Retirement: now what to do?

Retirement is a 10-letter word meaning withdrawal from one's occupation or from active working life.

Ralph turned 62 in November and informed me he was retiring as soon as he received his first Social Security check. Now this left me in a bit of a dilemma because he has always carried at least half of the workload in our catering business. Did I want to go on and do all the work by myself? No, I don't think so.

Retirement was looking pretty good to me, especially after Ralph said he would pay me not to work. Now this was a deal I couldn't turn down, even though I wasn't sure how I would be if I wasn't cooking for all the people I have always cooked for. How would I tell them no? And what would I do with all my extra time?

Fast forward to the end of this month, and we have sold the restaurant, given up our business license and more importantly our health permit so we are officially just Ralph and Linda, retired.

It's nice not having to worry about working and all the details that go along with it. The food business has always been a tough nut to crack, and even though we enjoyed it tremendously, it was time to give it up. Catering is moving your kitchen and all the stuff that you need for a party from one place to another, then going back for what you forgot and cleaning up afterward then cleaning again once you are back at the restaurant and putting it all away.

It has been a great way to get to know so many wonderful people throughout Carson City and be a part of whatever was going on. It also afforded us the opportunity to give back to the community in a way we never could have if we had not been in the food business ourselves.

Will I miss it? Probably, but I have plans for so many things that I want to do now that I think I'll have the time to do them. I also know a lot of those will probably not get done. My aunt is 88, and she still thinks she is going to put all those photos in an album. I, too, know that I'm a bit of a procrastinator, and it seems to me I got a lot more done when I was working. Now it's a little more kickback, and if I don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow or the next day or the next.

The next couple of recipes come from our neighbors in Sky Valley, which is where we have a little retirement mobile home in the desert about 15 minutes from Palm Springs. Our little park model is only about 400 square feet, and my kitchen is like a play kitchen, just 3-by-5 feet. I really like cooking in this little kitchen, and it is easy to clean up.

In a mobile home park, your neighbors are really close so most of the time you know what they are having for dinner and who is eating with them. We have lots of informal gatherings, and most of the dinners are pretty simple. Our friend Don Turner fixed this salmon, and even though salmon is not one of my favorites, it was yummy.

Grilled Salmon on a Plank

Don uses a cedar plank that he soaks half a day, but you could soak it for a minimum of two hours.

Light barbecue and put soaked plank on it when it is ready for cooking. Leave it on for a few minutes then turn it over and put salmon on the hot side, skin-side down. Don seasoned his salmon with a little salt and pepper, garlic powder and a little brown sugar. He cooks it for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. When it flakes, it is done. He also watches the flame when he is cooking and squirts the plank with water when it catches on fire. You can also use planks made from alder or maple. One reason this fish was so tasty was Don caught it on the Columbia River.

Before dinner, we went over to our other neighbors. Evelyn had a great-tasting dip that was easy to make with ingredients that she had on hand. She took a can of no-beans chili and stirred it into an 8-ounce package of cream cheese, put it in the microwave -- instant dip.

Another easy appetizer with a lot of other uses is a ready-made bruschetta mix sold at Costco. It is very good served over toasted French bread, and if you put a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on it, it's even better. With tomatoes being out of season right now, it is a good substitute.

Linda Marrone has been a Carson City resident since 1973. She and her husband, Ralph, formerly operated Marrone's Restaurant in Carson City and Somethin's Cookin' Catering.