Food

This evening I had dinner with a friend then came home and watered the garden. I checked in online then returned to proofing The Light Bearers, the second half of Darkslayer and Volume Two in The Chronicles of Mídhris. I am about one third of the way through, which is encouraging.

Then I loaded the slow cooker with small potatoes, onion, yellow and orange peppers, a ton of stewing beef, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, lemon pepper, sea salt, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and red wine. All stowed in the fridge. Now, if I can remember to take it out tomorrow morning and turn it on, I shall come home to stew for dinner (and many meals thereafter).

Not that exciting a day but a good one.

Sweet dreams, poppets.

--the BB

Published at last

It probably will not be visible on Amazon until tomorrow but I clicked "publish" this afternoon. For a mere $5.99 USD you, gentle reader, can now purchase the e-book of my first novel for Kindle. Don't have a Kindle? There is an app for your device. Just look here.

The title to look for is The Demon Chasers and the author name is Grevedan Deveril. You may read more about who he is at the sister blog dedicated to all things Mídhris.

If you can, please go to OCICBW and use the Amazon widgets in the right margin to order as this costs the reader no more but helps support a friend.

OK, fans of sword and sorcery, snaffle up those e-books. There will be more, God willing and the Rio Grande don't rise. Volume two before Christmas this year and volume three next year. Help me retire early!

Also, dear articulate friends, reviews on Amazon make for more hits and more sales, so if you feel so inclined....

Thanks!

-the BB

A good weekend

There was tension as we all awaited news on the employment front. My colleagues from out of state have not been offered continuing employment. I have accepted the offer of the new contracting company and am very relieved. It is sad to see our numbers reduced.

Got a massage on Friday night, attended the Bernalillo County Democratic Party pre-primary convention Saturday morning then rushed home to cook. Lovely dinner party. The recipes were all re-runs of prior dinners so no photos but we all had a lovely time. Sunday I watered the yard, did several loads of laundry, had a date, and watched the second half of the Oscars. This morning there was a job offer in my e-mail. So this Monday went by swiftly, counterbalancing last Friday which seemed an eternity.

My leg looks good. No new complications. Now I need to haul my ass off to the gym.

Thanks for all the prayers, folks.

--the BB

Anoche

Taking advantage of my work furlough week, I have been to the gym twice, started a ton of laundry, worked on my presentation for Spanish class tonight, and even cooked a nice meal for myself last night.


Boneless pork chops pounded even thinner; given a dry rub of ground juniper berries, black peppercorns, thyme, parsley, garlic power, red pepper flakes, and sea salt; sautéed in butter and oil, then sauced with the fond deglazed with brandy and beef broth. Brown rice enhanced with a sauté of leftover onions, sweet peppers, and mushrooms. Broccoli. Some leftover white wine.


More leftovers from Saturday's festivities: navel, blood, and cara cara orange slices.

It was not all virtue. For dessert I grazed. Still, not my usual weeknight fare.

Saturday was dinner for eight to celebrate Bill's natal festivity earlier in the week. Armenian was the theme. I made yalanchi dolma (stuffed grape leaves), muttering on Facebook that I now remember why I only make this once a decade. I was going to make sou boereg (phyllo triangles stuffed with cheese) but decided at the last minute this was too much pressure on myself.

For the main course we had stuffed peppers with lamb and beef, onions, celery, pine nuts, etc. I did cracked wheat (bulghur) pilaf with fresh mint leaves in it. Bruce brought pureed cauliflower with roasted garlic and caramelized onions.

Gail made an Armenian nutmeg cake that was delish, served with a dollop of whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg on top. Ron, whose birthday was on Saturday itself, arrived with half a case of wine. We did ourselves proud on the number of empty bottles at the end of the evening.

Lots of fun. And I even had all the dishes washed and put away by the next evening.

For those wondering about my leg, it continues to improve. I am still on IV antibiotic and see the doc in two days to check the progress.

That's the news from Desert Farne today.

--the BB

A milestone slips by

I knew it was coming up but was inattentive when it happened. This is post number 4002 on this blog. Whew.

Thanks to my visitors. You have been such a support to me over the years.

--the BB

Going home

Sorry I left off with such a dire message. I have been in the hospital Since Monday night. Saw an infectious disease specialist today and he is springing me. I will get IV antibiotics in his office each morning and should be able to return to work tomorrow morning (with my leg elevated).

Thanks for all the prayers.

Progress

As I announced in the previous post, I have been getting things done. Yesterday I assembled three racks of shelves for the garage and got boxes, formerly scattered about, onto the shelves. I also tore up lots of boxes for recycling.

The new hot water heater arrived very late yesterday afternoon and was installed. I no longer live in fear of an imminent water-spewing disaster in the garage. I celebrated with a long hot bath last night (re-reading Tales of the City). I have also finished watching Season Three of The Big Bang Theory.

I have assembled a list of every ingredient, except water, for tomorrow's dinner. I marked what I have and what I do not. Sorted and printed out as a shopping list. About to head out and shop. (On a Friday afternoon near Christmas, am I crazy? Better than tomorrow morning.)

I am going to attempt my first devil's food cake (from scratch, natch). I will make it today so if it does not work out (this is high altitude baking after all) I can do something else tomorrow while the stew cooks in the slow cooker.

This is not an Italian meal, for the first time in months. I knew I would eventually go in other directions though I still plan to learn more about Italian cooking. The stew and the cake are new adventures for me. Appetizers, side dishes, and salad are old hat. A balance, though the meal is still meant to impress. lol.

Spanakopita

Pork stew with carrots, fennel, prunes, brandy, and cream
Rice
Haricots verts

Green salad

Devil's food cake

Just remembered I need to count my cake pans before I leave and add flowers to the shopping list.

I am rejoicing in the really big things I have accomplished this week and not dwelling on several other things that also need doing. Oh well.

Happy Beethoven's Birthday, everybody.

--the BB

The pantry reorg project 2011

I think this Día de los Muertos my Mother is hanging around. I have not done this much kitchen cleaning in forever. Hoping she can ignore the rest of the house for now and just be pleased with this much.

For about nine days I have been working on reorganizing my pantries and kitchen. Yes, pantries, as in the plural. In fact I have four: one in the kitchen, one in the hall toward the powder room, a new one in the hall closet, and a huge chunk of an upstairs closet where little-used items live. I am a pack rat and I know it. I also like equipment to cook whatever I feel like cooking. Enough with confessions.

Before and after photos were requested. There is no way I would share what any of this looked like before. Here are after photos taken this evening. Most of this was done prior to today as I am resting my infected leg.


This is the counter to the right of the stove with stirring and whisking and ladling and scraping devices. Also the many oils and vinegars, salt and pepper. An old man lives here because his pills for the week are all laid out where he won't forget to take them each morning.


This is the space to the left of the stove with the Kitchen Aid, new white dishes, more salt and pepper devices, butter dish, toaster, knives, and spoon rest.


This is "la cave" or most of it. All the reds and some of the whites, ranging from about $5 to $25 a bottle. I can't usually taste higher than that. Right now these are mostly Italian since that is the kind of cooking I am doing.


This is the kitchen pantry. I have detail photos but will spare you those. Since I am tall the top two shelves are at eye level, which is why lots of jars live on the right where I can see them easily. Pastas, grains, flours mostly inhabit the top left. Then come cooking and serving ware, then miscellaneous (including my workout supplements). Oil for frying and vinegar are hiding behind the pizza stone. The floor in this pantry was swept and mopped tonight and I am glowing with satisfaction.

Plastic containers for leftovers etc. have been matched with lids. About 40% are in another pantry (see below). 20% are in a box as take-home gifts for tomorrow's dinner guests, if they want them. The remaining 40%, largely unmatched, have been tossed in the trash. Finally.


This is the new pantry in the hall closet. It holds heavier equipment: the ice cream freezer, larger serving platters, a triple crock pot, all the cake and pie and tarte tins, overflow linens, food mill, pasta drying rack, and deep fryer.


Here is a view above the fridge that needs a new circulating fan. Nuts and dried fruits on top (and emergency healthcare directives, just in case you are at my house and I have a heart attack). A talavera dish and a print from a wine tasting trip years ago. Those who embiggen the photo may recognize some of the refrigerator magnets.


The "side pantry" on the way to the powder room: upper shelves. Here are wine carafes; dish towels and dish cloths and aprons tossed indecorously atop one another; coffee and tea devices, ramekins, and protein bars.


The lower shelves include the teas, rice steamer, cast iron devices, trivets, and storage containers. Below that is a huge bag of rice.


Saints watching over the kitchen include La Morenita (for everything), of course, San Pascual (for kitchens), Maria Magdalena (for witness and faithfulness), Genesius (for theatre folk), Antonio de Padua (because he was there and loves Jesus), Roque (for plague victims and people like me with infected legs), and Rafael (for healing). My home is dedicated to Guadalupe, Rafael, and Cuthbert. St Rock's feast is my Aunt Jesse's birthday, the Archangel Raphael's feast on older calendars was my Uncle Virgil's birthday, and Mary Magdalen's feast is Jim O'Donnell's birthday. Let us keep Jim in our prayers as he prepares to join the saints.


An overview of the stove side with decorative items above the cabinets.


And this is the table set for tomorrow's dinner. The napkins were starched a couple weeks ago. The tablecloth went from the dryer to the table without an iron. Yes, there is wicked candy corn in the little pumpkins. Grown ups gotta be bad too.

Welcome to my kitchen. No, you may not see any photos of the sink area right now. What, you want everything? Forget it.

I have done lots of rescheduling tomorrow's meal to minimize time on my feet. The soup is easy and so are the vegetables. I bought two loaves of rustic breads at Trader Joe's instead of baking them. I am not trying a new technique for dessert. Pumpkin bread (now cooling) was from a mix and I will make the cinnamon gelato tomorrow. No new techniques there, just different recipe. The chicken dish should not be hard and everything should be cooked and warming before guests arrive. Then I can sit down, with my leg up, and visit and enjoy my friends.

May you all have a safe and blessed Season of the Dead (who live in God).

--the BB

The coffee hater

I make a very lousy Swede for at least two reasons: I hate the taste of coffee and I try to avoid eating fish. Don't even think of mentioning lutfisk. Shudder. The one Swedish thing about my cooking is the generous use of butter. Smor ock kärlek. Butter and love. That's the motto of Swedish cooking. That much I truly live up to.

Back to the coffee issue. I do not mind the smell of coffee brewing. That is homey. But I have never liked the taste of coffee in my mouth. Don't even consider bringing up mocha, thanks. If I detect coffee in my chocolate I want to spit it out, and usually do, though not in front of others.

When I went to France on my semester abroad in autumn of 1967 I had successfully navigated to the ripe age of 21 without ever tasting more than a sip of the nasty stuff. The day I arrived on the train in Montpellier my host family was all out and about. So Jean René, the son my age, arranged for a friend to meet me at the train. Said friend took me to the apartment where his family lived and his mother looked after me until my family could sweep me off to their home. The gracious lady offered me coffee. I said, as graciously as I could, that I do not drink coffee but appreciate the offer. She opined that this was because I had not had good French coffee and hers was marvelous and I must have some.

Well, I may have been a callow youth but I did not want to start an international incident on my second day in France. She brought me a (mercifully small) cup of coffee, "black as my heart" as my mother would say. Steeling myself, I took a sip. Fire hit my belly, and I don't mean passion. I thought I had just downed battery acid. And since I had not slept much on the train the night before nor eaten much, the caffeine hit my bloodstream almost instantly. My heart raced. And yes, I thought the flavor was incredibly vile. I made polite noises and probably took one or two more sips before begging off, saying it was most impressive but my body was not accustomed to it.

No, I don't ever intend to drink coffee again. Why do you ask? Yes, unless the tiramisu is beyond elegant I will spit it out. If it is truly exceptional I will eat one bite just to test the quality of all the other things that make tiramisu elegant. I believe it is a wonderful dessert, I just don't want any.

So, on Facebook I talked about my indulging in a high end ice cream maker Friday night. If I make this much gelato, why not? One tires of having to put the freezing canister of my prior ice cream device in the freezer for at least one night. One might want to make more than one flavor or greater quantities and need to keep on freezing after one batch. Well, now one can. It was a chunk of money. I said I felt I could justify this (having made gelato now five times in two months). But I could not justify the espresso machine for sale at Costco because I loathe coffee, don't even keep any in the house, and it was way too much money. Though it would be nice to be able to serve espresso at the end of a lovely Italian meal, just to round out the experience.

Allow me to compound this story with another aside. When I moved to Albuquerque and had the illusion I would entertain more than I actually did the first four years here, I bought one pound each of regular and decaf coffee and put same in my freezer. I do have a coffee grinder (two, actually, though one is for spices only). I have a coffee maker (two, actually, for "leaded" and decaf). I think it was three years later that I tossed out the two pounds of coffee. Probably had freezer burn at that point. I had made coffee once, perhaps. (I do have tea, mind you.)

Friend Randy, who keeps an eye on my Facebook posts, not only showed up with a couple bottles of wine on Saturday but he and his friend Troy also had a little host gift:


These lovely rose pattern demitasse cups and saucers for my espresso.

Knowing full well how I feel about coffee and the whole issue around it.

Bless their hearts. (And aren't the cups beautiful?)

It was not gratuitous teasing. Randy also pointed out that there are alternatives to expensive fancy schmancy espresso machines. (Oh, and tonight at Costco I noticed the espresso machine was actually about eight dollars cheaper than my new ice cream maker. That was a bit humbling.)

So I did some reading online about espresso and related topics and did a little shopping on the way home tonight.

I have a new coffee grinder. I can set it for an espresso grind without wondering if I have done it right.


And I have a stovetop espresso maker, the classic macchinetta from 1933.



I also have some Italian roast and espresso beans from Whole Foods (small quantities) and also a bag of the espresso roast Starbucks and medium roast decaf from Starbucks purchased at Costco. I need to learn how to use the new toys, of course, but I will learn.

I also know that my hand blender can whip up 150 degree milk, so I don't need no stinkin' steam device or 'spensive device à frapper.

So if you come to my house for an Italian meal, you will be able to enjoy a shot of espresso. Hell, I'll even throw some hooch in and you can have caffè corretto. A latte? We can do that too. What, you want mocha? I've got Starbucks cocoa powder. We'll do it.

This is your friendly barista, who still loathes coffee but wants y'all to have a good time (and drive home sober).

--the BB

Schnozz update

Granted, I was not smiling in this photo though I am smiling now. It IS a post-surgery photo and one cannot tell anything was done to my nose. Well, I should hope not. It was repair of a deviated septum, not a "nose job."

This morning the surgeon removed the stents on either side of my septum and I can now truly breathe freely. Woohoo! I can, mostly, return to normal life (well as near to normal as I ever get). I can bend over, lift heavy weights, and do all the other things I was supposed to shun for the past two weeks. I am going to the gym and pumping iron today. Yay!

There is some follow-up care and it is easy. I see the doc in a couple of weeks to check up on how it is doing. Things look good at this point. The goal is to have everything clean going forward so he will not have to do any follow-up surgery.

I want to thank everyone for all the love and prayers that have come my way through this. Compared to the ills others go through, this was chump change but I am grateful to have had friends all along the way.

Deo gratias!

--the BB

Sunday dinner and beyond

I was feeling better (probably more energetic than I really was) and decided to cook Sunday dinner for Bill who was coming over after Mass at the cathedral. I swiftly regretted not taking a photo of the main course. Mind you, it was mostly rather simple.

Pork roast, already marinated by Costco and sealed in a cryopac. I took that out of the freezer on Saturday. Mashed potatoes (with cream cheese, butter, milk, white pepper, salt, and nutmeg) - more on those in a moment. Green peas taken out of the freezer and microwaved. See? Simple. Oh, and a sauce.

The supermarket had some lovely sweet peppers and I bought a nice orange one and roasted and peeled it. (Roast directly over the gas flame until it is charred all over, then put in a moist brown paper bag to sweat for ten minutes. Remove and peel under running water.)

The sauce began with about two tablespoons of finely minced onion and an entire small package of crimini mushrooms (they call them baby bellas now, but I mean the brown ones) chopped, sauteed in butter and oil. I added thyme and freshly ground black pepper. Then I tossed in the chopped roasted orange pepper. When those were partly caramelized I set them aside and deglazed the pan with white wine. To that I added some beef stock and about half a teaspoon of demi glace (you DO keep that in your fridge at all times, right?). I cooked the liquids down to about one third their original volume then added the onion-pepper-mushroom mixture. Bill tasted it and it did not need adjusting. The sauce was done except for adding some pan juice from the pork roast at the end.

Not long after Bill arrived I was running about doing this and that and doing what I do best in a kitchen: schvitzing like a behayma. As I frantically wiped my brow with paper towels and tried very hard not to bump my nose in the process, with only mixed success, Bill volunteered to mash the potatoes, which he did and I could calm down.

As the meat rested I microwaved the peas, reheated the sauce, warmed the plates. Then I sliced the pork and served up. I used my mother's china because it was Sunday dinner. The result was pleasing to the eye and even with my impaired sense of smell it tasted great. Since I was winging this without recipes, I was relieved and pleased.

There were fresh flowers on the table and ironed napkins.

You can see the salad course above: mixed greens tossed with canola oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Topped with chunks of pear, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries.

Dessert was slices of fruit cake and small glasses of port.

I did very little cooking in the period 2002 to last year but have begun to cook more. I hate cooking for myself. Sunday was a nice excuse to do up a formal meal. It wore me out but it fed my soul.

Last night (Sunday/Monday) I slept through the entire night. This was the first time in a week and I am greatly relieved and encouraged. Sleep has been segmented and inadequate as I have been recovering. Although I did not go to work today, and won't until next week, this felt like a Monday. The only accomplishments were cutting my hair and riding the exercise bike but I am beat. I managed to go seven hours between painkillers, which was really stretching it further than I should have. Anyhow, I am clearly recovering.

Last week I was too out of it to feel cabin fever. I think it is setting in now in week two. I could not help wondering why I have to spend this week home also but I have realized over the weekend that my number one job right now is to protect my nose. It is tender and fragile, even though it looks just like before surgery on the outside. It is incredibly easy to bump it, nudge it, wrinkle it up, etc. in the course of unconscious daily life. I must be mindful, night and day, to prevent that from happening. I must wash my face and shave very carefully. I cannot rub my nose, scratch it, blow it, etc. I cannot sleep in my favorite positions. I have to pay attention even wiping my brow. My upper lip is badly bruised on the inside from the trach tube and this makes some drinking awkward and can cause sudden sharp, but mercifully brief, pain. Which can trigger a sneeze. That I can't wipe as usual. Bottom line: I can't resume habitual behavior just yet. And I am still pretty much a mouth breather. Most unattractive.

Patience, Grasshopper.

Thanks for letting me share another meal with you all. If I cannot gather all my online friends around my table and feed them, I can at least share the memories. Hope that's not too much of a tease.

--the BB

Heart thread - 01/07/2011

My friend Ryan's grandfather has died and tonight was the wake. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. May those who love him find comfort. May Ryan be sustained and return safely to school.

In very good news, my dear friend Kathy has a new job and begins work on Monday. This was, blessedly, a very short time unemployed. May she shine in the new position and find satisfaction in it.

The other Cathy is still battling that nasty flu and needs to be working. May her health return swiftly, her vigor increase, and her employment suffice.

Let us also remember to uphold MP in prayer and, where possible, in financial support of his ministry.

Another overlong update on me, me, me:

I did not sleep well (or enough) last night so today had a very rough start. I think my nose is at the healing stage where it is just tender. Sort of that easily irritable phase, like a wound when it itches and you know that's a good sign but it's driving you nuts and you cannot scratch it. For my nose's sake it would be lovely if my facial muscles would go all botox for a few days and not move. Smiling, laughing, yawning, whatever makes nose muscles move and that is unpleasant. Washing my face is a challenge. (Just try it without moving a nose muscle.) I began the day in a foul, miserable mood. [I never promised to be a patient, happy convalescent.]

Still, each day I breathe a bit more easily. Dennis came by to visit which was very nice. Tomorrow I am going to venture forth and take a walk to the pharmacy and back. It is a mile each way, so should not be difficult. This will be nice exercise and that walk has nice views across the Rio Grande Valley since I am on the high part of the west side and there are fields not yet turned into housing tracts. Bill will bring nice leftovers from the meal he is cooking tonight, so I will have something lovely and different to eat.

The long rest period is making more sense on an experiential level now. Serious stuff was done to straighten out my septum and it needs to heal properly. It is incredibly easy to do something to one's nose that will undermine that. My face is vulnerable and sore. One thoughtless moment could undo a lot. And my body needs more rest than usual (and has actually gotten much less in the first few days). So: patience, Mr. Bear. Chill and let it happen. Be gentle to yourself. Your breathing-improved nose needs time to stabilize.

There. Pep talk given and received. So now to bed.

Sweet dreams, poppets!
--the BB

Personal update - updated

A huge thank you to all whose prayers support me. I am truly grateful.

Today's surgery appears to have gone well. There was a lot done and I bled more than expected. That has calmed down, though. The doctor was able to access and treat all sinuses. My deviated septum has been fixed.

Friend Bruce made a delicious chicken soup and we dined on that this evening, along with a slice of Bill's fruitcake and some therapeutic port.

Bill drove and has stayed with me throughout the day and tonight. Tomorrow he will drive me to the doctor's office to remove packing in the right nostril. The regular followup visit to remove plastic stents supporting my realigned septum will be removed then. This surgery needs to heal before we can tell whether any second operation will be required to get it all. I am hoping they got it all this time around.

I am quite unattractive now. My nose is swollen, though there is no bruising of nose or eyes (it was not a "nose job"). Because of the normal bleeding that can last for a few days, I have a "nose bag" but it is not full of oats. It holds gauze changed frequently. Additionally, in order not to have any nicks that might be points of entry for infections, I have not shaved since Saturday.

I will have friends check in on me daily for a while. I hope that by the weekend I can drive to the gym and ride the bike (reduced resistance) just to keep the legs active. Walking would also work but it has been a tad nippy for that of late.

Had an analgesic and am now going to crawl in bed, propped up on four pillows. Lying down is a sure way to get a killer headache, I am told. No intention of risking that.

And that's the news.

Thanks again for loving support from so many folks all around the world. You're the best.

UPDATE (1/5 - 4:20 PM):

Saw the doctor in his office this afternoon to remove the packing on both sides of my nose. Not usual to pack but I was bleeding heavily during surgery (not anywhere near needing a transfusion but way above average). He was concerned enough to call and check in on me last evening, which I greatly appreciated. Bleeding had eased and I had no fever.

Anyway, today he removed the packing (ouch) and after a brief stuck pig moment, things should be calming down even more. Better yet, I can, at least minimally, now breathe through my nose. Hooray. This may mean I can sleep tonight.

The doctor thinks things went well and are looking good.

We shopped on the way back and I now have food and drink, medical supplies and medications all at hand. I also have plenty of books and movies. Now if I can get caught up on sleep. I may even shave in a day or two. (My mother had a rather unpleasant expression for men who look the way I do today and I am not sharing it here.) Visiting friends are lined up.

Again, thanks to you all.
--the BB

Le weekend

Yesterday was BBQ. Our monthly dinner group came to my place and I had a couple racks of ribs. We had appetizers, ribs, baked beans, salad, biscuits, and red velvet cake for dessert. Since I was not driving anywhere I had more wine than I usually do at these suppers. Lots of fun.

Church this morning followed by lunch with Bill and his father, Jack. I ask your continued prayers for Jack as the years finally catch up with him.

After lunch Bill and I talked about the Italian adventure next spring. Step one: set dates. Step two: flights purchased. Now to work on lodging, then what we want to see. Rome and Florence this trip. We moved Paris, Venice, and Ravenna to 2012.

Early this evening I was on my knees pulling weeds. I don't mind that I have to do this periodically but have I mentioned lately how much I hate HOAs? Yard Nazis, I swear. Do they really think I am going to let it grow into a jungle?

I am up later than I wish because I have been working on consolidating my notes on the hostages in my novel. I need to rewrite the scenes in which they appear. When I started this tale I had given them names and ages and not a lot more. Now I have their family trees and have determined at least their superficial physical appearance. As is the case with aristocratic families, there are lots of interrelationships. Since the tale is about a civil war, most families have members fighting on opposing sides. It gets very complex very quickly. I finally feel I can begin imagining scenes again. Whew.



Here are side-by-side charts of two hostages who are second cousins. They are also second cousins to one of the pretenders to the throne, though neither gives his allegiance to their cousin.

One of the joys of fantasy fiction, and probably of all fiction writing, is discovering more and more that you did not know when you started. Characters seem to reveal themselves to you, even if it is all springing from your own warped brain cells.

And now it is time to take my weary bod and aching knees to bed.

Sweet dreams, my playful platypi.

--the BB

100,000

At 7:42 MDT this blog received its 100,000th page view.

Chump change compared to the big blogs but still a bit of a kick for me.

--the BB

It was not do-nothing mode

The weekend was not really super busy and I did spend lots of time sitting around. Nonetheless, I made progress on several fronts.

Dinner in Corrales on Friday. As I wrote to a friend through whom I got the wine:

The menu (a tribute to late summer):
Goat cheese with strips of roasted and peeled Big Jim green chiles from B's yard, olive oil, salt, pepper - all spread on crackers. The chiles are usually fairly mild but these had kick.
Freshly-picked figs that K. brought (her neighbor's tree hangs over into her yard) halved and served with little strips of prosciutto.
Ripe very intensely red tomatoes from B's yard, sliced with olive oil, chiffonade of Thai basil, salt and pepper.
Grilled chicken that has been marinated in lemon juice for a couple hours, then brushed with olive oil and Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. So simple and so good.
Grilled eggplant slices brushed with olive oil.
Grilled corn on the cob.
Peach cobbler that I had made with Red Haven peaches from my tree, picked when they were literally starting to fall from the branch.

The wine was a St Peter's Church Reserve Zinfandel. Nice big wine. I did feel stuffed like a turkey after all that food.

Saturday I had an eye exam and purchased a new pair of glasses. Slight changes in one eye, nothing huge. I think my brain has adjusted to the change already. Since it is not hugely different from the last prescription this means I now have a spare pair of glasses.

I also did a bit of retail therapy, paid the chap who got a new motor for my downstairs A/C unit, hung out with the local Italians for a couple of hours, and did a load of laundry.

Sunday saw three more loads of laundry, I ran the dishwasher twice (yes, I had let dishes pile up), cleaned the kitchen, baked the last peach cobbler of the season and took most of it next door for the neighbors (tacky, but I had a little), and worked on updating my cast of characters and their alliances (previous post). The day before I studied Italian in a phrase book and Sunday evening I watched a bit of Italian TV online.

Should I win the lottery in any substantial amount I will hire someone to clean my house, you can be sure of that. Don't we all have these fantasies?

I would not mind a nice uneventful week.

--the BB

Peaches blanched

They still have not made their way into a pie or cobbler (or both) but they are now all peeled and sliced.

--the BB

No, it's not a rat's nest

I always marvel at how much dark brown there still is in my hair, though every buzzing shows more white. Tonight it seemed to have a lot of reddish blond. On my head, it all looks silver to me.

Yep, haircut night. I was getting a bit shaggy. Also watered the yard and researched where in ABQ I could find someone to repair my refrigerator. Its fan has gone to be with Jesus.

Dang, this is as mundane as a Facebook posting. I must do better.

[But I really have not felt inspired to post, ponder, or rant lately.]

Though I will not allow them to post, there will be at least three Chinese spam comments on this post by midnight tomorrow. They multiply like rabbits. Wait for them.

--the BB

Domesticity

I ran myself ragged cooking this weekend. Another Sunday dinner (I've been on a roll). Tonight's guests insisted on a photo of me with the peach pie. First pie I have made in about forty years. The crust is made with Crisco shortening the way my mother made it (recipe from Fanny Farmer Cook Book). The peaches were picked from my Elberta peach tree this morning.

This was one labor-intensive meal. I had to drop the peaches in boiling water, then ice water, then peel them. I had to cut off the area the birds had attacked (on about a third of them).

Well that was dessert (except I had H-D vanilla bean ice cream and peach sherbet in the freezer to serve with the pie - sort of a peaches and cream theme, but I forgot them).

For antipasto we had salame, slices of fresh mozzarella, shreds of string cheese, crackers, sesame bread sticks, pickled giardiniera, olives, and (non-Italian) salted peanuts. We started with Italian grapefruit soda over ice to stay hydrated on a summer day.

The main course was lasagne with garlic bread and salad. I assembled it all yesterday. Homemade egg noodles, of course, as playing with my pasta attachment is the source of my weekend meal inspiration.

There was a story to the noodles though. Harris' Law: "Nothing Is Ever Easy." I measured out the flour and made a well in it. Fortunately I did not try cracking the eggs into the well as I usually do. Grabbed some eggs from the fridge that I thought had a use-by date of July 2010. Hmm, probably July 2009. When I cracked them open they were half dry, having shrunk away from the shell. Tossed those.

So I got the other eggs in the fridge, the ones from hens raised by a friend at church. Made the dough and it just fell apart when I tried to run it through the rollers - not as dough usually pulls apart on the first few runs. Way too dry a dough. The were not supermarket size "large" eggs, presupposed by my recipe. Scrapped that batch of dough.

To the supermarket for fresh LARGE eggs. This time the egg and flour dough behaved as it ought. So I made the long broad noodles. Then I cooked them in boiling salted water, cooled them in ice water, dried them with a towel, and layered them in the pan with sauce and cheeses.

Harris' Law strikes again but without consequences. I thought I had bought more ricotta cheese. I am still certain I did. But I could not find it yesterday. Anyway, what I had worked.

For the sauce I sauteed a large onion and some minced garlic in olive oil. To that I added three cans each of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (OK, here I was not using tomatoes out of my yard; had to cut myself slack at some point). I had a package of hot Italian sausage and a package of ground beef (no added hormones or antibiotics). I squeezed the sausage out of its casings and using the meat grinder attachment I reground these together, partly to blend them and mostly to help them break up when browning. I browned these and added them to the tomato sauce along with basil and ground fennel and anise seeds. I love a hint of licorice in my tomato sauces, something I learned from "Mama" Lipscomb on Christmas Eve, Paris 1967. Her people were from Naples. All of that was before the noodles were made as the sauce needed to simmer for something like four hours.

Noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, repeat. Grated parmigiana on top. Damn. The result was spectacular if I say so myself. It was a roasting pan full, so it will serve as dinner on Wednesday at Bill's house when we visit with friends from Los Angeles who are in New Mexico this week.

A nice Montepulciano DOCG to go with it all. And good friends to share it.

I am doing this for multiple reasons: I love cooking but hate doing it for myself so this allows me to cook; I enjoy the satisfaction of doing things from scratch (it feels honest and you know what's in it); this motivates me to clean my kitchen and the downstairs in general and maintain a semi-civilized atmosphere in my digs; and it allows me to do something nice for friends.

So the kitchen, dining room, living room, and entry all got vacuumed today. The kitchen was mopped. I have run the dishwasher twice and it is almost ready to run again. The stovetop was cleaned and the counters all sanitized. I practiced making pie dough (and obviously need more work at that). I harvested peaches from my tree. (Next: a plum tart.) I planned and executed an elaborate meal. Immense feeling of satisfaction tonight.

Amid all this I managed to wash, dry, and hang up a load of shirts; have dinner with friends last night; and attend church this morning.

Tired. Very tired. And dehydrated. But happy.

I hope y'all had a good weekend. Healing vibes to all who need them tonight!

--the BB

Arrivederci, scuola

Cross-posted from Facebook:

Last Italian class this evening. Sad to see it end. But we did have a party: mini-crostini with salmon pâté, grissini, delicious cannoli from an Italian bakery, Italian sparkling fruit juices, etc.

--the BB