Turkey Soup

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I really do think that one of  the best parts of Thanksgiving is several days later when the Turkey Soup is made.

Since we didn't host this year, we had to cook a turkey on Friday just to get a carcass to make the soup!

Turkey, celery, carrots, green beans, and potatoes.  That was it.  Very basic.  And very good.

We actually have been cooking since getting back from DC, but I just haven't been posting much - I'm working on yet another update to the recipe site.

I know, I know...  The LAST time was supposed to be the last time, but... I'm finally breaking down and redoing every page and every recipe.  I have put too many band-aids on the site over the years and it is time to just bite the bullet and make it one cohesive site rather than the six it currently is.

Wish me luck!  I'm going to need it!


Dinner in a Bookstore in DuPont Circle

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When we were in Washington last month, we happened upon a great little restaurant in DuPont Circle - inside of a book store!  We had a cute-as-a-button waiter, and even more importantly - fantastic food.  They did some flavor combinations and plate presentations that were simply stupendous.

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We decided this trip we would check it out, again.

As we walked up through the book store to the restaurant, our waiter spied us.  A couple minutes of bantering back and forth, and we were being led upstairs to a table in his section.  It was promising to be another fun meal.

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Cocktails ordered, it was time to seriously check out the menu.

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What to have, what to have...

The menu is pretty extensive and varied.  Lots of regular items and lots of weekly specials.  We saw the items we had last time - lobsters, crab cakes - and this fantastic corn and lima bean sucotash - but opted for new and different.

Victor went for a sushi-grade rare tuna with a wasabi dipping sauce that was out of this world.  I had a scallop dish with a honey sauce that simply rocked.

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What was really fun was the side...

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That tower is white rice, spinach, more rice, roasted red peppers, more rice, pickled ginger and a seaweed salad, cucumbers and caviar. Unbelievable.

More fun conversation with our waiter - he's straight, but knows how to play his customers... He also lived for a while at Lake Tahoe, so we had a lot of fun conversations about that (alas, he was all of 2 years old when I LEFT Tahoe in 1980) but we had fun, nonetheless...

We decided we'd go for dessert - since it's our anniversary, and The Dysfunctional Family Sundae was recommended.

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A warm brownie drenched in liqueur, topped with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, cndied walnuts, raspberry puree, hot fudge...  OMG!

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We ate the whole damned thing!

We really had a fun time - and know next time we're in DC, we'll head back for more.

Kramerbooks and Afterwards Cafe

1517 Connecticut Avenue, NW. - Just Above Dupont Circle
In The Heart of Washington, D.C.
Across from The Dupont Circle 'Q' St Metro Exit
Open Early to Late 7 Days a Week - All Night Fri & Sat
Serving Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Late Supper and Brunch on Weekends
Live Music Wed - Sat Night
Serving Latte to the Literati Since 1976

 


A Smithsonian Luncheon

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We were out museum-hopping today in Washington, DC.  The Sunday before Thanksgiving seems to be a perfect time to visit... The crowds are definitely elsewhere!

We were at the National Museum of American History lusting after Julia Child's kitchen

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when we decided to get lunch... The Constitution Cafe or the Stars and Stripes Cafe?!?  Decisions, decisions...  We opted for the Stars and Stripes.

$34.48 later, we had 2 cheeseburgers, 2 fried cheese curds, 2 bags of chips, a coffee, and a soda.  This is how they keep the museums free - over-charging in the eateries.

The food was okay and the service what one would expect from folks who have to deal with the general public all day long.  It was just expensive for what it was. Oh well... everything else is free...

So it's four museums later and time for a bit of a rest before heading out again tonight.  We did see a lot and did a lot of walking.  Good for working off the fried cheese curds!

I think we'll be traveling back to DuPont Circle and to the bookshop cafe where we had dinner last month.

Tomorrow is Ford's Theatre and A Christmas Carol.

Oh... and when we were checking in and chatting with the Front Desk clerk, I casually mentioned it was our 15th Anniversary.  We were upgraded to a king suite.

What fun!


Cranberries, Cookbooks, and Lots of Meals

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I have not been making time to be here the past few days.  I've been cooking - and even taking pictures - but I haven't sat down here long enough to say anything about any of it.  Shame on me.

It's time to play ketchup.  Er...  catsup.  Uh...  Catch-up.

The most fun item is a new cookbook from Guam!  Our sister-in-law's nephew Jay sent it to us and I am just psyched!  The book is Guam Super Cookbook and it is going to become a staple in the kitchen right away!  It is just way too much fun!

I absolutely love cookbooks written by home cooks and other real people.  These are the recipes passed down from generation to generation; family traditions or just good food made with local ingredients. (And we still have some Guamanian Boonie Pepper!)    Food is the great equalizer, and to me, this is how one really learns about another culture.  I plan on being a very good student!

This is from the cookbook website:

Inside the Guam Super Cookbook you will find a culmination of all-time favorite local recipes from generations ago. Plus, a world of tempting recipes submitted by many island residents wanting to share priceless recipes that have worked for them and recipes that have been passed onto them. From daring "pika" shrimp kelaguén just oozing with island fresh coconut and dripping in lemon juice, to an irresistible and scrumptious black magic cake ­all made from scratch, or let your taste buds take an exciting adventure with an awesome Greek salad. You too can enjoy all the flavors of what´s cooking all across Guam´s kitchens with easy-to-follow recipes when you want it at home, and much more.

Also, discover an array of hard-to-believe healthy choice recipes. Recipes designed by the University of Guam, Cooperative Extension Service, College of Natural and Applied Sciences in conjunction with increasing efforts to help prevent and combat health risks associated with diabetes. Try the mouth-watering oyster and chicken with broccoli, or a local lip-smacking favorite - eggplant in coconut milk and many other incredibly tasty dishes. ­It´s absolutely delicious you´ll wonder how it all could still be good for you, so go ahead and dig in!

There's over 100 recipes that are just calling my name!  I see a lot of fun dinners in our future!

Si Yu'us Ma'ase, Jay!

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It was also time to make some cranberry sauces for Thursday.  We're heading to DC in the morning for a quick 15th Anniversary trip (A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre on Monday!) and then it's work Tuesday and Wednesday.  Not a lot of time to do anything...

Fortunately, Cranberry Sauce is THE easiest thing in the word to make.  1 bag cranberries, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water.  That's the basic and it's pretty good just like that.

Of course, I had to tweak things just a bit.  I added a diced apple and a quarter-cup of grenadine liqueur to the pot for one batch, and for the second, a container of blackberries and some port.

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Both of them came out fantastic.  Here are some other cranberry sauce recipes we've come up with in the past.  Try several of them!

And, finally, here are a couple of pictures of the last couple of nights dinners...

First was a Chicken Sofrito and Rice casserole.

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I cooked up whole grain brown rice, and while that was simmering, I cut up a chicken breast, sauteed it, added a jar of Sofrito sauce, half a container of cherry tomatoes, and a small can of sliced black olives.

I stirred in the cooked rice, then added some cubes of cheese.  Into the oven for about 20 minutes.  Delish!

And what's better than homemade oven-baked French Fries?!?  Why... serving them with a chicken and bacon sandwich!

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The next couple of days will be restaurant meals.  I'm sure we'll be heading back to DuPont Circle and the bookstore restaurant for at least one meal...

And then it's Thanksgiving!


Simply Steak

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I bought a whole eye of the round the other day.  It was a good price and will keep us in beef for a while.  They usually have some good flavor, but are not always the most tender cut of meat.  I like them for stew meat, swiss steak - things I'm going to braise - although a center-cut roast usually cooks up pretty well, also.  Steaks can be iffy.

We lucked out, tonight!

Food Saver at the ready, I cut one roast, four thick steaks, and a goodly amount of stew beef.  I vacuum-sealed everything but tonights dinner, and into the now-full freezer it went.  I often wonder how I can go from empty to full in such a short amount of time!  And then I remember little things like making homemade sausage, the extra brasiole, the two pork loins, the frozen fairytale pumpkin, pasta sauce, the last of the summer tomatoes, and all those chicken breasts...  Have I ever mentioned how much I like my Food Saver?!?

But I digress...

The steaks tonight were simplicity; salt and pepper and a hot skillet.

When they were about 3/4 cooked, I added a handful of mushrooms.  I pulled the steaks out, cooked the mushrooms a bit more and then added some red wine.  It cooked down quickly, and I added some mushroom broth.  Scraped up the yummy bits, and then added a pinch of cornstarch to thicken.

Served with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Simplicity, indeed.


Chicken with a Champagne and Truffle Sauce

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Don't ya just love it when you have house guests who bring you $699.99/lb French Truffles?  What to do, what to do, what to do?!?

I must admit it is a dilemma I have never before experienced.  I have never owned real, fresh black French truffles in my life.  Ever.  Hell - even the hotels I used to work in usually used canned peels and pieces.  I have eaten my share of truffles over the years - thin shavings on salads, in fabulous sauces over ridiculously tender cuts of beef, with foie gras, and even in scrambled eggs.  I have never cooked with them at home.  Ever.

This is a new culinary experience for me.  I'm loving it!

So tonight I decided we would start simple - with a champagne and truffle sauce thickened with egg yolk.  (That early French training back in my misspent youth actually comes in handy now and again.)

We have those four gorgeous truffles and, while that is way too much for one meal for two, the rice they were stored in would make a perfect side dish.  (An excellent way to store truffles is buried in rice - it absorbs any moisture and also infuses the rice!)  I took the cup of rice it arrived in and set it aside for dinner.  I then took arborio rice and put it in a mason jar with the truffles and vacuum-sealed it and put it in the coldest part of the refrigerator.  I see a truffle risotto in our future!

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Tonight was about simple flavors.  The only spices I used were salt and pepper - I wanted the flavors to stand independent of one another and not compete with other flavors.

Chicken with Champagne and Truffle Sauce

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • flour for dredging
  • olive oil and butter for frying
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 2 oz mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 cups champagne (a split works perfectly)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 black truffle, julienned
  • salt and pepper

Dredge chicken in flour and set aside.  Heat oil and butter in saute pan and brown on both sides.  Remove chicken to plate.

In same pan, saute shallot and mushrooms.  Add champagne and bring to boil.  Add chicken, cover, and simmer until chicken is done - about 15 minutes.

Remove chicken and set aside to keep warm.

Lightly beat egg yolks in small bowl.  Add a bit of the hot cooking liquid to temper them, and then add back to the pan.  Stir and simmer until thickened.

Strain into a small saucepan and add truffles.  Simmer to infuse flavors.  Taste and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Serve over chicken.

The rice was made with the infused rice and 2 cups of mushroom broth.  It came out perfect.  Absolutely perfect.

As did the chicken and sauce.  The combination of champagne and truffles was perfect.  The dry wine and the rich earthiness of the truffles just went really well together. It really worked.  And yesterday while we were talking about how we all usually eschew single-use kitchen gadgets, I found our French green bean cutter.  They don't get much more single-use than that.  So... I had to make French cut green beans, as well.  Simply steamed with salt, pepper, and butter.

I'm really pleased that my first experience went so well.  It has definitely given me the confidence and motivation to go forward!

In going through one of my Julia Child cookbooks, I found a recipe for a Madeira Truffle Sauce.

I'm thinking tenderloin of beef and turned potatoes.

And I'm thinking what wonderful friends we have.....


A Food Fest

We have friends in town.  It's 6pm...  We've been eating since yesterday...  There's still more to come!

It started with New England Clam Chowder yesterday.  I was so excited to have them here I forgot to put the potatoes in the chowder.  So much for pretending I know what I'm doing!

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And I forgot the cukes for the salad...

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Breakfast this morning was our spin on Eggs Benedict - poached eggs on whole wheat English muffins, with andouille sausage and langostino, topped with a jalapeno hollandaise sauce...

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We skipped lunch so we could start dinner at 3pm. We invited Victor's mom over to meet the girls and have dinner with us; Brasiole, Italian sausage, meatballs, pork, rigatoni and sauce, salad, tomato basil bread... and later tonight a puff pastry and apple dessert...

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Brasiole...

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Meatballs and the homemade Italian sausage

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Pork

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Rigatoni

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The simmering sauce...

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Fresh-baked croissants and omeletes tomorrow for breakfast...

We are having so much fun!


Repurposing with a Purpose

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On Monday when I was making the sausage, I also made a pheasant dish based on a recipe from Lidia Bastianich.   The concept was hers.  The ingredients were what we had in the house.  I got the pheasants from a customer at work.  4 birds - just the breast/back - all cleaned and ready to go.

I love pheasant but it is not the most tender bird out there.  It likes a nice braising... So that's what I did.

There was a goodly amount left over, and, while I originally planned to vacuum-seal it and freeze it, I didn't.

Time to reuse it.  Mexican-style.

The original dish was simmered in tomatoes - and that was a perfect start for tonight's fajitas!  It didn't take much at all to rework into a spicy ancho chili filling.  Peppers and onions on the side, southwestern-spiced black rice, beans, cheese, and handmade (not by me!) tortillas.  (While I have a friend who accuses me of growing the corn to grind for my own tortillas, that's not entirely true.  I have never ground corn - that I can recall!)

Anyway...

No actual recipes because everything was thrown together from what was here - and not likely to be anywhere else!

Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but Saturday is going to be Boston Clam Chowder.

Stay tuned...


Homemade Italian Sausage

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We have friends coming down to visit with us theis weekend - which means I've been busy planning meals.  Yes, I always do think in terms of food.  It's a blessing and a curse.

My first thoughts were pretty grandiose - and rather silly.   Cooking is a lot of fun, but I really don't need to be spending every minute they're here in the kitchen!  So we scaled back - a bit.  Except for Sunday.

Victor is going to cook "Sunday Dinner".

Sunday Dinner is the old gathering of the entire family and having pasta and meatballs and sausages and brasiole and salad and garlic bread and antipasto platters and all that stuff.  The nice thing is most of it can be prepared in advance, so no one will be spending the entire day in the kitchen!

With a couple of ideas in mind, I was off to the grocery store today to see what was freshest and bestest.  I knew I wanted to pick up some Italian sausage, but when I was in the butcher area, I noticed sausage casings!  And then I noticed pork shoulders for 89¢ a pound!  I decided to make Italian sausage!

Almost 10 pounds of pork for $8.78.  Time to break out the grinder!

The spices were pretty basic - fennel, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt and pepper.  I don't really have quantities, because I added some, then cooked up a bit to see how it was, tweaked them a bit, added a bit more...

When stuffing the casings, I did two stupid things; I overstuffed them, and used the wrong stuffer attachment.  I used the small tube and I should have used the large. If I had used the right tube in the first place, I doubt they would have been overstuffed.  Oh well.

When I opened the box with the sausage attachment, there was only the one tube there, and I really didn't think anything about it.  But when I was stuffing them, it was really a lot more work that I remembered from the last time I did it.  I was pressing more, it was taking longer...

When I was finally done and cleaning up, the proverbial light bulb went off and I looked at the tube and knew it was wrong.  I did a drawer search and found the right one with the baking supplies.  Too late for this batch, but it's back in the correct box for the next time.

And the sausages are are going to be vacuum-packed in just a few moments.

It's going to be a fun dinner!


Sunday Supper and Saturday's Dessert

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Instead of cooking, today, I spent a few hours putting in a new screen door in the front of the house.  Actually, it's a "storm" door.  But what do I know - we don't have screen-or-storm doors where I come from.  Or air conditioning, either.

I actually liked the old pitted metal screen/storm door.  Totally 1950.  What I didn't like was unscrewing the screen and hauling it down to the basement and getting the 987 pound (at least) pane of glass up the stairs and screwed in.  Twice a year I had to do it.  Pretty strenuous.  Twice a year.  And rescreening.  Can't forget that.  And whatever spline I had was always the wrong size.

So... with a new roof, dry rot gone, and a new paint job, it just seemed fitting that we do an upgrade.  We looked online to see what was out there and headed off to the local home improvement store to see them in person.  Found what we were looking for, put it into the back of the truck - and off to home we went.

While it wasn't difficult to install, it was tedious.  It was a big box of pieces.  Not a hole was drilled not a thing attached.  And I'm not a picture/icon person.  I want to see the parts and see how they fit together.  Little blow-up line drawings of one corner just do not make sense to me.

But I persevered...

And got it done except for a trim piece and the self-closer.  Tomorrow is another day...

So...

While I was playing My Favorite Drill Bit, Victor decided it would probably be a smart move if he made dinner tonight.  (He's very perceptive - just one of the reasons I love 'im!)

Out of the freezer came a small container of sauce he has made a while back, and a couple of sausages.  Some papardelle pasta, a mini loaf of bread from Panera, and dinner was served.

Just in time.  I was almost starting to get cranky.

++++++++++++++++++++

And speaking of cranky...  can anyone tell me what's wrong with this recipe for Pumpkin Bread?!?  It's from Bon Appetit.

Pumpkin-Walnut Bread

Yield: Makes 1 loaf

ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Butter 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Sift first 7 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin, lemon peel and vanilla. Whisk sour cream and milk in small bowl. Beat flour and sour cream mixtures alternately into batter in 2 additions each. Fold in nuts. Transfer batter to pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack; cool. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil; store at room temperature.)

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It was intriguing.  Lemon zest and sour cream in a pumpkin bread.  The only change I made was to use half walnuts and half raisins.

And it ooooozed out of the pan all over the oven...  what a mess.

I've done my share of baking and can throw together a quick bread fairly quick-ly.  But I also get tired of making the same ol' thing and decided to waste some time looking through old magazines.  This one won.

There was way more batter than I would normally put in a bread pan, but... I let the printed page over-rule experience.  Dumb move.

I actually went back into the kitchen after about 15 minutes and it was already too late.  Disaster had already struck.

I put a foil collar on the pan to contain the rest and it helped - but the 1 hr and 10 minute baking time was way off.  I left it in the oven for about an hour and 40 minutes.

The smell of burnt cake batter and smoke billowing through the kitchen just added to my pleasant disposition.  After letting it cool a bit, I took it out of the pan - it was hot and... soggy is not really the right word... extremely moist.  I left it on the cooling rack, turned off the light and decided to deal with it later.

That later came this evening.

It had a great flavor, although it was still a little more moist than I like.  Not underbaked, just a bit... gummy...

With so many fabulous recipes out there, there's just no reason to make this one.


Brussels Sprouts, Part Three

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I did say that buying that stalk of brussels sprouts was going to be a commitment.

Today's Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms in a Mustard and Cheese Sauce came about because I decided I wanted a side of macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight.  I had tasted a couple of new cheeses - Kerrygold Dubliner with Ale and a German Rhine Mountain cheese.  Opposite ends of the spectrum - perfect to blend for Mac and Cheese!

My mother made the best macaroni and cheese.  She would save up all of her little odds and ends bits of cheese and create these rich, creamy concoctions that were out of this world.  We never - ever - had the boxed stuff (and I still have never bought a box, myself).

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So...  I started with1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour.  Cooked it together and added about 3 cups of milk to make a medium white sauce.   I put about a cup of sauce aside for the brussels sprouts and continued on...

To the Mac and Cheese sauce, I added a couple of ounces of the Dubliner, a couple ounces of the German cheese, and, because it was in the 'fridge, a cup of ricotta cheese.  salt, pepper, a bit of garlic powder, splash or worcestershire sauce and a shot of tabasco.

I cooked the macaroni separately (elbow macaroni, just like mommy used to make) and then mixed the sauce with the cooked macaroni, put it into a buttered casserole with buttered panko breadcrumbs on top.  350° for about 35 minutes.

As soon as it was in the oven, I did the brussels sprouts.

I sliced them in half and sauteed them with the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  When they were just lightly browning, I added a half-cup of white wine and cooked it down.

To the white sauce, I added maybe a half-cup of the cheese sauce, and a very generous spoonful of dijon mustard.

Mixed in the brussels sprouts and mushrooms, placed it all in a buttered casserole, and baked them for about 30 minutes.

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It ended up being a very white plate.

I browned the pork chops and then put them in the oven with everything else for about 20 minutes.  They actually were overcooked and dry.  Oh well.  they tasted fine dipped in the mustard sauce!


More Brussels Sprouts

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It's Day Two of the Great Brussels Sprouts Marathon!

Tonight, I shredded them, fried them, and then mixed them with caramelized shallots.   I could have made a meal of these, alone!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Shallots

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 4 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 lb brussels sprouts
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • salt and pepper

Add butter to skillet and saute shallots until soft and lightly browned.  Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir until browned and glazed.  Set aside.

Halve brussels sprouts lengthwise. Cut lengthwise into thin slices. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add sprouts and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Saute until lightly browned. Add 1/2 cup water and continue cooking until most of water evaporates.

Add reserved shallots, mix well, and enjoy!

They were so easy and just really rocked.  It's going to be hard to top this one!

The rest of the dinner was pretty good, too - if I do say so, m'self!

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I oven-roasted a sweet potato with a huge apple, walnuts, and maple syrup.  (The maple syrup was for you, Ruth!  I almost did brown sugar and you popped right into my mind and said "Maple syrup will be better".   You were right!)

I just cubed the sweet potato and the apple, mixed them with a bit of olive oil and maple syrup, sprinkled in the walnuts, salt, and pepper, and then baked, covered, in a 400° oven for about 35 minutes.

The chicken breast was even easier - browned in olive oil and then into the oven to finish (along with the sweets).  The sauce was lingonberry jam mixed with hot German mustard.

Now...  can I actually do a third day of  Brussels Sprouts?!?

We'll see tomorrow...