a dukes-up dinner

Today I had the pleasure and privilege of creating a cancer-fighting evening meal for my cousin's family. In addition to the gotta-have-em flax seed rolls; a farm fresh, all-organic salad with homemade dijon dressing; the always-winging-it crustless quiche lined with sliced new potatoes and jam packed with sauteed swiss chard; I made a really yummy beet risotto from Everyday Food (one of the many recipes that should one day give Martha Stewart world domination). Risotto is actually quite easy and satisfying to prepare. Plus, you get to eat your beets. Here's how:

Beet Risotto
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, room temperature or warmed
1 big bunch of beets, roasted or steamed, skins peeled off and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Add rice; stir to coat. Stir in wine; cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth; simmer, stirring, until almost all is absorbed. Add remaining 21/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding more, about 25 minutes total. Stir in beets, butter, and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

:::
On my way to deliver the meal, I picked up my cousin's two girls, ages 5 and 3, who were playing with friends for the afternoon. As we rode to their house, they quizzed me about the bandaids on my left hand. For a couple days I have had some terrible itchyness in two spots on this hand and today the little bumps I thought might be spider bites turned ugly. A quick visit to the doctor revealed that I accidentally came into contact with poison ivy. So, I explained to my cousin's girls what poison ivy is, how I may have gotten it on my hand, and so forth. Relentlessly, they peppered me with hypothetical questions.

"What would happen if you brushed your leg against poison ivy? What would happen if you rubbed it in your hair? What would happen if you got poison ivy on your face? What would happen if you rolled in poison ivy?"

Then, obviously pulling out the worst case scenario she could possibly imagine, the five year old called out, "What would happen if you took off all your clothes, even your underwear, and sat in poison ivy?"

The three year old chimed in, "Then your butt would itch!" And they both burst out laughing.

I shudder to even imagine it.