salt crust roast method

so, it's been a while, and i can't find the font button for some reason. hmmm. a somewhat less popular, as compared to an action movie, but equally trying mission impossible: maintain a weekly blog with three children, when one is less that 6 months old. cue the music, cut to the part where i fail. i'd rather see tom cruise too, i admit it. now that i am back in the saddle again i'll tell you a tale of a sirloin tip roast. this is one of those ugly buggars that comes all tied in a net as though it lacks the moral constitution to keep it together in the oven, which may be the case. i wouldn't know, i've never un-netted an uncooked roast to find out. it is, however, tasty and tender, and i advise you to try one out. ours was just under 4 pounds and was just right for 4 adults, two children, and a sandwich the next day. assuming you take my advice (i encourage you again to do so) i further advise you to try salt crusting it. okay, don't panic, it doesn't have to be super salty as an end result. i admit that the one i did last week was a bit on the oceanic side, but that was due to my somewhat free for all method of measuring (meaning i don't measure...) the ingredients for the crust. so, assuming you don't want super salty roast, one heaping table spoon of kosher salt, one teaspoon paprika, one teaspoon dried rosemary, one teaspoon black pepper, two table spoons olive oil (i really don't care what kind), and four cloves of garlic go into a wee food processor. or bullet thingy. or just mince the garlic and combine it and the spices in a bowl, what ever tickles your fancy. mix it up and let it sit out at room temperature for oh, maybe an hour. speaking of room temperature, get your roast that way. or, at least on the road to room temp. bacteria-phobe note: leaving a roast out for about and hour or two so that it doesn't go into the oven at refrigerator temperature will NOT kill you of food poisoning. it helps the meat cook evenly and within a reasonable time frame. so, assuming your roast has been out for one hour, pat it dry and cover with the rub on all sides. this includes the bottom. line a baking dish that leaves generous room on all sides with foil, 9 by 13 should do it, and plunk the roast in the center. make sure all of the rub is on the roast and, if you like pepper, grind a little extra on the top. pre heat the oven to 425 degrees, and put the roast in. leave at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce temp to 350 and bake for about an hour, or a little more depending on how done you want it. really, medium rare is great or straight up medium. personally i use a meat thermometer for beef, it's the only way i don't come out with purple meat jello, or sawdust with gravy. provided you don't throw it right from the fridge to the oven, and you have the high temp to start with, it should be right around an hour, maybe an extra 15 minutes to medium rare. for the last 20 minutes of baking put one package of sliced baby bellas all around the roast. when you hit your goal for doneness set the meat aside to rest, and mix one table spoon butter with one table spoon flour in a pan to make a roux, when it's cooked on a medium high heat for a minute or two pour the juices from the roast, along with the mushrooms into the skillet and stir thouroghly let simmer to thicken while you slice the roast and viola! dinner is served.

the rising cost of getting by.....

in the first exciting days of our marriage we cheerfully went forth to the grocery store, frivolously tossing into our cart whatever tickled our fancy. it was common place for us to grab a wedge of brie and some smoked gouda for a snack with a baguette. without a second thought organic yogurt was nestled into the cart next to harris ranch beef, and we never lacked for exotic spices. we are now approaching our third year of wedded bliss and i can't remember the last time i bought brie. i'm spending more now than i ever have before and getting less and less. we're scrambling around for places to cut our spending and the grocery store tends to come to the top of the list, but i wonder why? when a movie lasts two hours but you're stuck in this body for the entirety of your time on earth, why should your diet (and therefor health) take the hit? there has to be a better way! my husband, in what i can only think of as a sick joke, often tells me to quit wal-mart, as if i only go there for kicks. oh, but honey, i just love being judged by strangers and waited on my morons, don't take my wal-mart away! if i could get what i need for a reasonable price anywhere else on earth, i would. but i'm sorry to say that i can't. these days i can barely afford to get what i need even when i compare down to the tenth of a penny per ounce on every item. i need to go where the prices are best. so not only is the variety and quality of our diet taking a down turn, our shopping is taking the same slope. things are just too darn expensive. it used to be that because i cook mostly from scratch, and we love our veggies i could get out of the store for 80-100 dollars a week. and we were living pretty well on that. now i'm good to get out for less than 150 and our situation hasn't changed much. in fact with the beef in the freezer and staying home full time i buy less meat and less convenience foods than ever, yet i still spend more! and i feel terrible about it! why oh why should i regret doing the best i can to take care of my family's health? what is happening in the USA that an average person in our society feels no problem forsaking good quality nutrition for the sake of toys, falling back on fast food? why should i be feeling guilty for not buying my kids a Wii when every day they eat a healthy balanced diet? in short, what the heck is wrong with us? good nutrition is not an unattainable goal. kids that eat veggies, and like them, are not out riding unicorns, they do exist. there is the feeling in the air that a balanced diet is a herculean task and that even if you did manage it, your kids would never go for it. not so. if only the proper priorities are set, it can be done. you just have to put your thumb firmly to your nose in the face of mainstream media to get off to a good start.

potato salad, the method, the way of life

am i silly? surely. but consider this: what better way to show your affection and love for friends and family as a cook than to prepare dishes that take a day, two, or even three to be at their peak flavor? that shows deliberate care, a plan a head of time to make someone happy. even with such a basic thing as potato salad. this culture, in my humble opinion, is too much enamored of the quick fix. food is love, and fast food is a bad relationship. 30 minute meals? sure, a nice date, but no one to take home to mom. a brisket that takes 9 hours in the oven? true love. stew meticulously layered with flavor on flavor and gently simmered to perfection? well. potato salad not thrown together in a steamy hour of haphazard culinocity, but thoughtfully constructed with enough time to develop personality? the one you want your best friend to meet. so. what is the method? and how can it truly be as easy as i claim i insist my cooking to be? simple. take your average russet potato, cut it into thirds. give 5 or so of it's friends similar treatment, boil them until just tender, drain and refrigerate over night. the next day, peel with a small paring knife the majority of the skin from all the potatoes, cut into smaller pieces, season with garlic salt, black pepper, and a bit of celery seed or celery salt. in a separate bowl combine chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper according to taste. now for the dressing, i like to experiment depending on what i'm serving and what kind of mood i'm in. last night we had a bit of mayo, sour cream, dijon mustard, capers, and fresh chopped basil. usually it's mayo, mustard, dill pickle relish and olives. the basic idea is to mix it up until it's not glopy but not dry, gently folding in your potatoes so they don't completely fall apart. put in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight in the fridge for the best flavor. don't go crazy with the salt the first day, because it will all come out of hiding the second day, believe me. and so, a simple easy side dish, prepared with care, becomes a monumental demonstration of love.

i can throw no stones

in answer to the question, 'do bad cooking days happen at roundtree cottage?' i give a most emphatic yes. today was just such a day, the rest of it happened to be pretty well a pooper too, so this was just icing on the cake. the meal i planned: grilled lamb ribs, grilled butternut squash, and grilled ears of sweet white corn on the cob. the meal i got: flaming lamb ribs, squash hockey pucks, greasy smoked corn. it was going to be a beautiful treat for my husband (the lamb lover) for whom every menu item is a favorite. plus no pots or pans for me! the simple prep: mix marinade as follows in a food processor juice of one lime, 1/4 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 table spoon dried crushed mint, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, olive oil. put ribs and marinade in plastic bag, go to church. here's the first hiccough, we couldn't find the church we were aiming at going to for the first time with high hopes today. by the time we walked in on a funeral and circled Folsom for an hour we missed services at every other church we could think of. so, strike one. we go to visit the newest little roundtree, my nephew, and in all the fluster i don't ask to hold him, again. bringing me to the stunning total of NEVER. strike two. we come home via the grocery store where i'm to aim for under 100, i spend 120, strike three. we get home with the intention of a nap, the babies successfully resist arrest and no naps are had. strike four. i take a bath and drink a beer, forgetting my book out in the living room. strike five. i dry off and go to walmart to make two measly purchases and get accosted by a weirdo demanding to know why there are no address books that will fit in her purse. strike six. we make a stab at helping my brother in law with his move, only to discover that we have no key to the new house. strike seven i come home and ask my husband to light the grill, he agrees to do such and disappears into the garage, the grill remains cold. strike eight. i light the grill, let it heat put on the squash (slightly precooked in the microwave and slathered with olive oil) and ribs. tantalizing aromas fill the air. i argue with husband about how long to cook the ribs, due to the fact that they have bones in them and i think (correctly) that this means they should cook for just a titch longer. i flip the ribs and squash, put the corn on the top rack (we like it lightly cooked, just warmed really) and go back to the husband eating garage. the neighbors start blasting pink and other club music. strike nine. i get distracted by husband and bad music and suddenly look up and see a column of smoke from the back yard. skip cursing, blowing out ribs, and washing greasy black stuff of corn. serve my husband the rack that wasn't too bad and take my fussy (all day strike ten) baby to my room to nurse and blog. urgh. if the ribs had gone maybe ten minutes bones down and five meat down, with out lighting up, this would have been a whole different story.

pulled chicken sandwiches

pulled bbq chicken, does it get better than this? well, let's be brutal, yes. pulled pork for instance. however, i am recovering from having thing three (disaster) and both the lower fat and less work qualities of chicken appeal to me right now. so, dice one onion, dice one bell pepper, put them in your crock pot with 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, top with 1/4 cup of dry bbq rub (there's a blog out there for it) and cook until they fall into strings when you stir them. add one fresh sliced nectarine and one fresh sliced peach, choose firm ones if you can, and about 1/4 cup bbq sauce and one or two table spoons of cornstarch, stir thoroughly and cook about 30 mins more with the lid off. scoop on to a bun, top with coleslaw and if you want to go wild and crazy another little squirt of bbq sauce. simple, delicious and easy.

my best fried chicken on record

so, fried chicken. always good, less often spectacular. sometimes really gross. if there's one thing i can't stand (and there are many such things) it's soggy, greasy, or flavorless fried chicken. this has been the foremost reason that i don't make fried chicken that often, although the result tends to be 'okay' it has not been much to write home about. well, no more. i have come across a method which produces crispy, flavorful chicken that is neither greasy, soggy, nor dry. we start with 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs. combine one egg, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, and one teaspoon dijon mustard. pat the chicken dry and put in a bowl or plastic bag with the egg mixture. mix 1/2 cup all purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour season with garlic salt, black pepper, rubbed sage, paprika, and parsley flakes. don't be afraid of the seasonings either, remember this is the seasoning for the whole batch. put the flour mixture into a shallow dish, and dredge each piece carefully patting flour into all the nooks and crannies, then place them on a tray to rest for a minute. heat about 1/2 cup canola oil in a non stick pan (get your nose out of the air and go with me on this one, please) to a medium high heat. pre heat oven to 350, and prep a baking pan with some slightly crumpled heavy duty foil. the purpose of the foil is to create ridges and pockets, to allow the chicken to drain as it finishes in the oven. if you want to mess around cleaning grease and bits of breading off of a cooling rack you could rig something up with a cooling rack in a roasting pan, i leave it to you. now check your chicken, there are probably spots where the egg has soaked through the flour layer leaving sort of soggy places, gently pat a bit more flour on any such soggy spots you come across, with out knocking the flour off the rest of the piece, it's not necessary to re dredge the whole lot. now fry in small batches until brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side) removing to the foil lined pan. be sure you don't crowd the pan, the pieces of chicken should not touch, and should be surrounded completely by oil. bake at 350 uncovered for about 30 mins to finish the cooking and drain the oil from the breading. even if you have a method of making fried chicken that you love, i encourage you to try this, there's something different and very tasty about the result, maybe from the evap. or maybe from the mustard, either way it's delicious.

English style beef ribs

i have mentioned that every year my husband and i buy a half a beef from some friends of ours who raise them locally, this year in discussing the cutting method with my butcher he asked me if i wanted the short rib strips or the english style short ribs. i was intrigued. he warned that they were slow cookers, not bbqers and that they might be tough. thus faced with a challenge i really had to order them and see what could be done. can such a cut be purchased from your local butcher or meat counter? you'll have to ask. what they look like is thin broad blades of bone, about 4 inches long with a good amount of meat on them, but also quite a bit of membrane and also fat. here's what i did to make them tender and also delicious: heat crock pot to high, salt and pepper the ribs liberally. throw them in with the fattiest side down. peel a head of garlic. no joke. if it's a particularly large bulb, perhaps 2/3 would do, but you need about 12 cloves or so, crush them with the flat of your knife and add them to the pot. add 1 cup strong coffee, and 1 or 2 cups of water. bring to simmer and turn crock down to low, cook for 6 to 8 hours or until falling apart. the juice will be quite fatty, but really delicious from the significant amount of bone, strain it, skim it and make deletable gravy with it. serve with buttered egg noodles and enjoy!

not tuna noodle casserole, tuna pasta

dinner tonight needed to happen fast. my husband left his lunch at home (again) and called on the road to say he was starving. mr. hyde has nothing on my sweet, scholarly, husband when he's hungry. so, pasta it was. and oh, what pasta. when i waitressed at an italian restaurant during my misguided youth this particular pasta was one of my favorites. it also happens to be one of the first things i made for my husband, and consequently, one of the reasons he didn't head for the hills when he got to know me better. it's simple and tasty, just heat olive oil in a pan, before the oil is hot put some red pepper flakes in so they will flavor the oil, which by the way, is the sauce so don't be stingy with it. when the oil is nice and hot add plain ol' canned tuna. if you want to spring for it you can get the stuff packed in olive oil and add it with the oil it came in, if you're like me (cheap) press as much water out as you can before plunking it in the pan, mince a clove or two (for us three) of garlic and put it in at the same time as the tuna. you still want the garlic to be sharp when you serve it, not sweet and browned. salt to taste. give the pan a couple of good shakes and heat the tuna through. squeeze some lemon juice in once it's hot and sprinkle with some dried parsley. could you get cute and use fresh parsley? sure. don't get carried away with the lemon or the parsley though, the star here is the pepper flakes and tuna. pour over the pasta of your choice and serve with grated cheese and fresh lemon slices. if it looks a little dry when you toss it together just add some olive oil on top.

chili verde, the second generation

so the recipe for the chili verde is already out there, it's one of our favorites. usually when i make this, as i believe i stated in the recipe, i use a rather large pork roast, usually butt, cushion, or picnic shoulder. this being the case when i made a batch a few weeks ago i had about a quart of leftovers, which i put in a plastic bag and threw in the freezer. last night i wanted mexican food badly, as only a pregnant lady can, and decided to try something new for the leftovers. i'm going to level with you, mostly i wanted to cut down on the dishes i had to wash. so here's what i did: i warmed about 9 small corn tortillas, i mixed the chili with a hand full of shredded 'taco' cheese and rolled enchiladas in my 8x8 glass casserole dish, nothing fancy. it wasn't greased, there wasn't any extra sauce to layer under it, it just all went into little rolls crammed into the pan, i put a little warm water in the bag the chili had been in and swished it around to get all the sauce out and poured that over the enchiladas. i spooned refried beans right out of the can all over the top, used my scissors to chop some fresh cilantro over the beans, and topped with cheese. cover with foil and bake for about an hour, maybe only forty-five minutes, until heated through. i just served it with chips, a tub of salsa from the store, and a chopped up avocado. yumm!

thing three update

well, our wonderful OBGYN got us in monday afternoon to talk over the ultra sound. our regular appointment was for wednesday, so it wasn't really that early. after i once again checked out right on target for weight and blood pressure and tummy size the dr came in and cheerfully said, "well, there is nothing else wrong in your ultra sound, so this means nothing. it can be cause for concern, but not to you, you're fine." he did say that he might (might!) send us to a specialist for a detailed ultra sound to track/compare baby's growth in 6 weeks, but that would be after next months appointment. so, after about three more rounds of the "you're fine, your baby is fine" litany he smiled, shook our hands and said, "see you in a month!" our feelings afterward: let down. hunger. we shuffled off to wendy's saying things like, "well it's a relief, of course, but i knew we were fine." and "see i told you, we're all good, the baby was fine all along." because these are the brave things you say after a long weekend of trying not to worry, because worry wont help.

thing three

i may have mentioned before that we are expecting thing three this june, or as it happens, a bit earlier. this was one of those times when one partner says, "hey, you know, we could do that again." (my husband) and the other partner (me) laughs and says "well yes, but let's wait just a bit, shall we?" and then POOF the jig is up. my mother warned me about this, she said one afternoon she and my father had a conversation that went something along the lines of "hey, lets have kids" (my father) "hey, let's have puppies instead" (my mother) and there was my brother. apparently the women in my family are highly susceptible to suggestion. this left me a bit on the ambivalent side when, about 5 months ago, i confirmed that i was expecting, again. already. so soon. thing two had left me with some problems in my back and the joint in my pelvis that only just started feeling better a few months before, and i was terrified of going through all the debilitating pain again. the delivery was a breeze, but at around two and a half months my back went out, my pelvic joint slipped and the bones overlapped into a pinching position, and there they stayed until evan was about six months old. i was working my way to better back health and a slimmer pair of jeans at the gym, and finally starting to progress, and now i'm gaining again. *sigh* fast forward to about 8 weeks ago, i'm warming up to the idea, i really am. then i start bleeding. and i panic, just a bit. i get a sitter for the kids, my husband runs me down to the dr, and the whole time i'm thinking, "i finally get on board and you bail on me? i don't think so. stay in there baby, stop scaring mama." the dr does an ultrasound and everything checks out. the bleeding stops and i have to sit on my butt for a week. we have a follow up, and everything looks fine. great. in the mean time my back is getting worse, but not miserable, and my pelvic joint is getting sore but not nearly as bad. in short, things are looking up. then yesterday we go for the 20 week ultra sound. i'm now 21 weeks, and this is the one where they take forever and check everything twice. so the tech tells us it looks like a boy, we ooh and ahh over little fingers and toes, she finishes up, then says, "um, i'll be right back" then a dr breezes into the room, they goo me up again and she says "yep, see there's only two vessels showing right there, lets just have a look for anomalies" anomalies? like, abnormalities? i'm no english major but i'm pretty sure that's not a good word when it comes to my baby. she then proceeds to mutter things like "oh, good, there's one hand. he's a mover! and ok-ay yes there's the other hand. that's good. and, alright two feet. okay. trisomy 18, mutter mutter. spot on your placenta, oh you bled? okay, well there it is. i'll get this to your dr, soon." okay, we're given our little picks of feet and blurry arms and shuttled out. hmmm. last night i get home and all i can think is trisomy 18, what? turns out pretty horrific. then i look more. most sights say a baby can be fine with a two vessel umbilical cord, but there's a likelihood of the baby not growing as fast inutero due to decreased flow. so, either horrible genetic malformations and congenital problems with a high mortality rate, or a kinda small perfectly healthy baby. wow, i feel great. and gee, friday was a great day to schedule this, because now i get to spend the weekend with this hanging over us. i'll tell you one thing for sure, as i sit here with little (probably) Ian kicking like crazy as i type, i'm off the fence. i'll take a small healthy, somewhat sooner than hoped for baby, thankyou.

cottage reflections

i'm sitting here on the couch with my feet up, listening to my kids play outside, and marguritaville is on the radio. does it get better than this? i propose that it does not. sure, my husband could be home, but he's at work, slaving away because he loves me and these kids and if there's anything better than having him home, that's the one thing. could i have a frosty little drink in my hand? well, yes, but i did make some guava orange passion fruit juice earlier as a treat, and i'm about sugary drinked out. i'm content. i remember two moments in my life very clearly right now: the first, standing in the kitchen of my trailer (not makin' it up folks) experiencing once again the eye of the hurricane that was my life at the time wishing desperately that life could just always be as perfect as standing in the clean kitchen watching the curtains blow in the breeze. it didn't last back then, poor choices and perceived chains kept me from much peace. now i'm blessed to have a life that is almost always curtains in the breeze, so to say. the second, an afternoon bible study where the pastor posed the question "what does 'life abundantly' mean to you?" my answer was to not be hungry in any way. just let me have enough. enough food, enough love, enough warmth, enough friends. there have been more times than i can count when my life was anything but abundant and rather than make me greedy, it has made me humble. i don't need excess, i don't want too much, i'm no glutton. just give me 'that life abundantly' to the point of contentment, then pass the rest to the next guy. so today, the house is not sparkling, the yard is not ready for sunset magazine to show up, the kids are in a somewhat random state of being (dirt on shirts, snot on noses) and i remain adamant that this life, right here in this cottage, right now on this unseasonably warm january day, could not be improved.

aye, there's the rub.

if you've been to my house at all in the summer, chances are you've experienced The Rub. i'm talking dry bbq rub here, and i humbly posit that it's the best i've ever had. also, quite versatile. of course anything that starts with a big pile of brown sugar can't go too far wrong, can it? a few years ago my dad and i really got into bbq, we were watching shows and reading books and i wont lie to you, some bad things happened on our family grill. after much research (see also: beer drinking) i've settled on a good method for mixing up rub and i usually mix a whole bag of brown sugar at a time, as you experiment with your own i suggest starting with about 1 cup of packed brown sugar and adding spices from there. the key, i've found, with rub for pork or chicken is to soak the meat in cider vinegar for a while before cooking. for my pork ribs i usually let them soak in straight cider vinegar for a few hours, with the chicken i mix a bit of the rub in with the vinegar. the rub itself? i'm glad you asked! brown sugar, garlic salt, white pepper (or finely ground black pepper), paprika, a bit of poultry seasoning, a touch of cumin, ground cloves, and onion powder. this is a basic mix, and i don't list amounts because you'll just have to follow your nose. i've been threatened by my husband with work as a drug sniffing dog, and i know that not everyone has the same olfactory prowess as me, but you know what your family likes. if you mix a basic batch and try it, well maybe next time you'll add some cayenne, or mustard powder is a good treat but i don't put it in every time. tarragon is also a tasty addition but if i'm going to sauce my ribs at some point i don't add it because it gets buried and detracts rather than adds. the point is this: dry rub is a great way to go. as always i like it when i know exactly what's in the food i'm serving my family and friends and as a method it's simple and effective. back to said method. if your meat is still soaking, drain the excess vinegar and rub thoroughly with your mix. if you're cooking on the grill set yourself up for low, indirect heat. i like to start in the oven on racks, it's just easier for me to make sure little hands don't get burned that way. low and slow is the way to go here, 275 for about 4 hours is best. it sounds like a long time, and it is. flip your ribs or chicken some time in the middle. a note on chicken: if you're cooking breasts, mix the rub with the vinegar to marinate, reserve some marinade for basting, soak the meat in the rest and throw them right on a low grill, baste with the sauce a few times while cooking. leg quarters make excellent bbq meat and can cook for a long time to absorb the flavor without drying out, they come out tender and delicious. marinate them with rub and vinegar, then add extra dry rub when you put them in the oven. i usually start them at 300 for an hour then turn it down to 275. i think the meat is wonderful just with the rub, but you can brush it with your favorite bbq sauce at the very end if you like, or just serve it with sauce on the side so if people want that extra kick they can add it themselves.

thing one

pearls of wisdom passed to thing one from my husband and i:

God made you.
Jesus is a name for God.
You need your blood.
If you play with sharp dangerous things you can get cut (ouch).
If you get a cut big enough all your blood can go out, and then you die.

What he did with the assembled knowledge:

Mama i can't touch your kitchen knife because i can get a cut and the i'll die and then Jesus will have to make me all over again!

um. yes. sort of. okay, we'll leave it at that for now. i made it all the way until after bed time when i was taking my shower to laugh out loud, although, i'm not sure how. kids are priceless.

salmon pie

okay, stop making that face. think wonderful chicken pot pie, or maybe shepard's pie. good stuff right? okay, so is salmon pie. i was lead to this discovery after reading one of my favorite novels and wondering for the millionth time "what the heck is salmon pie?" turns out it's a fairly traditional brittish dish, and something of a comfort food in canada. while poking around for recipes i found a range from ones as simple as mashed russet potatoes with canned salmon stirred in to delicately flavored layered dishes with long lists of herbs and spices. what i settled on was my favorite oil crust recipe from better homes and gardens, plus a little extra salt and a teaspoon of dried dill. for the filling i've used both canned or fresh salmon, really i could go either way. i prefer the fresh for texture but for price the canned wins out some weeks. i sliced one leek and sauteed it in about two table spoons of butter, and boiled 5 smallish red potatoes, diced in medium sized chunks. this goes in a mixing bowl with the salmon, for fresh about a pound poached in water with salt and a couple of lemon slices then flaked in large chunks, or one 14 oz can. salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with dried dill. add about 1 cup thawed frozen peas, if desired. beside the fact that i think canned peas are gross, and have almost no nutritional value, they don't have the constitution for this, they'll go to mush when you stir everything together. fold all the ingredients together until you have an even distribution. in a small sauce pan either reduce 1 cup of half and half or make a small amount of white sauce (roux and milk) you'll need about 3/4 of a cup of sauce, not too thick, to keep everything moist. stir the sauce into the filling, assemble your pie and bake at 400 for about an hour. we serve ours with ketchup, because we're not too proud, and it's tasty.

Goosecapades

sooooo, about those geese. they weighed in Christmas morning at about 7 pounds a piece. and, because this is how my life tends to work out, not very full of the golden elixir known as goose fat. apparently it's a big stinking deal. i may never know. due to a small eating disorder episode they didn't get very big. who knows if they could have worked through it if they had time and therapy. or if i had figured out how to force feed the obstinate jerks.... any who i looked into crispy goose skin recipes and found somethings about steaming the geese for 45 minutes the day before roasting them. one got stuffed with ginger root and orange segments and the other one with apples, prunes, port and thyme. they were steamed, patted dry, refrigerated over night and roasted for about 2 hours each at 350. if i sound unenthused, frankly, i am a bit. this turned out to be hard work. if you ever feel moved to carve a goose, just give up now. unless you have help. okay, okay, maybe with practice it wouldn't be so bad. my husband was in love with the meat, and the rest of the guests seemed to enjoy it too. the slice i cornered for myself was pretty good but when weighed against the loss of my garden to feathered terrorists, not worth it. maybe i'm just bitter. they were pretty when all roasty toasty, and the apple stuffing was good. personally i'm going back to duck. alot cheaper by the pound and easier to wrangle. with the added to bonus that i've never had to spend hours pulling nasty ends of pin feathers out of the blow torch scorched flesh. i will do you the favor of not telling you about the smell that filled my house when my husband brought them in to wash them out in the sink, i will do you the further courtesy of not discussing the slaughter itself. not pretty. the roasting smell was better, but by that point i could hardly enjoy it. for a more moving post about roasting foul, i direct you to my blog about duck.

not just another scampi

tired of scampi? me neither. however, there is more than one way to skin a shrimp, so to speak. just because you want shrimp and pasta, in an easy dish, doesn't mean you have to load up the butter. one of my favorite things to make is a dish i originally learned while working at an italian restaurant, from the owner. simply put, saute shrimp in olive oil with some minced onion and garlic, when the shrimp are almost done add a bit of pesto and a splash of dark marsala. jim, the owner, also put in slices of pre-cooked italian sausage and porcinni mushrooms. just cook it all down until the shrimp are done and toss with pasta. wonderful!!