Look for the smooth handle
and a recipe for a giant-sized cracker perfect for drinks with friends
If there’s an easy way to do something, I might very well take the hard route instead.
It’s not by design, of course. After all, why would making something more difficult, or stressful, be better? It’s more a matter of ingrained habits, the by-rote thinking that we rely on. This is both the gift and curse of aging. We don’t think about how to tie a shoe lace anymore, and that’s true of a million things, big and small, that have become second nature.
We apply our learned habits to everything. The way we make a bed, cut an avocado, park a car. More profoundly, the way we react to a compliment or a criticism, tackle a problem, respond to anger.
Snapping out of our customary ways requires one step that, on the surface, seems simple but can be profoundly hard. In those moments when one of our buttons is pushed, and our reaction triggered, getting grounded in the moment and pausing, if only for a breath, can help us unravel the twisted skein of our hard wiring.
Ask yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?
― Marcus Aurelius
We kick open all the doors by asking that question. It takes us out of autopilot mode and allows us to see there are other ways to respond.
Like lifting a heavy weight, there’s a better way to approach and grasp a situation to make it easier. Another Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, explained it this way. “Every circumstance comes with two handles, one of which you can hold, while with the other conditions are insupportable.”
Or as Thomas Jefferson said more simply, “Take things always by their smooth handle.”
Looking for the smooth handle
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
– Viktor Frankl
Don’t you sometimes feel the weight of life on your shoulders? And with every stress, real or imagined, we allow the screws to tighten even more.
Listen, I’m not saying this is easy to do. It takes deliberate thought, and that in itself can feel like heavy lifting. But, really, if we think about it, pause, breathe, ask “is it necessary?” and look for a way to grasp a situation, person, event by its smooth handle, we can give our hard wiring a reboot and lift things more effortlessly.
Cracker for a crowd
from Food & Drink magazine
serves four
As much as I love hosting friends for dinner, I think if I could only serve appetizers for the rest of my life, I’d be happy. A good aperitivo spread allows infinite possibilities to experiment and try new ways to serve longtime favourites.
I have served crackers and dip countless times; always delicious but a little bit finicky. What if the whole thing was reimagined and served as one beautiful giant dish? This recipe from Food & Drink magazine, developed by Christopher St. Onge, does just that. The crisped up flatbread becomes a vehicle for just about whatever your imagination conjures. Here it’s kept fresh and light with cucumber, radishes and plenty of herbs atop a curry-scented cream cheese spread.
For the cracker
1 large flatbread, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, or 2 large, thin pitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the cream cheese spread
4 ounces (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, finely grated
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 cup loosely packed assorted tender herbs, such as mint, basil, dill, cilantro, chives and tarragon, large leaves torn in half
1 mini cucumber, thinly sliced
2 radishes, thinly sliced
Coarsely ground black pepper
Maldon or other flaky salt to finish
Heat oven to 400°F.
Cut the flatbread into a rectangle roughly 8 x 12 inches (20 x 30 cm) or cut two thin-style pitas into two rectangles, each half that size. Place on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, garlic, curry powder, green onion, lemon juice and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings. If you’re not serving the cracker right away, cover and chill. Allow to come to room temperature before assembling.
When you’re ready to serve, spread the cream cheese topping on the cracker. Scatter the cucumber and radish on top, then the herbs. Finish with few grinds of black pepper and sprinkle with a little Maldon salt. Serve whole and let your guests break off pieces to enjoy.
