“Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.”
Sunday, June 07, 2009
First Swim of the Season
While I did go waist deep in the pool yesterday to lure Bella in (see Lynne’s blog on the topic), today we went all the way. I was planning to be first with my chest in the water, but Lynne slipped and dunked herself first. After that we swam a few laps. The temperature was 70°—and it was 79° outside, but it sure seems like more than 9° difference. Still, we each got in 4 or 5 laps and also laid on some new inflatables for a while.
The cool water felt good after a morning of yard work. Trimmed the hedges, mowed the areas not reachable by Johnny, trimmed some branches from a tree.
Last night the dogs started barking in the middle of the night. I came downstairs and both Hailey and Alex were in the office barking madly. (Bella was still crashed on our bed.) I turned on the outside light and saw a bear in the front yard area where we feed birds in winter. I closed all the sliding glass doors on the back deck, fearing he might come in through just a screen door, and went back to bed. This morning, Lynne observed that the basement door was open. We often leave it open for the dogs, particularly Alex, to lay in the cool basement during the day when it is hot outside. It would be just our luck that the bear would decide the basement was a great place to sleep for the night. So, with my encouragement, Lynne crept into the basement and checked it out (I watched from outside), but no bear. We need to remember to close that door from now on.
Posted under: Stuff You Gotta Know! • by Rick on 06/07/2009 at 01:47 PM
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Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Countries Visited
To the best of my recollection, I’ve visited these 33 countries. I guess that is about 14% of them. I’ve passed through airports in others, but won’t count them.
create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide
Posted under: Stuff You Gotta Know! • by Rick on 04/07/2009 at 12:44 PM
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Visited States
To the best of my recollection, I’ve visited these states: (Been to Hawaii, but never left the airport…)
create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide
Posted under: Stuff You Gotta Know! • by Rick on 04/07/2009 at 12:37 PM
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Sunday, March 22, 2009
Maybe My Best Cheese Ever
Just tried this blue cheese I made a few months ago. This is the first cheese I’ve made with raw milk, and it is fantastic. Very creamy with a nice blue cheese flavor without being “over the top”. Yum.
Posted under: Cheesemaking • by Rick on 03/22/2009 at 05:15 AM
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas Dinner was Great
I owe you closure on our Christmas dinner. It came out pretty good. I had not tried a meal this ambitious in a while and so a lot of my rhythm and process in the kitchen was not well tuned. But, the results were delicious.
I had to modify a couple of recipes that were still in metric measurements as you can see from the scribbles in the photo. There are now updated on the web site.
I had to make a number of sauces, so started with them. While they cooked I did the rest of the prep work. And, I had made a few things in advance such as the Onion Confit.
The starter was Foie Gras Chaud, a nice salad of sauteed apples, endives dressed in a light vinaigrette and some quick fried foie gras. I screwed up the vinaigrette some, but the result was still tasty and we have enough foie gras left over (vacuum-sealed and frozen) to try again soon.
The main course was pan seared duck breasts with a classic bitter orange sauce, a vegetable terrine, and caramelized mushroom tarts. The links will take you to the recipes.
For the duck, I did not use a whole duck as the recipe calls for. Instead, I used a duck breast where I scored the fat with a knife and then pan fried it fat side down for about 6 or 7 minutes, flipped it for about 2-3 minutes and then placed in a hot oven to finish cooking while I plated the rest of the meal.
I was not completely happy with the vegetable terrine. While the flavor was fantastic, the consistency was different from I remember making at Sylvie’s house in Provence. I’m pretty sure we pureed the vegetables instead of simply “grating” them. I think that would give it a lighter and smoother texture. Still, can’t argue with the flavors from the three vegetables.
Other than the great taste of the reliable duck and orange sauce recipe, the huge winner in this dinner was the mushroom tart! This is a Tom Colicchio recipe that is just phenomenal. I made 4 tarts. I plan to warm the remaining two in the microwave to get them pretty warm, then pop them in the oven (perhaps with a bit of foil covering the pastry) to get them bubbly hot again. I hope they are good reheated this way.
Paired with our Tignanello—which was definitely ready to drink if not just a bit beyond—we had a great dinner followed by the Buche Noel.
Posted under: Stuff You Gotta Know! • by Rick on 12/30/2008 at 07:20 AM
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