I always have such high hopes for what I’m going to get done before Ferdinand wakes up and after he goes to bed. If I give up going for a walk in the morning, which is let’s face it, daily, I can get last night’s dishes in the dishwasher, breakfast made, his lunch packed, and my teeth brushed. After he goes to bed, nothing. Not one thing. I used to try and tell people before I had a kid myself, “make tomorrow’s dinner tonight.” I apologize for that. Last night, I didn’t even get last night’s dinner made. It was a miracle that I made cookies, and for that, Jonathan and I had potato chips, corn chips, some ice cream and some beer.
To redeem myself, I’m making the mussels that were meant for last night, for lunch. Clean them really well in a few changes of water. Make sure they’re lively. Heat up a pan with some of your best olive oil and then throw in about three cloves of minced garlic for two pounds of mussels. Add some chopped parsely to the oil, let it get a dark green, throw in some red pepper flakes, about and eighth of a teaspoon, and then three of four diced new potatoes. Cook the potatoes until they get golden on the bottom without moving them around. Season with salt. Then add half a cup of good, dry white wine (NOT COOKING WINE), a few Tablespoons of tomato sauce, or three or four whole tomatoes that you have crushed in your hand. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender. Add another spill of white wine, and the mussels. Cook for about three to five minutes until they open. If some open before the others, just take them out and set them into a bowl. When everything is ready, pour it into a serving bowl, drizzle with your olive oil, and squeeze a little lemon over. Serve with a crusty bread.