So we are now in Nederland, CO enjoying a quiet Christmas afternoon. Everyone but us little hens is napping... not a bad thing to do, especially at this altitude. Yesterday was travel day, which is always an adventure... but also proved to be educational. For instance, I learned that no matter how cool you think you are by setting up text-messaging updates for your blog, you can't do it. At least not from Logan Airport's Terminal E... which was a friggin' ghost town yesterday. Kind of a Twilight Zone meet's Santa's Village from the Polar Express movie. You know what I am talking about. Haunting, echoing Christmas carols coming from some unseen sound system... So we tried to update, but it wasn't happening. The message is stop being so cheap, bite the bullet and get a real smart-phone. Or simply ask nicely and borrow your fiance's.
Lesson Two. Let's just say that Southwest Airlines tries a little too hard to be cute and make everyone happy. Also their seating system, lining people up in some numeric way, but basically letting the passengers just have-at-it doesn't really work for me. Okay, it wasn't like getting into Wal-Mart on Black Friday, but it was not entirely smooth. Also, don't sing happy birthday to anybody, not even me, when you are cooped up in a 737. And don't call me darling. That's about it. Don't worry, I'll be fine on the flight back.
Lesson Three. When you rent a car in Denver and you will be driving up to Nederland, it might just be worth the RIDICULOUS amount they charge for a 4WD vehicle. After all, you are not paying for the car, you are paying for peace of mind. And like our good, good friends at Mastercard remind us, that is priceless.
Lesson Four. When said fiance is driving through complete white-out conditions, and up winding canyon roads of unknown snow-covered condition, do not, I repeat do NOT, make witty editorials about her driving like "I hope death comes this slowly." Um, I can't believe I said it either. 'Nuff said.
Lesson Five. When it comes to Christmas, it is time to love your family, warts and all.... near or far... And count your blessings. This might be a good idea for everyday.
Tomorrow is my day to cook. We are doing homemade spaghetti sauce, meatballs, the whole sha-bang. I even smuggled a ziplock baggy of "secret" blend of herbs and spices through the TSA check point. Or maybe it's okay to bring a baggy of dried, green "herb" as long as it is less than 3 ounces. But my piracy will yield a fine meal tomorrow that may become a post-Christmas tradition. Recipe may follow someday...
Otherwise our Christmas day has been wonderful... lots of laughs and great memories.... and a little bit of bourbon. Wherever you are this Christmas day, I hope yours was every bit as wonderful!!
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Julekage....
Tomorrow we are traveling to Colorado. Nederland to be precise. This will be my first Christmas entailing any significant travel... and I am actually looking forward to it. It will be great to have my first Rocky Mountain Christmas with my new family. But there was a day when Christmas was a bit simpler. It only involved driving to Mom and Dad's house in the hills of Vermont... and after Dad died in '97, Mom and I would drive down to Connecticut to be with my brother and his family. Although those early Christmases may seem overly simple and perhaps even a tad boring compared to skating at the Rockefeller Center, they were wonderful.
The days and nights leading up to the holiday were filled with nights of holiday movies, popcorn and games late into the evening as we listened to Christmas carols on WDEV out of Waterbury. The folks were always making some various treat for us. Spritz cookies, rum balls, and Mom's Scandinavian holiday bread, Julekage.
It was a slightly sweet bread with candied citron and other fruits, and a very subtle hint of cardamom. A slice toasted with butter was heaven... provided you didn't get a scorching hot piece of candied fruit stuck to the top of your mouth. That would be as close as I would ever come to having napalm stuck to me.
However, any risk of bodily harm was well worth it. And none of my friends' families ever had anything like it. To me, it was our own little Christmas secret... our own tradition. Now, twenty-five or so years later, we are building our own traditions, and Julekage is one that I want to continue. Unfortunately, it won't happen this year (too bad as I now have the bad-assed Kitchenaid). The holiday is upon us and our travel begins before the sun comes up tomorrow... but in the spirit of the holiday, I will share. Maybe, if there is someone out there reading this blog, Julekage will make it to some family's holiday table.
If anyone out there does make this, feel free to substitute mixed candied fruit for the citron... and feel free to share! Here is the recipe, courtesy of my mom. And it's worth repeating, this is best served toasted with ample butter.... Enjoy!!
Julekage (pronounced YULE-KAGga)
2 cakes compressed yeast (or 2 scant tbs. dry active yeast.)
1/2 C lukewarm water
3 C scalded milk
1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. salt
1/2 C chopped candied citron
2 C golden raisins (or regular)
1/2 C candied cherries
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
10-11 C flour
Dissolve yeast in water. Pour scalded milk over butter and when lukewarm add yeast, sugar, salt and about one-half of flour. Beat well for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly, add fruit, cardamon and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead and place in greased bowl to rise until light. Then knead and let rise again. Shape into five round loaves and place on greased pans to rise for about an hour or until light. Brush tops with egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes. After removing from oven brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
(Thanks Mom, for sharing this recipe... and for all those wonderful Christmases. We love you!!! Merry Christmas!!)
The days and nights leading up to the holiday were filled with nights of holiday movies, popcorn and games late into the evening as we listened to Christmas carols on WDEV out of Waterbury. The folks were always making some various treat for us. Spritz cookies, rum balls, and Mom's Scandinavian holiday bread, Julekage.
It was a slightly sweet bread with candied citron and other fruits, and a very subtle hint of cardamom. A slice toasted with butter was heaven... provided you didn't get a scorching hot piece of candied fruit stuck to the top of your mouth. That would be as close as I would ever come to having napalm stuck to me.
However, any risk of bodily harm was well worth it. And none of my friends' families ever had anything like it. To me, it was our own little Christmas secret... our own tradition. Now, twenty-five or so years later, we are building our own traditions, and Julekage is one that I want to continue. Unfortunately, it won't happen this year (too bad as I now have the bad-assed Kitchenaid). The holiday is upon us and our travel begins before the sun comes up tomorrow... but in the spirit of the holiday, I will share. Maybe, if there is someone out there reading this blog, Julekage will make it to some family's holiday table.
If anyone out there does make this, feel free to substitute mixed candied fruit for the citron... and feel free to share! Here is the recipe, courtesy of my mom. And it's worth repeating, this is best served toasted with ample butter.... Enjoy!!
Julekage (pronounced YULE-KAGga)
2 cakes compressed yeast (or 2 scant tbs. dry active yeast.)
1/2 C lukewarm water
3 C scalded milk
1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. salt
1/2 C chopped candied citron
2 C golden raisins (or regular)
1/2 C candied cherries
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
10-11 C flour
Dissolve yeast in water. Pour scalded milk over butter and when lukewarm add yeast, sugar, salt and about one-half of flour. Beat well for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly, add fruit, cardamon and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead and place in greased bowl to rise until light. Then knead and let rise again. Shape into five round loaves and place on greased pans to rise for about an hour or until light. Brush tops with egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes. After removing from oven brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
(Thanks Mom, for sharing this recipe... and for all those wonderful Christmases. We love you!!! Merry Christmas!!)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Forty-two...
According to Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the meaning of life, the universe, and everything is "42." Tomorrow I turn 42. No pressure, right? Granted, it's just another day... and in reality it's just another year. But I can't help but feel excited about the possibilities that can come with a "new age." Forty is the new thirty... or twenty... or whatever... that doesn't matter. The forty's are where I'm at and that's good enough for me. Things've been great, but I've got work to do.
I remember several years ago when my brother traveled a lot for his work. He would be up late sometimes watching who knows what late-night television. This one night he is inspired by a Tony Robbins quote he heard on some infomercial and calls me to share it.
"Sam, what would you do if you had no fear...???"
"Dude, it's friggin' 2:30!" *click*
...and that's about all I remember of that conversation. But it was a good question then, and perhaps an even better question now... What would I do if I truly had no fear...?
Now as lovely as my life is with friends and family and so much more that I am thankful for... it is time for me to step up my game. In 135 minutes I am going to start listening to the late night voice of my brother and the words of Tony Robbins and I will live my 42 as though it really is the meaning to my life, my universe, and my everything.
Look out 42. Watch out world. Here comes Sammy.
I remember several years ago when my brother traveled a lot for his work. He would be up late sometimes watching who knows what late-night television. This one night he is inspired by a Tony Robbins quote he heard on some infomercial and calls me to share it.
"Sam, what would you do if you had no fear...???"
"Dude, it's friggin' 2:30!" *click*
...and that's about all I remember of that conversation. But it was a good question then, and perhaps an even better question now... What would I do if I truly had no fear...?
Now as lovely as my life is with friends and family and so much more that I am thankful for... it is time for me to step up my game. In 135 minutes I am going to start listening to the late night voice of my brother and the words of Tony Robbins and I will live my 42 as though it really is the meaning to my life, my universe, and my everything.
Look out 42. Watch out world. Here comes Sammy.
Testing Testing
Testing posting from e-mail...
--
Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice.
Decry complacency. Express your gratitude.
Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Speak your love. Speak it again.
Speak it still again.
Speak it still once again.
~ Unknown
--
Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice.
Decry complacency. Express your gratitude.
Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Speak your love. Speak it again.
Speak it still again.
Speak it still once again.
~ Unknown
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Spirit of Christmas and Boeuf Fauxguignon...
As you may have heard, Christmas is coming. And so is my birthday... which sounds completely self-centered, but it's my blog. And as I wrote elsewhere, I have received a wonderful birthday/Christmas gift from the world's best girlfriend in the form of a Kitchenaid Professional 600 stand mixer. (Read about the "Mothership" here). And then to my mild surprise, my brother steps up to keep the "Kitchen Christmas" rolling along for me. Now let me clarify... it is not my brother's generosity that I found mildly surprising. It is that he had the wherewithal and insight to send me a Le Creuset cast iron Coquette. Great Googly Moogly.
Tonight I had to break it in. Now what to do. Having received earlier this year an early edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and having watched (a couple of times) Julie and Julia, Boeuf Bourguignon seemed the obvious choice. But how to make it vegetarian when half of its name is BEEF. It was clearly time to create Boeuf Fauxguignon.
Now this may seem sacrilege to devout Julia Child fans... but once again I remind you it is my blog, and my Le Creuset, and my goddam recipe. We took an idea and a concept and let it fly. Here's how it played out (and finally the recipe!!)...
Now no beef was to be had, but I did have two cups of dark TVP chunks which proved a decent substitute. (Texturized Vegetable Potein is available in most health food stores. Some stores... Natural Living Center in Bangor, ME for example... have several varieties including this fake beef stuff) If you have a hard time with meat substitutes, it is really your loss. More on this later.
Le Creuset on the stove top.
Start with the aromatics... or le mirepoix.
2T olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large yellow onion roughly chopped
2 stalks celery roughly chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
toss in a couple bay leaves for good measure and a healthy dash of salt.
After the veggies become soft and start to brown, add the (previously reconstituted) TVP. You should have about 3-4 cups of it. Keep stirring.
This next part might hurt you... it kind of hurt me.
Add 1-2 cups of red wine. Burgundy loaned its name to the dish, but any full bodied wine will work here. I used a Shiraz. Yum!
Should be smelling pretty good about now...
Add 3 peeled and roughly diced potatoes.
here comes more sacrilege...
Dump a 35 oz. can of whole Italian plum tomatoes and break 'em up... (I used Cento Italian... Muir Glen is a GREAT organic option)
You may want to add some vegetable stock here... I used about a cup and a half of water and 2 tsp of vegetable "Better than Bouillon".
Salt and grind some pepper then let 'er simmer... cover... then pop it all in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. This will let it all get nice and tender with the heavy lid holding the juices in.... and the TVP soaks up the tomato and stock.
Now I will confess, I never have had the actual Boeuf Bourguignon....but some day I will. Until then, this dish is a great "stew" loaded with veggies and rich flavor. We had it with a warm, buttered slice of homemade wheat bread... and we loved it.
Le Creuset is officially broken in.... and our experiments in the kitchen will continue.
Now go cook for someone you love.
Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone!
Tonight I had to break it in. Now what to do. Having received earlier this year an early edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and having watched (a couple of times) Julie and Julia, Boeuf Bourguignon seemed the obvious choice. But how to make it vegetarian when half of its name is BEEF. It was clearly time to create Boeuf Fauxguignon.
Now this may seem sacrilege to devout Julia Child fans... but once again I remind you it is my blog, and my Le Creuset, and my goddam recipe. We took an idea and a concept and let it fly. Here's how it played out (and finally the recipe!!)...
Now no beef was to be had, but I did have two cups of dark TVP chunks which proved a decent substitute. (Texturized Vegetable Potein is available in most health food stores. Some stores... Natural Living Center in Bangor, ME for example... have several varieties including this fake beef stuff) If you have a hard time with meat substitutes, it is really your loss. More on this later.
Le Creuset on the stove top.
Start with the aromatics... or le mirepoix.
2T olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large yellow onion roughly chopped
2 stalks celery roughly chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
toss in a couple bay leaves for good measure and a healthy dash of salt.
After the veggies become soft and start to brown, add the (previously reconstituted) TVP. You should have about 3-4 cups of it. Keep stirring.
This next part might hurt you... it kind of hurt me.
Add 1-2 cups of red wine. Burgundy loaned its name to the dish, but any full bodied wine will work here. I used a Shiraz. Yum!
Should be smelling pretty good about now...
Add 3 peeled and roughly diced potatoes.
here comes more sacrilege...
Dump a 35 oz. can of whole Italian plum tomatoes and break 'em up... (I used Cento Italian... Muir Glen is a GREAT organic option)
You may want to add some vegetable stock here... I used about a cup and a half of water and 2 tsp of vegetable "Better than Bouillon".
Salt and grind some pepper then let 'er simmer... cover... then pop it all in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. This will let it all get nice and tender with the heavy lid holding the juices in.... and the TVP soaks up the tomato and stock.
Now I will confess, I never have had the actual Boeuf Bourguignon....but some day I will. Until then, this dish is a great "stew" loaded with veggies and rich flavor. We had it with a warm, buttered slice of homemade wheat bread... and we loved it.
Le Creuset is officially broken in.... and our experiments in the kitchen will continue.
Now go cook for someone you love.
Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone!
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