melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir into Bolognese Sauce. Stir in the broth and oregano. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
5. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain. Ladle sauce over pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 6 with plenty of leftover sauce!
Buon Appetito!
So Happy Birthday Luke! Dad & I are so proud of the man you have become. You have made your way in the world off-the-beaten-path and may you always find joy in your journey;)
"Train up a child in the way that he should go
and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6
Rigatoni with Bolognese Sauce (adapted from Wolfgang Puck)
This dish takes quite a bit of time but is well-worth the effort. I clipped it from the Chicago Tribune many years ago. It is Luke's favorite;)
1 tablespoon, plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1/2 cup red wine
3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 sprigs parsley
2 each: rosemary & basil sprigs, bay leaves
1 sprig oregano
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 each, finely diced: onion, carrot, celery rib
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
To finish:
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
2 pound rigatoni
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add beef and cook until browned. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic & shallot; cook about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, sugar and tomato paste. Tie herbs and peppercorns inside a square of cheesecloth, securing it with kitchen string; add to pan. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring often, 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion and carrot. Cook 1 minute; stir in celery. Cook until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Remove the seasoning sachet from the sauce; stir in the onion mixture and broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes.
4.To finish, melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir into Bolognese Sauce. Stir in the broth and oregano. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
5. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain. Ladle sauce over pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 6 with plenty of leftover sauce!
Buon Appetito!
Margi, you know how I love our little Luke! So proud of the man he has become. Thanks for posting this. He is still a very precious young man--a caring husband and thoughtful father.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I have to ask who this is as it says, "unknown."
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